By Late June rolling into early July. Dustin and I have started looking at apartments in Tulsa — small two-bedroom units within twenty minutes of his HVAC shop and within thirty-five minutes of the Broken Arrow factory I am still at. We toured three Saturday afternoon. The third one, a small two-bedroom on the second floor of a quiet four-unit building off Memorial Drive, is the one we are putting an application on Monday. The rent is eight hundred and twenty-five dollars a month, utilities not included. The deposit is the same. The application fee is forty dollars total.
Mama drove out with us to the third apartment and walked through it with the small careful walk Mama uses when she is evaluating something on my behalf. She tested the kitchen faucet pressure. She opened all the cabinets. She turned on the gas burner to check the flame. She stood in the small second bedroom for about ninety seconds and did not say anything. On the drive home she said: baby, it is a good apartment. I am going to miss you. I did not know what to say. Dustin held my hand from the back seat.
Sunday I made honey-mustard breaded chicken because Dustin had requested it specifically for the post-apartment-tour Sunday dinner. Boneless thighs dredged in flour, dipped in egg-honey-Dijon mixture, dredged in panko-parmesan, baked at four-twenty-five for twenty-five minutes until shatter-crispy. The dish was the one Dustin’s mom had made for him as a kid in Owasso and that he has been asking me to learn since November. I had been working on the variant across the past three Sundays. This Sunday was the one where the recipe landed.
Honey-Mustard Breaded Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top. Lightly coat the rack with cooking spray.
- Make the honey-mustard coating. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, honey, and olive oil until smooth and well combined.
- Mix the breading. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir to distribute evenly.
- Coat the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Brush each breast all over with the honey-mustard mixture, then press firmly into the breadcrumb mixture to coat all sides. Place on the prepared rack.
- Bake until golden and cooked through. Bake for 22–26 minutes, until the breading is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F. Do not flip — the rack allows heat to circulate underneath.
- Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate it alongside mashed potatoes and corn on the cob if you’re doing it right.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 318 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 510mg