Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
This Baked Honey Mustard Chicken features juicy chicken tenderloins cooked in a sweet and savory honey mustard sauce with sprigs of fresh rosemary. It’s a simple, 7-ingredient recipe that requires little to no prep to assemble and bake!
★★★★★
“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.”
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The Quick and Easy Chicken Dinner I’ve Been Making for Years
This simple, no-fuss honey mustard chicken recipe is a family favorite that I’ve made hundreds of times over the years. My kids, husband, and extended family all adore this recipe — which is fine by me because it takes less than 10 minutes to assemble.
Just when I was starting to worry that that I’d made this recipe one too many times, my sister exclaimed “Yes! Honey mustard chicken!” when she spotted it last week on the dinner table. That settles it! I’m never throwing this recipe out of my recipe box.
Here’s why we LOVE this recipe:
✔ Minimal Prep Work and Ingredients: This fast and easy chicken recipe 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.
✔ Easy to Customize: You can use pretty much any cut of chicken you like, as well as any kind of mustard(s). This is a flexible recipe that works with what you’ve got!
✔ Oven Baked and Grilling Options: Guess what? I’ve tested this recipe for the grill as well, making this a no-fuss weeknight dinner any time of year.
Enjoy!
-Katie
The 7 Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll be amazed at how these simple ingredients give such rich flavors. For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make this honey dijon chicken, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
- Honey — You can use any variety you like.
- Mustard — Over the many, many years I’ve been making this recipe, I’ve found that using a blend of Dijon and whole grain mustard delivers the best, most complex flavor. But really you can use any mustard or blend of mustards you have on hand.
- Olive Oil — Helps thin the honey mustard and make it more of a sauce.
- Aromatics — Yellow onion and garlic give the honey mustard baked chicken even more flavor.
- Chicken — I almost always use chicken tenderloins to shorten the cook time, but breasts or thighs work too.
- Fresh Rosemary — Can be swapped with fresh thyme or oregano, if desired.
How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken in the Oven
- Prepare the honey mustard sauce for chicken: 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.
- Assemble the honey mustard chicken bake: 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. Pour the honey mustard sauce over top, and arrange the rosemary sprigs in the pan.
- Bake the honey mustard chicken: Bake until the chicken pieces are fully cooked through, removing the aluminum foil covering halfway through the bake time.
- Serve: Discard the rosemary sprig. Then, serve spooning extra sauce over the honey mustard chicken tenders.
The above is simply a quick summary of this easy chicken recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Recipe Tips
- Want even more flavor? 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.
What to Serve with Honey Mustard Chicken
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.
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 out and Instant Pot honey mustard chicken with my pressure cooker, 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 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.
More Easy Weeknight Chicken Dinners
FYI, you can also browse all of the chicken recipes through the Ingredient Index!
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Baked Honey Mustard 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!
Ingredients
For the Honey Mustard Sauce
- 1/4 cup of grainy, course mustard
- 1/4 cup smooth dijion mustard
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Chicken
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 - 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Make the honey mustard sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Combine using a small wire whisk or a spoon and stir until smooth. Set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. In a sauté pan or cast iron skillet, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. I like to use my Le Creuset Cast Iron Rectangular Roaster for this because this piece can be used for the whole recipe and go from stove to oven to table. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 - 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Assemble. Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the onion and garlic mixture (or transfer to a baking dish if your skillet isn't oven-safe). Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference. Pour the honey mustard mixture over top. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan.
- Bake. Bake the chicken covered at 400ºF for 15 - 20 minutes.Remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and return to the oven and cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes uncovered, or until the sauce has thickened, the chicken is browned on top, and is cooked through.
Notes
Chicken: Chicken thighs also work well. I prefer boneless skinless thighs, but you can use bone-in or skin-on if you prefer. I have also used pork chops, but I brown both sides of the chops first before baking.
Having a really busy or lazy day? Skip the onion and garlic steps completely. Just stir the honey, mustards, and all 3 tsp of olive oil together. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.
To store: Store leftovers chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat at partial power in the microwave, 30-60 seconds at a time, or on the stovetop in a lidded skillet.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 596mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 45g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Aggie says
Hi Katie!! I miss you!
This looks so delicious and I know my kids will love it, I’m going to make it soon!!
Katie says
Thank you! 🙂 It is a favorite in our house. I miss you too! We are flying to Orlando this summer to go to Cocoa Beach. Maybe we can meet up?
Kendra says
I guess my comment was deleted. I thought this recipe was JUST OK! I had high expectations after reading reviews and again it was just ok. I followed the recipe exactly and wasn’t thrilled with the outcome. I added a little more seasoning to the chicken which I thought was a plus to the dish, but the chicken seemed dry in the end. The sauce I will say was pleasant and not overwhelming in honey mustard flavor.
Katie says
Your comment was not deleted. New comments go into holding until I can approve them so that I can sort out all of the spam comments for a better user experience.
Kendra C. says
This recipe was just OK. I followed the recipe exactly and wasn’t overly thrilled about the outcome. The chicken came out a little dry despite the sauce. I added a little more seasoning just for taste. If I had not, I feel like the chicken itself would have been a little too bland for my liking. Just my opinion. However, I will say the honey mustard sauce created was not overwhelming and came put perfect.
Jay says
How would I adjust temp/cooking time for doubling the recipe?
Katie says
If you use a larger pan rather than stuffing it all together in one big mass then you shouldn’t have to adjust much if at all (sorry I haven’t tried doubling yet so I don’t have a better answer), however I would recommend monitoring the internal temp of the chicken and cooking until it reaches the recommended safe 165 degrees F for cooking poultry.
Sharon Smith says
I have had a a recipe which sounds like this one; however, the recipe is even easier. My friend used chicken tenderloin and then used bottles of purchased Bottles of Honey Mudtard dressing instead of the honey, mustards, etc. The Honey Mustard can be purchased at Sam’s. My friend still sliced onionover the chicken before pouring the Honey Mustard over the chicken.
Has anyone else tried this??? Would like to hear from you.
Katie says
I have not tried that before. Sounds interesting!
Jamie says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I used tenderloins and also thighs so I could see which worked better. The cook time for the the tenderloins was far too long, took them out at 42 minutes and they were tasty but a little dry. I left the thighs in a few minutes longer, maybe 45 and they were absolutely PERFECT! definitely recommend using them for this meal.
Katie says
Glad you liked it and thank you for sharing your feedback! I find that tenderloins really vary in size, some I have purchased are tiny while others are larger (I definitely prefer the larger sized tenderloins), as well as the challenge with oven temperatures having variance across the board. Have a great day!
Nick says
If I do not like stone ground mustard what can it be replaced with we prefer it more on the sweet side?
Katie says
If you do not like stone ground mustard due to the texture, then you can substitute dijion mustard for that. I think it is plenty sweet with the amount of honey and would not recommend adding extra sweetener.
Katrina says
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!
Katie Goodman says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Anna Safir says
Made this last night, and my husband loved it! I like rosemary, so I twisted it off the stalks and sprinkled it over the chicken. Will definitely make again. Thanks for a great recipe.
Danielle says
Hi! I just made this and it’s sooooo tasty! Definitely going into my menu rotation. Only question, does your get super liquidy (is that a word)? I thought it would thicken and be more of a glaze. Maybe the pan I used was too big?
Katie Goodman says
Mine does not get super liquidy. You could try only baking it covered for 10 minutes rather than 20 to allow it to thicken more. Glad you liked it!
Samantha Shea says
I did make this and it came out delicious but I feel like its missing something in the sauce.. I added the dijion mustard,honey, and I used mustard seed I never really cook with mustard or use it much at all so I’m a bit clueless as to what u mean by COURSE MUSTARD?? I looked everywhere for it I’m not sure if it’s a seasoning I looked through all seasonings at like 4 diff grocery stores and all I could find was mustard seed and ground mustard???
Katie Goodman says
Hi there, glad you liked it. I’m sorry you weren’t sure what I mean by coarse mustard. Here is what I use: http://www.target.com/p/inglehoffer-original-stone-ground-mustard-10-oz/-/A-12935602 It probably would have been even better if you had used that instead of mustard seed (I haven’t tried that, but good to know that it was still pretty good using that instead!).
Monica P. says
I am trying this recipe now!… I hope it tastes just as good as it looks. Can’t wait until it’s done!
Katie Goodman says
Enjoy!
Kurtis says
How many does this recipe feed in one sitting? I’m planning on making this for my girlfriend tonight and she’s a small eater compared to me which is the opposite lol. Thanks!
Katie Goodman says
serves 6
Cara says
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!! The honey lessens the vinegar taste, but the stone-ground/coarse-ground mustard is the key to this meal!
I made it per direction but only drizzled the mixture over the chicken– as an ‘entry to’ our tastebuds that were already defensive to honey-mustard.
Baked & devoured later– my husband wants it again.
Thank you for showing us “honey mustard chicken” is a yummy main (moist and great for leftovers) and nothing near the commercialized product they bring you as dipping sauce!
Katie Goodman says
so glad you liked it!
Cindi Allen says
I had a similar recipe From Southern Living magazine that I loved. It had curry in addition to the honey & the mustard. Unfortunately, I have lost the recipe and cannot remember the exact amounts of each ingredient. I may try your recipe and add just a bit of curry.
Katie Goodman says
I would love to hear how that turns out for you!
Kathy says
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.
Katie Goodman says
So glad you liked it!