This Whole30-friendly Orange Dijon Chicken recipe only requires five ingredients and the whole family will love it! You probably have the ingredients in your kitchen and pantry already!
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5 Ingredient Whole30 Chicken Dinner!
Lil-O, my picky younger son, recently anointed me with a lofty title: “The Queen of Being Good at Chicken.” When I asked him why he felt I deserved such an honorific, he shrugged and told me that he loves my chicken dishes (like Cracklin’ Chicken, Damn Fine Chicken, and Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken). Of course, he was quick to add a caveat: “No offense, mom, but Po-Po’s cooking is still a little better.” No offense taken—I’m fine with taking second place to my mom.
After some experimentation, I came up with this 5-ingredient (not including salt) chicken recipe, and it’s pretty much the bee’s knees. And after trying a bite, Lil-O confirmed that my new chicken-cooking royalty status remains safe. “For now,” he added ominously.
Fancy-sounding, but super easy chicken recipe!
I’m not sure I’m the queen of anything, but we certainly do love roasted chicken here at Nom Nom Paleo World Headquarters as evidenced by all the poultry dishes in my Recipe Index. To keep my boys happy, I’m always trying to come up with flavor-packed chicken recipes that deliver the most bang for the buck. After a meal at a local French bistro, I was reminded that Dijon-style mustard makes for a fantastic marinade base for chicken. But can a restaurant-quality mustard-marinaded chicken be made simply, and at home? Yes, 100%!
Ingredients
- Chicken: I use drumsticks for this recipe, but any cut of chicken will work! Just make sure you adjust the cooking time if you’re using skinless and boneless cuts or a whole chicken. Other tasty protein options include pork tenderloin, pork chops, lamb chops, and fish fillets.
- Dijon-style mustard: To keep things Whole30, make sure you choose a Dijon Mustard with compatible ingredients.
- Orange juice: Fresh squeezed is best! No OJ? You can also use apple juice or substitute 2 tablespoons honey (not Whole30-compatible).
- Avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Minced Italian parsley and/or chives (optional)
How to make Orange Dijon Chicken!
Combine the mustard, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt in a large bowl.
Remember: the amount of salt is subjective. Adjust the amount to taste!
Mix well.
Add the chicken drumsticks, and mix well to coat. (Yes, boneless and skinless chicken will also work, but make sure to decrease the amount of cooking time.)
Personally, I recommend marinating the chicken in the morning, and cooking up the chicken in the evening—but the recipe works even if you have little or no time to marinate the bird legs.
If you’re gonna marinate it ahead of time, cover the bowl with a silicone lid (my fave!) or plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to a day. (Don’t leave the chicken in the marinade for more than a day, or the texture of the meat will turn a little mushy.)
When you’re ready to roast the chicken, heat the oven to 425°F (or 400°F on convection mode) with the rack in the middle position. Definitely use the convection option if you’ve got it! The circulating hot air ensures even cooking and crispy skin.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a stainless steel wire rack on top. Gently shake off the excess marinade and lay the chicken drumsticks in a single layer on the wire rack.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, and then flip the drumsticks over and rotate the tray 180 degrees.
Continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the skin is browned and the meat is cooked through (registering 165°F to 185°F for dark meat and 150°F for white meat on an instant-read thermometer).
Feeling fancy? Roughly chop a handful of Italian parsley and/or chives, and sprinkle the herbs on top!
What do you serve it with?
Serve the Orange Dijon Chicken with a large chopped salad, Instant Pot Braised Kale and Carrots, Whole Raosted Cauliflower, or Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon!
How to save leftovers
Store them in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. You can chop up the leftover chicken and use it in Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Orange Dijon Chicken (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Dijon-style mustard
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice you can also use apple juice or substitute 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
- ¼ cup Minced Italian parsley and/or chives optional
Instructions
- Combine the mustard, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add the chicken drumsticks, and mix well to coat. (Yes, boneless and skinless chicken will also work, but make sure to decrease the amount of cooking time.)
- I recommend marinating the chicken in the morning, and cooking up the chicken in the evening—but the recipe works even if you have little or no time to marinate the bird legs. Marinate the chicken in a covered dish in the fridge for up to a day.
- When you’re ready to roast the chicken, heat the oven to 425°F (or 400°F on convection mode) with the rack in the middle position. Definitely use the convection option if you’ve got it! The circulating hot air ensures even cooking and crispy skin.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a stainless steel wire rack on top. Gently shake off the excess marinade and lay the chicken drumsticks in a single layer on the wire rack.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, and then flip the drumsticks over and rotate the tray 180 degrees. Continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the skin is browned and the meat is cooked through (registering 165°F for dark meat and 150°F for white meat on an instant-read thermometer).
- Feeling fancy? Roughly chop a handful of Italian parsley and/or chives, and sprinkle the herbs on top!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m wondering how spicy this is, and if it would be more mild with yellow mustard?
I don’t find them to be spicy at all, but if you are sensitive to spice you could give the yellow mustard a try.
hi Michelle, i love your website and sorry for this question but I’m intolerant to mustard so is there a substitute i can use that you feel will work for this recipe? I thought wasabi but 3/4th cup of wasabi is a lot?
Hi Rads! Wasabi is very strong. I would recommend trying the Orange Sriracha Chicken recipe instead.
Delicious. So easy. I used my air fryer and they took about 25 min.
My husband took a bite and responded “Wow! This is insanely good!”
I will absolutely be making this again!
This recipe is magic! I don’t like mustard at all, but these are so good! By the time I found the recipe, I only had two hours to marinate, and a little stone ground mustard and spicy brown mustard (for the husband), which I combined for the 3/4 cup. I also used mandarin oranges, since that’s what I keep on hand. The only other change I made was to cook in my toaster oven air fryer and they took about 5 minutes longer. I’m so impressed that I already have Dijon mustard in my grocery cart for the next time. I can only imagine how much better they will be after marinating a full day! Thank you so much for an excellent, easy, delicious recipe! I’ve followed you for years and this is why!
How would this recipe do for chicken wings?
Sure, just adjust the cook time.