Maple Dijon Chicken – this simple chicken recipe is a flavor explosion in your mouth, but it only takes about 5 minutes of prep time. A perfect dinner any time of the week!
A TASTY TWIST ON HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN
My kids are not fans of mustard, but they will tolerate honey mustard on occasion. I personally love honey mustard, so I’m always trying to win them over. When I found a recipe at Witty in the City that called for maple syrup instead of honey, I decided to try it.
It took me a few attempts, and a couple of tweaks, but I finally came up with a version that even my mustard haters gobbled right up! The originally recipe called for rosemary, and while I and my husband enjoyed it, the kids weren’t big fans.
One day I decided to top it with bacon instead of rosemary. Whoa. Seriously epic. The saltiness of the bacon is a perfect compliment to the sweet and tangy sauce. Every bite is just melt in your mouth delicious!
HOW TO MAKE MAPLE DIJON CHICKEN
(To skip my tips and just get to the recipe card, scroll to the very bottom of the post.)
Ingredients needed:
- dijon mustard (Yes, it does make a difference if you substitute regular mustard. I tried it, it wasn’t as good. Stick with dijon for best results!)
- pure maple syrup (Real maple syrup is the best for this recipe. I’ve use my homemade maple syrup, and it’s acceptable, but not as amazing. I don’t recommend using cheap bottled syrup, so use it at your own risk.)
- rice vinegar (I’ve tried other varieties of vinegar, we like this one the best.)
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I like to trim off as much fat as possible.)
- salt and pepper (I don’t use much, so you can adjust to your taste if you prefer.)
- crumbled bacon (I buy the real bacon bits at Costco to save time, but I’ve also used crumbled bacon strips with great results.)
- PREP: Spray a baking dish with non stick spray. I use an 8×11 inch pan because the thighs fit perfectly. You can use a 9×13″ pan, the liquid just cooks off a little faster, so you end up with a thicker sauce.
- SAUCE: Just whisk together the dijon mustard, maple syrup, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Pour into your prepared pan.
- CHICKEN: Trim off any fat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in the sauce, then turn chicken sauce side up.
- BAKE: Cook for 20 minutes, then flip chicken again. Cook for another 20 minutes or so, or until internal temperature reaches 165°.
- BACON: I like to sprinkle bacon on top of the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking, but you can just sprinkle it over individual servings.
VARIATIONS:
- I have also made this recipe using chicken breast instead of thighs. I prefer white meat, so I actually like that version better. My family however, all prefer the thighs. Admittedly, it is more moist and juicy with chicken thighs. You can use whichever you prefer.
- If for some crazy reason you don’t like bacon, you can leave it off, or use fresh rosemary as a garnish instead. I’ll try not to judge. Just kidding. We can still be friends.
- If you like more sauce with your chicken, just use 6 chicken thighs. It cooks for the same amount of time, and you will have more sauce for each piece.
- Really want things saucy? Double the sauce recipe. You will have plenty of sauce for serving the chicken over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta.
What to serve with this chicken:
- I like to serve it with a fresh green salad, or spinach salad.
- As mentioned above the sauce is tasty over rice, mashed potatoes, or even pasta.
- It pairs well with just about any green vegetable. We like simple frozen peas, steamed broccoli, or even parmesan roasted asparagus.
- If we happen to have garden fresh zucchini, I like to serve it with sauteed carrots and zucchini.
- At my house, potatoes are always well received. Slow cooker scalloped potatoes are a kid favorite.
MORE EASY CHICKEN RECIPES:
Easy Maple Dijon Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non stick spray; set it aside.
- Whisk together dijon mustard, maple syrup, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Pour into your prepared pan.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs, place in pan. Turn to coat both sides.
- Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flip, and bake for about 20 more minutes or internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Sprinkle the bacon on top of the chicken during the last 3-5 minutes of cooking. Serve immediately.
This sounds like a great dinner. The sweet from the maple with the little bit of spice from the dijon would taste great! I’m saving this one for later.
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This made the perfect dinner, I will definitely be keeping this recipe for the future.
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What a delicious dinner! Served it last night to a happy family 🙂
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