Crispy Mustard Chicken With Bread Crumbs

By Melissa Clark

Published October 25, 2023

  • A baking sheet topped with crispy chicken breasts. They are coated in panko bread crumbs.
    Bobbi Lin for The New York Times.Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 to 50 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
35 to 45 minutes
Rating
5(2,171)
Comments
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A modern take on a retro classic, these bread crumb-coated chicken thighs, helped out by a generous dose of melted butter, get especially crisp as they roast. To keep the crumbs from falling off, the chicken thighs are first coated with a piquant mix of mustard and Worcestershire sauce spiked with garlic, lemon zest and red-pepper flakes. This both seasons the meat and keeps it juicy. Using panko gives the golden chicken skin a light and feathery crunch, but regular bread crumbs would also work. If you’d rather use white meat, whole bone-in, skin-on breasts are the best bet here; boneless breasts tend to dry out in the time needed for the crumb coating to crisp and brown.

Featured in: Mom’s Favorite Chicken Dinner Gets a Makeover

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or use a mix of thighs and drumsticks)

  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), more for sprinkling

  • ¼ cup/57 grams unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 ¼ cups panko bread crumbs (or use regular bread crumbs)

  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated

  • 1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving

  • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

11 grams carbs; 243 milligrams cholesterol; 643 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 48 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 565 milligrams sodium; 39 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle chicken thighs lightly with salt.

  2. Step 2

    In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, panko and ¼ teaspoon salt until the panko is well coated.

  3. Step 3

    In a medium bowl, combine the mustard, garlic, thyme, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes, black pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.

  4. Step 4

    Lightly brush the thighs all over with the Dijon mixture and place them on the prepared baking sheet, skin sides up. Top evenly with the panko mixture and drizzle lightly with oil.

  5. Step 5

    Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the panko topping is golden brown. If you want more color on the thighs, broil on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching closely. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,171 user ratings
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Comments

Zips

In my experience when you leave the skin on while baking bread crumb chicken, it all falls off with the first bight. Also, if cooked right on a sheet pan, the bottom will be greasy and wet. Take off the skin, salt and pepper liberally and then slather on the mustard mix and the panko. cook the pieces on a rack set in the sheet pan and you will have great results.

Greg

I like all of Melissa Clark's recipes, so I suggest modifications with trepidation. But here you go: I make a Dijon chicken much like this, but marinate the chicken thighs in Greek yogurt for a few hours before applying the herby mustard coating and panko. Worcestershire sounds like a great tweak. Thanks Melissa (and Mom)!

Auralee

I have been making a similar recipe for years and I highly recommend mixing some freshly grated parmesan cheese and a teaspoon of smoked paprika in with the crumbs. This is a great way to cook thighs!!

Dahlia

Ina Garten has recipe for crispy mustard chicken that I was making for years. This particular recipe has similar structure to the process. I tried it several times as written. My family liked it very much as well as Ina's recipe.

Valerie

Used gf breadcrumbs and it was very tasty.

ThatGirlAnna

I will probably use less butter next time. I also added 1tsp honey for a half recipe. Quick and tasty! It helped that my thyme was old/dry so it came off easily. Will make again.

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