Ina Garten’s Crispy Chicken Is Easier and Better Than Fried

The year my parents sold our childhood home coincided with my mother’s retirement. We decided to throw a big summer celebration, complete with a full family photo shoot. It was scheduled for the end of June, so we went with an Americana theme featuring a red, white, and blue color palette.

And then there was the menu: My sisters and I painstakingly over-analyzed every detail, as only a family of perfectionists can. Today, I can’t recall most of the dishes on that well-curated list except for one item: the buttermilk fried chicken.

We thoughtfully brined the bone-in meat overnight in herb-infused buttermilk. One thing I should note: My immediate family is not small, which meant the buckets of chicken weren’t either. After playing expert-level fridge Tetris, we thought we had everything under control. Most of the sides were prepped, all we had to do was fry the chicken right before serving. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out, quite a lot.

Of the 20 people at the party, eight of them were under 10, so trying to get everyone dressed and ready was chaotic to say the least. My sister Susan and I were the last ones to get ready—dressed all in white, mind you—and we had yet to fry the chicken.

To make a long, slightly traumatic story short, we didn’t have enough oil, we fried on an electric range (it’s not recommended), and our clothing choices weren’t the best. While we made the most of it (and the chicken did turn out OK), I haven’t deep-fried chicken since.

How Ina Garten’s Makes Crispy Chicken

Now, almost 15 years later, I am wise enough to know that if you’ve ever faced a culinary dilemma, Ina Garten probably has a solution. Oven-fried chicken is something that always seemed too good to be true, but Ina’s version—this Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken—is like a recipe sent straight from heaven.

First and foremost: the flavor. Thanks to a quick dunk (no overnight marinating required!) in a mixture of wine and Dijon mustard, the chicken picks up complexity and moisture. This dunk also gives the buttery and lemony panko coating a way to stick.

Once the chicken has been properly coated, all you have to do is set it on a sheet pan and bake it for about 50 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, you slightly raise the heat to allow the coating to properly brown. When I’m feeling particularly motivated, sometimes I’ll even toss it under the broiler for a few minutes to make it extra crisp; if you do this, make sure to keep a very close eye on it.

From here on out, this will be my go-to method. Maybe someday, I’ll gain the courage to give fried chicken another go, but for now, making it in the oven is a dream—and I can even wear white.