Most of my recipes that use pickled mustard seeds just use a little for tang and their caviarlike “pop.” That’s not the case here, where the mustard seeds are the star, used both in the marinade and the sauce. With just a few ingredients but manifold spicy-sour-sweet flavors, it’s a dish equally suited to a weekday dinner and a special occasion.

Note: If you don’t have access to a grill, get a cast iron pan really hot on your stovetop and add a tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken pieces skin-side-down and cook until a nice crust forms. Flip the chicken and transfer the pan to a 420°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally.

The Outdoor Kitchen, by Eric Werner and Nils Bernstein, is out now

Butterflied Chicken with Pickled Mustard Seeds

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Two 3- to 4-pound whole chickens
2 cups Pickled Mustard Seeds (recipe follows)
¼ cup vinegar
3 tablespoons honey, plus more for basting and to taste
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning

Recipe Preparation

Wipe the grill grates with oil to prevent sticking. Build a high-heat fire. Your high-heat zone should have embers 1 to 2 inches from the cooking surface, with occasional flames licking it.

To prepare each chicken, using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove (your butcher can also do this for you). Place the chicken skin side up on the cutting board and apply firm pressure to the breastbone to flatten.

Add 1 cup of the mustard seeds to a blender together with the vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the honey, and the salt, and blend until smooth. Toss the chicken with the marinade and refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade, wiping off any excess, and discard the marinade.