Baked Mustard Chicken with Summer Vegetables

This is the kind of dinner I make when I want to be finished with the kitchen before the sun goes down. Everything goes into one dish, the oven does the slow part, and you get a pan of golden chicken with sweet, half-collapsed tomatoes and soft zucchini rounds tucked around it. Nothing fancy, and it tastes like someone cared.

The glaze is the part I'd happily make on its own. Dijon mustard is a French invention from the city of Dijon, where it has been made for centuries, and it is one of the few condiments that carries real sharpness without any sugar in it. Stirred with the juice from half a lemon, it turns into a bright coating that clings to the chicken as it bakes. Brush it on right before the dish goes in, and don't be shy with it. The mustard mellows as it cooks, so the sauce that pools in the pan at the end tastes rounder than it did in the bowl.

A few things I've learned from making this more than once. Chicken breasts vary a lot in thickness, so if one end is much thicker, pound it gently to an even layer or it will finish dry while the thin part is still pale. Give the zucchini rounds a little room in the dish. If they're packed in too tightly they steam and turn watery instead of picking up some colour at the edges. A good thermometer is the most reliable way to know the chicken is done, and I'd rather check than guess.

Leftovers keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of days. The tomatoes and zucchini are lovely cold, so I often pull them out the next day and toss them over salad greens with a squeeze of lemon. Shredded chicken from the leftovers works in a wrap with some of that mustard thinned with a spoon of water. Reheat gently so the chicken stays moist.

For serving, I like something green and crisp on the side so the plate doesn't feel heavy. A bowl of cherry tomato arugula salad with goat cheese echoes the tomatoes and adds a peppery bite. If you want something warm and roasted to sit alongside, crispy honey mustard Brussels sprouts share the same tangy note and bake on a second tray at a similar heat.