Father’s Day and Mustard Chicken

King Daddy is a man of simple tastes. For Father’s Day this year he wanted to go to Costco for a Polish dog and a slice of everything pizza. Lunch for two for under $5. And he didn’t say this but after 25 years of marriage I knew it – he wants Mustard Chicken for supper.

This is a recipe I’ve been making for him for longer than we’ve been married. When I first moved to Reno in 1989, I had a little time on my hands as I had no job. So I ended up checking out cookbooks from the Washoe County Public Library, one of which was a bed and breakfast cookbook with the recipe for Mustard Chicken.

The recipe almost qualifies as a Southern recipe as it only has four ingredients. Not all great Southern recipes, but many of them only have three. Sausage balls: Bisquick, shredded Cheddar cheese and bulk sausage. Ro-Tel Dip: diced Ro-Tel tomatoes, Velveeta cheese and bulk sausage. Artichoke dip: canned artichokes, mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese.

Mustard Chicken only has four ingredients: chicken breasts, sour cream, Dijon mustard and honey. I always make extra sauce because King Daddy loves it so.

It isn’t particularly pretty but it’s so, so tasty. As is often the case, I’m stuck on what is served with Mustard Chicken. There must be buttered egg noodles and peas. Sometimes a thing is just a thing. Kind of like the undisputed fact that country fried steak does not go with rice. It goes with mashed potatoes. Rice would just be wrong.

And there must be yeast rolls for sopping up the sauce. I know, I know. Two starches are just not acceptable. Just like macaroni and cheese is not a vegetable even though it’s in the vegetable column at every meat ‘n’ three in Nashville. Sometimes it’s right to be wrong.