When I go to try a recipe I think sounds tasty, I often follow the directions pretty closely, only deviating here and there to kick some of the flavors up a notch.
When Joey is inspired by a recipe, he looks up a few more versions of the same dish and then goes completely rogue, creating his own, unique interpretation.
That was the case recently, when he announced we were going to figure out our own path to making a French dish, poulet à la moutarde (or mustard chicken).
He volunteered to spatchcock the chicken (one of my least favorite kitchen chores) and told me to grab pen and paper, as he already watched several videos on making the classic French recipe and had ideas on how to do it his own way in our Kansas kitchen.
So, while I normally give you a source for these recipes, this one is a Joey Young creation. He was certainly inspired by the French, but if you look at their recipes and what we ended up making, you’ll see he improvised quite a bit.
The best part, though, was the experiment was absolutely delicious.
Dijon Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken spatchcocked
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- leaves from one sprig fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- about 1/4 to 1/2 cup dijon mustard
- 2 large potatoes cut into one-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 bulb garlic cloves separated and peeled
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- black pepper to taste
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk I used skim
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- garlic salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the spatchcocked chicken on a cutting board while you prepare it.
- Combine the garlic salt, paprika, onion powder and rosemary leaves in a small bowl, and then rub it evenly under the skin of the breast and along the bottom of the chicken.
- Now, coat the entire outside of the chicken in a thin layer of dijon mustard.
- Put the prepared potatoes, onion, celery and garlic, along with the parsley and black pepper into the bottom of a nine-by-13-inch baking dish, and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken on top, breast side up.
- Put the chicken in the oven and check the internal temperature after 45 minutes.
- Let the chicken cook to 160 degrees, and then remove it from the oven. Carefully place the chicken on another dish or cutting board to rest while it up-cooks to 165 degrees.
- While the chicken rests, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, and then pour over the vegetables in the baking dish. Give it a stir and then place it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven, and give them another stir.
- When the chicken has reached 165, slice and serve it, along with the roasted vegetables.
This was moist and tender, and while Joey and I both expected the mustard to overpower the entire meal, it was actually just a really nice supporting character to the overall dish.
Plus, the mustard created a beautiful, crispy skin on the chicken, which was a great texture and flavor addition.
Everything also reheated well, which was nice, as we ate on this for leftovers.
And, luckily, I did manage to keep up with Joey as he explored our spice cabinet and added ingredients, or we’d never know exactly how to recreate this awesome dinner.
But who needs a recipe when you are this good at making it up as you go along?
This piece first appeared in print June 18, 2026.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
