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Home » Recipes » Chicken

Mustard Garlic Butterflied Roasted Chicken in a Skillet

Published: Apr 21, 2018 · Updated: Apr 1, 2025 · By Lisa Goldfinger · 9 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

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Roasted chicken in a skillet

Nothing beats a great roasted chicken which, in my mind, means crisp golden brown skin and tender juicy flavorful meat. For the past few weeks I've been testing various roast chicken recipes and techniques in search of the ultimate roasted chicken. In the end it came down to a contest between Julia Child's simple whole roast chicken and Jacques Pépin's butterflied quick roast chicken with mustard and garlic. I invited my neighbors over for chicken dinner to help decide. Jacques reigned supreme (sorry Julia, you know I love you!)

roasted chicken in a cast iron skillet

When roasted chicken is good, there's really nothing better.

People often talk about chicken being so versatile - a blank canvas for endless creations and flavors. But it can also be utterly delicious to keep the ingredients simple and let the natural flavor of the bird shine through. So how do you make a truly great roasted chicken? To answer that question, I turned to two of my favorite chefs, Julia Child and Jacques Pépin. 

Julia's simple roast chicken will definitely be on the blog eventually. I will play with the flavors and do some more testing first. For my taste, I think a little less lemon and the addition of garlic might do the trick. Jacques' roasted chicken has now set the bar very high for me.

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN

The first step in this recipe is to butterfly the chicken so it lies flat in the skillet and cooks evenly. If you have a butcher who's willing to prepare the butterflied chicken for you, that's great. But I encourage you to try butterflying a chicken at some point in your life. It may feel like a daunting task to undertake but it's really not that difficult. Once you do it I think you'll be happy you did. It's gratifying to be able to get that chicken all trimmed up and flattened out.

If you want to watch the master at work, here's a video of Jacques Pépin demonstrating how to butterfly a chicken 

HOW TO BUTTERFLY CHICKEN

Here's how I do it:

First, if you're going to cut up that bird, you'll need either a very sharp (carving) knife or poultry shears. I used poultry shears.

cutting a whole raw chicken with poultry shears to butterfly it

Place the chicken on your work surface breast side down. Use your shears or knife to remove the chicken's backbone by cutting along each side of it, from one end to the other.

Cutting the backbone out of a whole chicken to butterfly it

Once the backbone is out, the hard work is done.

how to butterfly a chicken

Flip the chicken over and press down on the breast bone firmly with the palms of your hands, to flatten it. Jacques Pépin recommends making a small cut where the leg meets the body to make the leg and thigh portion lie flatter.

how to butterfly a chicken

Now it's time to put the butterflied chicken in the skillet and slather it with the tasty mustard garlic mixture. With the breast side down, brush half the mustard garlic sauce over the chicken.

whole butterflied chicken in a skillet with mustard garlic mixture

Then flip it to the other side and brush on the rest.

With the oven preheating to 450ºF, set the skillet on the stovetop over high heat and cook the chicken until it starts to brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Now transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken for 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through.

butterflied chicken in a cast iron skillet topped with mustard garlic mixture

Here's what my chicken looked like when it came out of the oven. (I added the thyme sprig for the photo). 

cooked roasted chicken in a skillet

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Then transfer it to a cutting board, cut it into 8 pieces and serve with mashed potatoes or our easy Syracuse salt potatoes, and salad. 

Other Favorite Dinner Party Recipes:

  • Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate
  • Ottolenghi's Roast Chicken with Za'atar and Sumac
  • Beef Bourguignon Inspired By Juilia Child
  • Ginette Mathiot's Boeuf Bourguignon (easy)
Roasted chicken cut into serving pieces

A butterflied chicken is ideal for cooking, especially if you want beautifully crisp browned skin and evenly cooked white and dark meat. Whether you're cooking it in a skillet, in the oven or on the grill, a butterflied chicken cooks more evenly than a whole chicken.

The technique of butterflying, pan-searing and oven roasting the bird, with Jacque's delicious mustard and garlic mixture slathered all over it, yields a roasted chicken that is pure perfection.

roasted chicken cut into serving pieces

Here's the recipe for Mustard Garlic Butterflied Roasted Chicken. The recipe is slightly adapted from a recipe by Jacque Pepin.  If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think.

 
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Roasted chicken in a skillet

Mustard Garlic Butterflied Roasted Chicken in a Skillet


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Lisa
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4
Print Recipe

Description

A recipe and technique for making a perfect whole roasted chicken in the oven, with crisp skin and tender flavorful meat.


Ingredients

Scale

Equipment: You will need a sharp carving knife or poultry shears and a large cast iron skillet that can go from stove top to oven.

  • 1 3½-4-pound chicken
  • 4-5 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine (dry Vermouth works well)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (see notes for substitution)
  • 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more, to taste


Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set the chicken, breast side down, on a chopping board. Use a sharp knife or poultry shears to remove the backbone by cutting along either side of it, from one end to the other. Flip the chicken over so the breast side is up and press on the breast bone with the palms of your hands, to flatten the chicken.
  2. In a small bowl mix all the marinade ingredients: garlic, mustard, wine, olive oil, soy sauce, herbs and salt.
  3. Place the chicken in a large heavy cast iron skillet, breast down, and brush it with half of the mustard mixture. Turn the chicken over so the breast side is up, and brush with the remaining mixture.
  4. Set the skillet over high heat. Cook the chicken until it starts to brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken for 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through.
  5. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut it into 8 pieces and serve.

Notes

For gluten free use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.

  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Roasting
  • Cuisine: French

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Dinner, Entertaining Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Claudia

    January 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Absolutely DELICIOUS!!!

    Thanks for posting such an easy and wonderful meal. Ours looked just like your picture and was so, so good. Will definitely be making it again. I made a gravy in the cast iron while the chicken was resting. Husband gave 5**.

    Reply
  2. Jason

    December 26, 2020 at 8:44 am

    Good post!

    Reply
  3. Wanda Bridges

    December 19, 2020 at 6:33 pm

    This recipe is stellar, Lisa!! I get so tired of making the same ole, same ole; you see my hubby is particular in what he'll eat. His palate is simple, but mine is more complex. I grew up in New Orleans, so I love foods that taste like a party!! (Pardon the pun!) I'm so glad I tried it, its awesome!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      December 24, 2020 at 8:45 am

      Hey Wanda, I'm so happy to hear you and your hubby enjoyed the chicken! By the way, two of my sons went to Tulane for undergrad so I've spent a good amount of time in New Orleans and I know what you're talking about when you say the food there tastes like a party! I really appreciate that you came back to leave a star rating and a comment. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

      Reply
  4. Kathleen

    September 09, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    Made this with chicken thighs - easy and delicious. TThanks for the recipie.

    Reply
  5. GaryJohnson

    April 25, 2018 at 2:45 am

    That’s the very nice post you have shared with us. I really liked it and your explanations are good. I feel very hungry. Please keep sharing more and more cooking posts and tips. Thanks for sharing... All the best for your future posts..
    Visit my academic website: Best OnlineEssay Writing Service. Any one struggle with writing or buying essay we will help you. Get any kind of essay our best essay writing service online help you to submit best essay within the time.

    Reply
  6. Kit Waters

    April 24, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    You never cease to amaze me with your (mostly) simple, always delicious, real people recipes!

    And now!!! Delicious companion drinks so hosting a great gathering is something we can all do without stressing ourselves about timing, having ingredients on hand and what to pour.

    To make you even more special, you actually answer personal emails I have sent you.

    Reply
  7. Joel Silberman

    April 23, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    Fantastic...amazing. House smelled so good. Everyone loved it. Great texture, flavor - just yum!
    We served with riced cauliflower and a great bottle of French Chardonnay.
    Easy to make - ingredients on hand...
    Happy Monday y'all.
    Thanks Lisa for this new go to..

    Reply
    • Lisa

      April 24, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      I am so happy to know that the mustard garlic chicken was a hit in your house Joel. Thank you for your comment.

      Reply

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