I have never gotten so many compliments before, let alone for a piece of chicken. David suggested calling this chicken, “So Good it Can’t Be Described, Explosion on Your Taste Buds Chicken.” Exactly. I have never encountered a dish that is so basic and simple to put together yet creates such a big pay off. This chicken, quite simply, is one of the most savory things I’ve ever eaten. If you are the busiest person on the planet and don’t have much cooking experience, but you have to prepare a meal to woo the love of your life, cook this chicken!
To make this chicken, which you should absolutely do immediately, preheat your oven to 450º F. Then, mix together 1/2 cup of dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of rice/rice wine vinegar.
Put 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into a foil-lined or disposable oven-proof, 8×8 inch baking dish. Six thighs came in my package, which made enough to serve 3 people. Then, salt and pepper the thighs. Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated.
Put the chicken thighs into the oven, and let them bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the tops of the chicken with the sauce half way through. I find that a meat thermometer is essential in cooking because it allows me to check for doneness without cutting into the meat and losing its precious juices. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate the chicken, whisk the sauce that remains in the baking dish, and then spoon the extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle over some fresh rosemary. If there is ever a time to use fresh herbs, THIS IS IT! The flavors are just so good together. Enjoy the savory goodness of this meal!
I adapted this recipe from “The I <3 Trader Joe’s Cookbook” by Cherie Mercer Twohy. Thanks, Jenna!
Shopping list:
- Chicken thighs- 1 package
- Dijon mustard- 1/2 cup
- Maple syrup- 1/4 cup
- Rice/rice wine vinegar- 1 tablespoon
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt and pepper
I made the mistake of hitting “print” thinking would get only the recipe! NO! Prints the entire article. 10 pages of comment and a waste of paper BOO!!
Now it’s down to 5 pages printed! Still, ‘Boo’!
Click the grey “print” button at the bottom of the post to print without comments/images/whatever you don’t want.
Thank you so much for that tip! I quit printing recipes because I didn’t know this trick!! So frigging simple. You made my weekend.
Thank you!!
Did that and it started printing page one of 20.
Hello Richard just scroll down the page numbers & when you reach the recipe, Control/Print 1 copy & it will come up. I dont have a grey print button. However plenty of helpers!!! Regards Sharron(Australia greetings)
I copy and paste only the parts I want to print onto a new document in Word or whatever document program you use. Sometimes I have to come back and copy the picture separate, but makes a nice clean layout. Sometimes I edit how it copies onto the new document
I’ve not commented ever on any post here but this is something I am excited to try cooking! Well done for enticing me! ❤️ and boo to the whinger who pressed the print button. That is not your problem. You delivered a scrumptious sounding recipe! And I’ve saved it to my photos using screenshot! Yay!
I’d like to make this today, but I don’t have dijon mustard. I do have mustard with horseradish and spicy brown mustard. And of course yellow mustard.. any thoughts on sub’in w/ any combo of these or anything else?
Hi G-ma, I would not use the horseradish mustard, spicy brown by its self will work and I would mix as directed and do a taste if its a bit to spicy you can tone it down with a little more rice vinegar. You can use yellow as well and if you find with the yellow its too sweet and a touch more mustard and vinegar. Mustard sauce is quick and easy to make and you have complete control over the taste whether you want a light hint of mustard in the back or you want a bold flavor. The recipe as printed may taste a bit bold when mixed up but comes out with very pleasing mellow taste with a nice hint of mustard. Once again as I posted earlier if your not a fan of mustard either make a very mellow mix or stay away.
the gray print button gets you 5 pages … GRRRR!
You should be able to go to your printer settings, find where you can select print all pages, select pages, or select current page.
Ever made this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Do you think it would be as good?
I made it with boneless chicken breasts and spicy mustard. It was delicious!
How many chicken breasts did you use?
Looks delish, my husband’s going to love me and the chicken, I know!! Can’t wait to try it.
So, I made the recipe. A little sweet for my tastes. And it seems that I ruined an 8X8 glass baking dish as the sauce is baked on permanently – oven cleaner all nite didn’t even cut it. USE FOIL LINING! Also suggest a 425F oven.
That has happened to me too, but the burned bits eventually dried up and flaked off.
The trick to cleaning stuck on food is baking soda and white vinegar. Sprinkle the baking soda on A’s then add sine white vinegar. I will bubble some. Leave it over night and BOOM perfectly clean pots and pans with no chemicals
I just made this chicken tonight and hubby loved it as did I. I will follow instructions next time and line my dish with foil. Even though my glass dish was sprayed with Pam, when you baste the chicken halfway through, it splatters on upper sides and burns black on dish. I would change nothing about this recipe. It was perfect and so easy. I plan to serve this for company next time. I’ll make it up ahead of time and cover it in the refrigerator. Delicious. Also, fresh rosemary is a must as stated in recipe.
Use bi-carb soda with a little water and make a paste. Leave for awhile then use non-scratch scourer.It should come off.
I used an oven bag in the dish. 🙂 Good stuff!!!
That’s a great idea. We have a problem with foil disposal so oven bags will solve that problem. Thanks
Copy & Paste the parts you want. 1/2 page.
What would be the difference in cooking time & temp if I use bone in chicken thighs?
I’m planning to do this recipe exactly as is but with b/s chicken breasts. Love mushrooms, do you think I could add them? Thanks so much for this recipe. Drooling already.
Love this recipe! I bake it in a cast iron skillet and clean up was easy. I add diced onions, garlic, and thick slices of mushrooms. I will definitely be making this again.
Tried this recipe. Yuck…won’t be making it again. Hubby liked it but not me. Could not even eat it.
I have made your recipe now five times in 6 mos. I wanted to wait to reply after I had made it. I had previously only bought and cooked chicken breasts. It was new for me to select and purchase thighs for dinner. My husband and two teens like this recipe a lot. Their teenaged friends who come for dinner have actually commented that this is the best chicken they’ve ever had and to not tell their mother that they said so. We’ve made it without skin and with skin. It’s excellent with skin and just as recipe is written. Love the fresh rosemary. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I found you on Pinterest and so glad I did.
Oh forgot to add to my comment that I do have to cook it 15 min longer than suggested to get meat to 165°. Might just be my oven. Thanks so much!
Hi witty, I made the recipe and we loved it. Has anyone used this recipe for pork tenderloins. The sauce is so delish.
Does this work well if you let it marinate for a day? I like to do meal prep only a couple times a week instead of every night, and think this would be amazing if left to soak all the flavors up! Anyone tried that yet??
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I hope this will turn out just as good on the grill. I can’t stand to cook in side if it’s so nice outside.
I’ve made this quite a few times, including a crock-pot version, and I usually triple the recipe because it freezes well. For the dijon I use half regular dijon and half whole grain dijon since I like the crunch of the mustard seeds and I cook it at 425 degrees. It’s great served over rice and my adult kids who have never been fans of chicken like this recipe. It is a bit sweet so I may decrease the amount of maple syrup next time.
Have you ever used sauce on pork tenderloins. Seems like that would also work.
Does it freeze well before or after cooking?
Love this recipe! My teenaged boys love it and I’ve been making it twice a week for the past few weeks. The sauce was too bold for our taste and I actually switch the measurements for the mustard and syrup. It makes a sweet glaze. I also use cider vinegar (instead of rice vinegar) since I have it on hand. Beautiful! Thanks to all for sharing tips as well. It’s great to find recipes that are easy and a big hit for the family!
We made this last night and it was ridiculously delicious! The sauce is amazing! We did add a few things to the bake- we rough chopped some onions and mushrooms. As a test we lightly sautéed half before adding, then added the other half raw directly to the sauce. Both were delicious. The thighs were so tender that we didn’t need knifes, and we served it over rice, which absorbed the sauce beautifully. I think the sauce is highly adaptable- we might use it as a marinade on the grill next time. Also, btw this was ridiculously easy to put together. Definitely line your pan with tin foil.
Seems like an “easy to do” recipe. Can’t wait to see the results.
I however do not have the rice vinegar, can I use regular vinegar?
I just put mine in the oven and realized I forgot the vinegar. Ahhh!!!!! Will it make that but g of a difference ?
Oops. ^big
Just made this finger licking dish!! I didnt have rice vinegar so used red wine vinegar instead. Love it and will be making it again.
I love this recipe and have been making and modifying this for months. Yup, my husband loves it. I spray my glass pan with Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray. Clean up is easy, just dish soap and a scrubby sponge.
Can I use Mrs. Butterworth original syrup instead of maple syrup?
No, i would not use pancake syrup.
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There needs to be a way just to print the recipe without all the pictures so paper is not wasted.
Use the print button at the bottom of each post. At the top of the window that opens, there is an option to remove images.
Use baking soda and white vinegar over Night to clean tough com on food
Sigh. I used a roasting pan and it came out watery and doesn’t look the greatest. Hoping it tastes ok.
Anyone tried this on fish? Was thinking of giving it a whirl cause we love so much.
I have made this a couple times but sometimes the sauce comes out liquid instead of thick and sticky. Do you have any suggestions?
I just made this and ate it and it was awesome. No need to marinate the chicken just season, cover with the sauce mixture and bake it. I left it in for an extra 25 minutes just to get the skin on top extra crispy, plus I cooked about 12 pieces, so just vent sage really. I tried it with no rosemary by accident and it was awesome, but when I added the rosemary, it went from awesome to amazing. I also used a half whole grain Dijon as someone else previously mentioned. Love that it so easy to make. Deceptively good.
Can this be done in a crock pot?
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What did you serve it with?
Very, very good!
This recipe looks great! When I get some of the needed ingredients, I will definitely be trying this. Thanks!
For those who want a way to control your printing, go to http://www.printfriendly.com/ You paste in the web address of any page you want to print. You can remove any content/photos you don’t feel are necessary & print from there. You can even save it as a PDF. Sometimes I will even copy & paste the page into a Word doc so I can make pics smaller, adjust my margins, etc. so that I can use less paper.
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I totally forgot the rosemary (even though I bought some on sale JUST for this dish … lol! my family still loved it. and I didn’t have as much Dijon as I thought, so most of my mustard was yellow. I added some white wine vinegar I had on hand and that seemed to do the trick. my men love me (hubby and 3 teen boys)so I totally agree with the title. I served it with mushroom risotto and it was a really good combo.
This might be a stupid question but you should thaw the chicken before cooking, correct?
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I followed the recipe but cooked it in my cast iron skillet in the oven, so pretty!
Here’s a pic after it came out of the oven and I the rosemary on.
https://instagram.com/p/BJW20_vjNBQ/
Can I do this in a crock pot? Lol
You must line your dish with parchment paper trimmed to outer rim of the baking dish you’re using to avoid(maybe nothing more than a rinse possibly) major scouring and cleaning of the baking dish. I bake many similar sugar/honey based dishes and the only thing that works is parchment paper. I made this today and the baking dish was completely clean! The chicken was very good. That being said, but it was almost too sweet for me even though I added diced onions and garlic like a few people recommended. And I LOVE SWEET!The savoriness of fresh rosemary helped to balance things. Next time, I’ll cut amount of maple syrup by half and use apple cider vinegar for a stronger kick. This recipe is super easy, fast, and a keeper.
My son doesn’t like chicken. well let me correct myself. He didn’t like chicken until i made him this dish. I have made this once a week since i found this recipe, he reminds me to make it, if i fotget! thank you for this absolutely yummy dish!
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Did anyone make this in a pressure cooker (browning it first, of course)?
Has anyone ever made this in a pressure cooker?
This was a great dish. I made more than what was stated in the recipe. I could have used more Dijon mustard but didn’t have enough. But I will be making this dish again.