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When it comes to weeknight dinners, honey mustard chicken thighs are always a good choice because they’re easy and delicious and the whole family loves them. Chicken thighs are covered in a rich honey mustard sauce and baked to juicy perfection.
It’s such a versatile dish and pairs well with some of our favorite sides like grilled peach salad, roasted mini peppers, or pesto-roasted potatoes.
Looking for more easy chicken recipes with a delicious marinade? Check out our guide to how to marinate chicken for 5 more delicious recipes to try.
Table of Contents
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs Recipe Inspiration
- Grab These Ingredients
- Bone-In or Boneless Chicken Thighs?
- How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs – Baked or Grilled
- Shortcuts and Variations
- FAQs
- What Goes with Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs?
- Storage Instructions
- More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs—Baked or Grilled Recipe
Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs Recipe Inspiration
We’re always on the hunt for an easy recipe on a busy weeknight and chicken thighs are a go-to if you couldn’t tell by our cilantro lime chicken or one pot Hawaiian chicken. I’m always a fan of chicken breasts, but chicken thighs have so much flavor.
The last time we made Instant Pot honey mustard chicken I realized I wanted a simple baked honey mustard chicken thighs recipe for the next time the honey mustard craving strikes. And so this was recipe was born! We love it so much that we included it in our roundup on how to marinate chicken with five more of our favorite chicken thighs.
Depending on the weather and what you’re in the mood for we’ve included instructions for baking and grilling. Either way, you can’t go wrong!
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this honey mustard chicken recipe. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chicken Thighs: we used boneless skinless chicken thighs for this one, but you could use bone-in chicken thighs as well as we did in our BBQ baked chicken thighs. We have a great trick to get the chicken skin extra crispy. See the notes section in the recipe card below for chicken breast instructions.
- Oil: olive oil and avocado oil are great options for the marinade and provide fat, and flavor, and keep the chicken juicy and tender.
- Dijon mustard: the most delicious sauces, marinades and dressings include this ingredient thanks to its depth of flavor. You can also use whole grain mustard or yellow mustard if you have those on hand.
- Honey: this adds sweetness and balances out the spice from the mustard.
- Garlic: I’ll always opt for fresh garlic whenever we can, but garlic powder is a great option and easy to use.
- Onion powder, salt, and black pepper: for flavor! Use kosher salt when cooking and reduce the amount if all you have is table salt.
Bone-In or Boneless Chicken Thighs?
The decision to use bone-in or boneless chicken thighs will depend on your timeframe and what you’re in the mood for. Bone-In Skin-On chicken thighs tend to be a bit juicer and have more flavor because of the crispy skin, while boneless takes less time to cook and they’re a little easier to eat.
We recommend baking bone-in thighs on a wire rack to help the skin get extra crispy (more on this in the notes of our recipe card). Use boneless chicken thighs if you’re lookin for a recipe done in 20 minutes because it takes much less time to bake them. Bone-in chicken thighs will take closer to 30 minutes to bake.
How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs – Baked or Grilled
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. These honey dijon chicken thighs are pretty simple, but these steps will make sure it turns out every time.
Video: watch how to make honey mustard chicken thighs.
First, let’s make homemade honey mustard sauce. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl or freezer bag and whisk or mix everything together. Pat the chicken thighs well with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible then add the chicken thighs to the marinade and turn or shake to coat so the marinade covers all sides of the chicken thighs.
Cover with plastic wrap or remove as much as possible from the freezer bag and marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking dish or sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and arrange the chicken in a single layer comfortably without the chicken touching.
Brush some of the remaining sauce on top of the chicken then bake the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 155 to 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part, about 15 to 18 minutes. Don’t overcook! The cooking time will vary based on the size of the chicken thighs. See recipe notes for bone vs. boneless.
Cover and let the chicken thighs rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. While they’re baking you can make some extra honey mustard dipping sauce to go with it, if desired.
Shortcuts and Variations
Make this recipe even easier with a few shortcuts, or make it an entire meal by adding some veggies.
- Pre-made sauce: Purchase a pre-made honey mustard dressing (we like Primal Kitchen) and marinate the chicken in that instead of making your own.
- Skip the marinade time: I really think the marinade helps tenderize the chicken and really develops the flavor, but you can skip this step and mix the honey mustard sauce in a small bowl then brush it onto the chicken and bake right away.
- Marinate in advance: mix the marinade and add the chicken the night before or first thing in the morning so all you have to do is throw it in the oven. Better yet, make all 6 of our favorite marinades and freeze them so you can thaw and bake them without a thought.
- Make it a sheet pan meal: we love sheet pan meals so much that we have an entire category dedicated to them. See the recipe notes for which veggies cook at the same time as baked chicken thighs.
FAQs
Honey mustard sauce is usually made from a mixture of honey, dijon or yellow mustard, and mayonnaise. Our healthy honey mustard sauce is great for dipping or brushing on the toop of baked chicken. You could also make extra marinade and set it aside to serve on top of this honey mustard chicken recipe.
Our favorite ways to cook chicken thighs, aside from inside a soup like our creamy chicken tortilla soup, are grilling or baking them. With a good marinade, it’s easy to have a delicious chicken thigh dinner in under 20 minutes.
What Goes with Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs?
We love to serve these hone mustard chicken thighs ono a weeknight with other simple sides. Here are some of our favorite types of sides with recipe examples.
- Vegetables: a veggie is a must for us and we love balsamic brussel sprouts, air fryer butternut squash or roasted green beans.
- Green Salad: a simple brussel sprout salad is delicious with this! You could also try our grilled peach salad or grilled zucchini salad, especially if you’re making grilled honey mustard chicken thighs.
- Potatoes: we love pesto roasted potatoes, sweet potato salad or air fryer smashed potatoes.
Pro tip: make it a sheet pan meal by baking it on the same sheet pan with vegetables that take a similar amount of time to cook like asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, or snap peas. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place them on the baking sheet next to the chicken and bake for 15 minutes.
Storage Instructions
Place leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350°F until heated through or place a wet paper towel over top and microwave until warm. You can also serve these juicy chicken thighs cold on top of a salad.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Easy Pesto Chicken
- Everything Bagel Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs—Baked or Grilled
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard (can sub yellow mustard)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (Note 1 for bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
Instructions
- Add all of the marinade ingredients to a glass bowl with a lid or a gallon freezer bag or reusable silicone bag. Whisk or mix everything together then add the chicken thighs and turn to coat it well. Close the lid and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- To bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking dish or sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place the chicken in a single layer so that it fits comfortably without the chicken touching. Bake the chicken for 15-18 minutes, or until it reaches 155 to 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part. Don't overcook! Cover and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- To grill: Preheat the gas, charcoal, or indoor grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Scrub the grill grates clean and brush them with oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess, and place the chicken smooth-side down on the grill. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or until the internal temperature reaches 155-160°F at the thickest part. This allows for 5-10 degrees of carryover cooking while it rests. The target temperature of fully cooked chicken 165°F.
Notes
Grill: place the chicken thighs skin-side-down directly over the flame for 5-6 minutes to achieve grill marks then flip the chicken and move it to indirect heat (not over the flame) and close the lid. Grill for 20-25 minutes. Sheet Pan Meal: place the marinated chicken thighs on one half of a large sheet pan then arrange a variety of quick-cooking vegetables like asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, or snap peas on the other side. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake the veggies and chicken together for 15-18 minutes or until the chicken is done. Storage: Place leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350°F until heated through or place a wet paper towel over top and microwave until warm. You can also serve these juicy chicken thighs cold on top of a salad.
Video
Equipment
- Baking sheet or dish for baked chicken thighs
- Gas, charcoal or indoor grill for grilled chicken thighs
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The honey mustard sauce is so delicious! Such an easy recipe perfect for grilling.
Thanks, Jessica!! I love this one too!
I cooked them for 12 minutes and they are definitely not done
I have them in for another 4 minutes and will see. I think 1/4 cup of cookie dough is too big for the little amount of time.