Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs Recipe

Chicken tenders and a nice helping of honey mustard dipping sauce has to be one of the most nostalgic and delicious meals from childhood. Whether you got the nice crispy chicken strips from TGI Fridays, or the chicken crispers from Chili's, chances are that honey mustard was one of your go-to sauces. The combination is basically a match made in heaven. 

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating came up with the adult version of the classic chicken-and-honey-mustard pairing from youth, and it's every bit as good. "This recipe couldn't be easier and the result is so full of flavor!" Brookes raves. "The great thing about this recipe is that there's no need to spend time stirring a sauce on the stove. Just mix everything together and pour it over the chicken."

As for her inspiration? "Honey and mustard is a classic flavor combination that goes particularly well with chicken," Brookes notes. "I love to use skin-on chicken thighs as the meat tends to be a lot more tender than chicken breast and you can get the skin super crisp and delicious." Another great part about this recipe is that it requires just a little bit of prep time, and you could easily make this on a weekday for the family.

Keep reading to find out how to make these delicious honey mustard chicken thighs.

Once you're ready to make this recipe, you'll just need a few ingredients. Pick up chicken thighs, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Once you have those items, you can begin making these tasty and flavor-rich honey mustard chicken thighs.

Since you'll be baking the chicken, go ahead and preheat your oven to 390 F. "As chicken thighs tend to be quite thick pieces of meat, it's much easier to cook them in the oven rather than frying them, so you can ensure they're fully cooked through," Brookes says.  If you'd like, Brookes says "you definitely could" use chicken breasts instead of thighs.

While you wait for the oven to preheat, you can mix the sauce. Toss the mustard, honey, and olive oil into a small bowl. Use a spoon and mix well to make this thick and tasty sauce that pairs perfectly with chicken thighs. "The sauce is creamy, with heat from the mustard and sweetness from the honey," Brookes says. 

Grab your go-to baking dish and add the chicken thighs. Just make sure it's big enough to fit them all. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken thighs, to taste. The amount is based on your preference, so simply add as much or as little as you'd like.

Next, spoon the honey mustard sauce over the chicken. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it around, if needed.

Now that you've added the sauce, pop the chicken thighs into the oven. Set your timer for 40 minutes to cook the chicken to perfection. "If you want to check the internal temp, they should be 170 F when done," Brookes shares. 

After removing the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with some fresh chopped parsley. If parsley isn't your cup of tea, you can skip it.

Then, simply plate the chicken and enjoy. This would be great on its own, but Brookes also shares some of her favorite serving suggestions. "With mashed potato or rice, broccoli or salad," she suggests. 

We don't think you'll have anything left since this dish is so good, but on the off chance that you do, Brookes has you covered. "Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge. Just reheat in the oven," Brookes says.