Honey Mustard Chicken

Our honey mustard chicken recipe packs in so much incredible flavor thanks to an easy honey dijon marinade that doubles as a sauce for serving.

Not a week goes by without us being asked to share more chicken recipes. I get it! So many of us toss a package of chicken into our cart before knowing what we are going to do with it.

This super flavorful honey mustard chicken recipe is your answer! You’ll marinate chicken thighs (or other cuts of chicken if that’s what you have), then cook them with the marinade. The chicken turns out incredibly juicy, saucy, and really delicious. I’ve currently got this recipe on repeat for my family, and I’m excited for you to try it soon!

Key Ingredients

• Chicken: I love chicken thighs for this recipe, but our marinade works for pretty much any cut of chicken (boneless, bone-in, skinless, or skin-on). The honey mustard marinade shared below is enough to marinate 2 pounds (probably a bit more), so feel free to adjust the amount based on how much chicken you have on hand.
• Honey and Mustard: I use a pure, local honey and Dijon mustard. I especially love the fancier mustards for their flavor (they are a bit more punchy). The most common higher end option I see in standard grocery stores is Maille, which is perfect.
• Mayonnaise: We love using mayonnaise in our marinade recipes (see this pork chop marinade as proof). It adds flavor, tenderizes, and keeps the chicken nice and juicy. If you’d prefer to use a plain thick yogurt, you can. In fact, we use it for our popular Greek chicken marinade (Icelandic or Greek full-fat yogurt are my go-tos).
• Lemon: We use the juice from one lemon for the marinade, which balances the sweetness of the honey.
• Garlic and Oregano: This chicken recipe calls for a good amount of garlic (we call for 6 cloves). The honey-and-Dijon mustard combo can take it without the garlic overpowering anything. Originally, this recipe was developed for fresh oregano, which, if you have it, is lovely! I’ve used dried in my photos because it’s more readily available at our local stores. I gave amounts for dried vs. fresh below.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken

Tip 1: Make our marinade. For the very best flavored chicken, use our honey mustard chicken marinade. It’s pretty simple and works so nicely with the chicken (in our case, chicken thighs).

To make it, whisk together honey, mustard, mayonnaise (or yogurt), lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Then add your chicken and let it marinate in the fridge for a while. We recommend waiting at least 4 hours or even overnight for the best flavor.

Tip 2: Start cooking the chicken on the stovetop. I love a little color on my chicken, so I pull out my grill pan, heat it over medium, and add the marinated chicken (saving the marinade left in the bowl for later). We’re not looking to fully cook the chicken all the way through, just add some color.

I love the grill pan here. The honey in the marinade will brown quickly, helping create those grill marks. If you don’t have a grill pan, a regular skillet works fine, just watch the honey doesn’t get too dark.

Tip 3: Finish in the oven. Once we have some color, I love transferring the chicken to a baking sheet and pouring the reserved marinade over it before baking in the oven. If you are worried about reusing the marinade, it will bake in the oven long enough to come to a safe temperature.

Bake the chicken, covered in the marinade, until an internal thermometer reaches 165°F or 175°F-180°F for thighs (they are safe at 165°F, but more tender and succulent when cooked a little longer).

Serving Suggestions

You have so many options for serving this chicken! It’s perfect with sautéed broccoli and plain steamed rice. I love it for topping salads, served next to roasted potatoes, with sweet potato fries, and so much more.

For more of a cookout-style meal, consider summery sides like potato salad, creamy pasta salad, or coleslaw. Or, for a fall-ish meal, add some roasted butternut squash, mashed sweet potatoes, or even comforting macaroni and cheese.

More of Our Favorite Marinades

• Greek Chicken Marinade
• Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade
• Steak Marinade
• Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef)
• Pork Chop Marinade