Serves 8

1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Salt and ground black pepper
2 whole chickens, about 3 ½ to 4 pound each, wingtips trimmed and excess of fat removed
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


In a small bowl, combine the mustard, shallots, garlic and thyme, along with 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Clean out the cavities of the chickens. Set them in a large dish and brush a generous coating of the mustard paste all over the outside of the chickens. Rub any remaining paste into the cavities. Refrigerate for 2 hours or longer.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the chickens on a roasting pan or a rimmed baking sheet. Season the chickens with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and drizzle each chicken with another 1 tablespoon of oil. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. and continue to roast for another 25 minutes. Baste the chickens occasionally until they are golden brown, crusty, and cooked through, another 30 to 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 t0 175 degrees F. when the chickens are done and the juices run clear. Remove the chickens from the oven and allow them to rest 10 minutes before carving. Carve the chicken carefully leaving the mustard crust undisturbed. Arrange the pieces on a platter and serve