Sweet Mustard Baked Chicken

The American Fork workshop happened Thursday and it was everything the Orem and Provo ones have been and something more: forty-one women in a recreation center kitchen that was newer and larger, with a staff person from the center who stayed to learn the system so she could assist in future sessions, and a woman named Rebecca in the back row who told me at the end that she has seven children and has been feeding them on forty dollars a week and that this is the first time she has ever left a cooking event feeling capable rather than inadequate. I did not say anything immediately. I held her hands for a moment, because what she had said deserved a moment, and then I said: you were always capable. You just needed a system that fits how you actually live. She said: how do you know that? I said: because I was you, two years ago, except I had six children and the grief was different but the feeling of barely managing was the same.

I drove home at ten-thirty and typed up my first real newsletter: three pages, PDF, forty-one women on the first distribution. The newsletter had a recipe at the top, the system tip of the month, a resource section, and a small personal note. I did not plan to include the personal note. It arrived while I was typing and I left it in because it was true. It said: the reason this works is not the recipes. It is the belief that your family deserves a good meal even on the hardest days. Especially on the hardest days. The freezer is not about convenience. It is about love made portable and ready for when you need it.

Three community centers, two workshops per month, over two hundred and fifty women since June. Brandon read the newsletter Friday morning and did not say anything for a long moment. Then he said: this is what you are supposed to be doing. I said: I know. He said: good. He went to work. I made Sunday prep: three kinds of soup, three dozen breakfast burritos, marinated chicken in five marinades. Twenty-nine items. Four hours.

The recipe at the top of that first newsletter was this one — Sweet Mustard Baked Chicken — because it was the one I demonstrated in American Fork that Thursday and the one that earned the most handwritten notes on index cards from the women in those folding chairs. It is exactly the kind of recipe the system is built around: one marinade, one pan, one hour, and enough trust in the process that you can make four portions on Sunday and pull them from the freezer on Wednesday without feeling like you failed. Rebecca asked me for it before she left the building. I had already planned to send it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
Coat the chicken. Place chicken pieces in a large zip-top bag or a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and turn to coat evenly. Seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. For freezer prep, seal at this stage and freeze flat — the chicken marinates as it thaws.
Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly grease it.
Arrange and bake. Remove the chicken from the marinade and lay pieces in a single layer on the prepared pan. Spoon any remaining marinade over the tops. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the internal temperature reads 165°F and the tops are caramelized and deep golden.
Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve over rice, roasted potatoes, or with a simple green salad.
Freezer instructions. Cool baked chicken completely. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag in meal-size portions. Freeze up to 3 months. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or microwave on 70% power in 2-minute intervals until warmed through.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sweet Mustard Baked Chicken — The Recipe That Started the Newsletter