Put Dijon Chicken on a Fast Track

If your total prep and cooking time is 10 minutes, we’ve evolved a fast way to do Chicken Breasts a la Dijon. Buy roasted chicken and fresh fettuccine or linguine. While boiling water for the pasta and heating the broiler, make the glaze: Whisk 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard with 1 to 2 tablespoons water or white wine, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, dried tarragon and dried basil and salt and pepper to taste.

As the pasta cooks, place the chicken in a pan, brush it with the glaze and broil for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan by whisking in 1/4 cup chicken broth. Drain the pasta, transfer it to plates along with the chicken, and pour the sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh arugula or watercress. Suitable for in-laws!

(If you have more time, you can brush the glaze over 2 bone-in chicken breasts, set them in a baking dish, and roast them 30 to 40 minutes.)

DAVID RADA

and HAL PEDERSON

Los Angeles

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How do you get dinner on the table fast? We mean real fast. The rules: No more than one stop on the way home, no more than 10 minutes’ prep time. The rest is up to you. To share your idea, write to The Last Minute, Los Angeles Times Food Section, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Or e-mail us at food@latimes.com.