Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe (The BEST Easy Chicken Recipe!)

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken is one of our favorite recipes. Chicken tenderloins are baked in a sweet and savory honey mustard sauce with sprigs of fresh rosemary. This recipe for Honey Mustard Chicken is sure to please even your pickiest eater! Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to bake chicken tenderloins in honey mustard sauce.

Click HERE to save this Baked Honey Mustard Chicken recipe to Pinterest!

Easy Chicken Tenderloin Recipe

I first shared this baked honey mustard chicken recipe 3 years ago, and it has become one of the most popular recipes here on Good Life Eats. It is pretty popular in my home, too. All 4 kids and husband approved!

You are going to go nuts when you try this recipe for Easy Honey Mustard Chicken. Especially when I tell you that I’ve been holding this in my back pocket since well before Christmas.

This simple, no-fuss, delicious chicken tenderloin recipe has been made over and over again. It is a seriously hot commodity in our house.

I have made this recipe almost every time we’ve had company for dinner in the last few months. Everyone loves it and wants the recipe.

No one realizes how simple it is to prepare because it tastes so much better than simple. My dad quite literally spooned out the leftover sauce from the pan to have a few more tastes before he washed the pan for me. Now when I do something like that, I refer to it as “Pulling a Dad.” Love you, Dad! I know you are reading this.

Just when I worry that I’ve made this recipe too many times and too close together, my sister exclaims “Yes! Honey Mustard Chicken!” as she spots it on the table.

Even Logan and Madeline love it — finding something for dinner that everyone loves can be a bit of a challenge at times. It is indeed a keeper.

I only wish I had more recipes like this Baked Honey Mustard Chicken that were this easy and this good to keep in my back pocket for busy evenings.

Honey Mustard Chicken Ingredients

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken rescues me time and time again when I want something good for dinner but I don’t really have a lot of time (or ingredients) on my hands. 

I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand without having to do any special shopping preparation.

I often have a pot of rosemary in the yard, but I’ve even used some dried rosemary in a pinch. I’ve also substituted fresh or dried thyme for rosemary when that is what I had on hand instead. This is really a very forgiving recipe.

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Here is what I used in this easy Honey Mustard Chicken recipe. You’ll be amazed at how these simple ingredients give such rich flavors:

• Honey
• Dijon Mustard
• Coarse Mustard (Here is the Whole Grain Mustard I use)
• Olive Oil
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• Salt (Kosher Salt or Sea Salt)
• Black Pepper
• Chicken Tenderloins
• Fresh Rosemary

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card. 

How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken

Here’s a quick overview of the steps to prepare this baked honey mustard chicken recipe:

1. In a small bowl, combine two types of mustard, honey, and olive oil. Set the honey mustard mixture aside. Then sauté the onion and garlic until they begin to soften and become fragrant. 
2. If you’re using a pan that’s oven-safe, place the chicken tenderloins in a single layer atop the veggies and season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the honey mustard sauce over top, and arrange the rosemary sprigs in the pan. Bake until the chicken pieces are fully cooked through, removing the aluminum foil covering halfway through the bake time. 
4. Use a meat thermometer to test for safe internal temperature.
5. Discard the rosemary sprig. Then, serve spooning extra sauce over the honey mustard chicken tenders.

Guess what? I’ve tested this recipe for the grill as well. Check out the instructions for making honey mustard chicken on the grill at my recipe for Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken.

Click HERE to save this Baked Honey Mustard Chicken recipe to Pinterest!

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

What to Serve with Honey Mustard Chicken

For a complete meal, serve this delicious chicken dinner with one or two of these side dish recipes:

We most often serve this Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken alongside our favorite sides: Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Herb Gremolata and Roasted Broccoli.

The delicious savory, sweet chicken in sticky honey mustard sauce served alongside the potatoes and broccoli was a welcome meal in the bellies of all of my visiting family after a long day snowmobiling out in the cold.

Here are some other side dish ideas:

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Cream Cheese Chive Duchess Potatoes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Green Beans

A simple side salad also goes well with this great recipe. We often use mixed greens, lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot, and tomato for a simple green salad. Check out these 3 Simple Salad Dressing Recipes to go along with your salad.

Click HERE to save this Baked Honey Mustard Chicken recipe to Pinterest!

Can I Make this in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?

I don’t see why not. It might be a good idea for lazy days, but I haven’t tried it myself. Here are my suggestions:

• I predict, however, that in the slow cooker the homemade honey mustard sauce will be less thick due to the condensation of the slow cooker. You may want to thicken the sauce using a cornstarch slurry.
• If I were to test it out with the Instant Pot, I would probably follow the guidelines in this Instant Pot Mustard Chicken Recipe to start with. And, of course follow all manufacturer required safety protocols and instructions.

Can I Use Thyme Instead of Rosemary?

Yes, You can use Thyme as a substitute for the rosemary in this Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Recipe. The flavor will be slightly different but still complimentary. Or you can try thyme and rosemary together!

Can I Use Chicken Breasts or Thighs Instead?

Yes, you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe in place of the chicken tenderloins.

I recommend cutting the chicken breasts in half. Then, browning both sides of the chicken stove top in a large skillet first since they’re a thicker cut of chicken and take longer to cook. Even with the browning, you’ll likely have a slightly longer cook time.

For dark meat, I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs. Follow the recipe as written with this substitution. If you like bone in, skin on thighs, then I recommend giving the skin side of the chicken a nice sear first so the skin is nicely browned.

Can I Use Pork Instead of Chicken?

Yes, you can use pork instead of chicken tenderloins in this Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken recipe. Pork can often be a good substitute for poultry because it is also lean and has a mild taste. In this recipe, I recommend using boneless pork chops and browning the pork on both sides before baking.

Can I Freeze Honey Mustard Chicken?

Yes, you can freeze this recipe! I recommend freezing the chicken in the sauce with the chicken uncooked. Then, when you want to cook the recipe, thaw the chicken and sauce and proceed with baking like normal.

Tips for the Best Honey Mustard Chicken

• When I have a few extra minutes, I sauté a half an onion and a few cloves of garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients to the pan. I like to use my Le Creuset Cast Iron Rectangular Roaster to bake this recipe in.
• Having a really busy or lazy day? Skip the onion and garlic steps completely. Just stir the honey, mustards, and all 3 tsp of the olive oil together. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Store leftover honey mustard chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Make sure to transfer any leftover sweet honey mustard glaze to the container!
• Reheat leftover chicken at partial power in the microwave, 30-60 seconds at a time, or stovetop in a lidded skillet.

What Readers Are Saying About Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Don’t just take my word for it! Here are some of the rave reviews this recipe has received over the years from Good Life Eats readers:

“Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My 8 year old loves it! I probably make it at least twice a month. The Dijon and the grainy mustard are just perfect together. Sometimes I’ll throw little potatoes to roast right with the chicken. So good!”

“I made this tonight, and it was delish!!!!! Followed recipe for the most part, I only had dried herbs. But I did add diced peppers and onions on top of chicken then topped with shredded mozzarella, covered and baked as directed. OUT OF THIS WORLD YUMMY!! My kids (7&2) even loved it!! Thank you for sharing!”

“My husband and I both HATE honey-mustard everything (he won’t even touch mustard at all; I love yellow & spicy— not Dijon); HOWEVER, we both absolutely LOVED this recipe!!”

“I made this the other night and it came out very good! I like that it was so easy and doesn’t contain over processed ingredients. The leftovers were even good the next day! I will be making this at LEAST once a month.”

“I made this for dinner tonight and I’m so glad that I did! It was so easy to make (few ingredients) and the taste was phenomenal! I paired it with some wild rice and zucchini. My husband loved it as well….I’ll definitely be making this again in the near future.”

Did you try this Delicious Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe

What did your family think of this easy recipe for Honey Mustard Chicken? If you tried it, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and give this simple recipe a five star rating and review for others to see what you thought of this easy dinner recipe.

More Easy Chicken Dinners: 

Want a grilled version of this recipe? Check out my Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe! It uses a honey mustard chicken marinade that gives the cooked chicken so much flavor.

Recently, I took the concept of this honey mustard chicken recipe and adapted its simplicity with some different flavors to create this Chili Marmalade Baked Chicken.

This Indian Butter Chicken is served with basmati rice and comes together in an hour. 

Wondering what to make with ground chicken? Make these easy Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps! These will become one of your family’s favorite recipes in no time.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili is another family favorite that everyone is guaranteed to love! 

These Baked Wonton Chicken Taquitos are so easy to prepare, you’ll be amazed. Wonton wrappers are stuffed with chicken, cream cheese, and salsa verde.

In need of a potluck dish? Make these Mango Habanero Drumsticks! 

Honey Pecan BBQ Chicken Sliders are piled high with coleslaw and pecans. 

What are your go-to easy and amazing chicken recipes?

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