Crispy Dijon Chicken Breasts

October/November 2007

Why this recipe works:

We’re always looking for a way to liven up chicken breasts, so we created a Crispy Dijon Chicken Breasts recipe, which adds the zip of Dijon mustard and the crunchiness of fresh-baked bread crumbs. Fresh bread crumbs proved better than store-bought in our chicken breasts recipe—and they were easy to make by simply processing two slices of hearty white sandwich bread in a food processor until coarsely ground.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (see note)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine bread crumbs, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Combine mustard and mayonnaise in small bowl; reserve 1/4 cup mustard-mayonnaise mixture for chicken, then stir in 1 tablespoon chives, sour cream, and vinegar to make sauce for serving.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Spread reserved mustard-mayonnaise mixture evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture, pressing lightly to adhere.
3. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes. Sprinkle remaining chives over chicken. Serve with mustard sauce.