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 only have one less skinless chicken breasts. Will. They work? Also, why the foil?
You may have to adjust the temperature to cooler-you’ll end up cooking the breasts fast on the outside and raw in the middle then they’ll end up dry because you have to keep cooking them. The foil ,I’m guessing, is to make clean up easier because it sounds like a really sticky sauce, but it could also have something to do with the heat and the way they will cook through. Either way, the foil is a good idea.
I agree I made this for my husband he loved it , the sauce was very sticky it took a whole day to soak the pot after wards .. I wish i would have foiled all the directions
I’ve tried this yummy chicken at a friend’s house and now want to make it myself.
I was wondering: Does the maple syrup have to be real? or can I use Aunt Jemima or Log Cabin syrup? thanks
no no no! use the real thing! the extra cost will be well worth it. and real maple syrup is healthy – full of minerals.
I have made this dish many, many times. It looks exactly like the photo when it’s cooked. I DREAM about this dinner…..the flavors mix perfectly. Kroger’s Private Selection brand has a real maple syrup-delicious. It is more expensive than the watered down, maple flavored products-you get what you pay for. Buy the bigger bottle-you will absolutely want to make this again.
May I suggest Grade “B” real maple syrup? It is more flavorful than Grade “A” which is the amber colored syrup in most stores (both are real).
Grade B for sure.
Trader Joe’s carries it.
Wow! That looks super delicious!
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could you use fresh thyme in place of rosemary as we don’t care for the rosemary?
Thank you very much, this meal was certainly man pleasing as my husband loved it. We defently be cooking this one again!
This chicken is to die for! We made it last night and it is so simple and sooooooooo good. I can’t stop thinking about eating the leftovers. This one is definitely a keeper. Susan, I think thyme would be just fine on top. But the rosemary really sets off the flavor of the dish. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I think I’m going to try this in the crockpot with breast since we don’t like dark meat
How did it go in the crockpot. I thought about trying it but wasn’t sure it would cook like it does in the oven- thanks!
I was also wondering how this came out in the crock!
Made this for dinner last night… Holy yum!!!! It was just sweet enough without being cloying, and the rosemary was a perfect touch of savory. Thank you; we’ll definitely be making this one again & again! =)
The chicken was okay, but I think the title and a few reviews over state it a bit.
It comes down to this, if you LIKE chicken thighs, and you LIKE Dijon
mustard and real maple syrup, then you will like this
If you think that the combination of ingredients is magically going to morph into some fantastic new flavor, that’s not going to happen.
The chicken was moist (however I don’t like chicken thighs so that was hard to get over) the sauce was good (if you like maple syrup and Dijon mustard). It’s
all personal preference, but our family was not impressed.
Agross nailed it on the head..my husband likes chicken thighs and was not impressed
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I am so obsessed with this chicken!! I don’t know why someone would say it was awful! It was absolute perfection! My oldest son who is 7 said “mom, I just don’t understand how you can cook so good!” Lol! I used skinless,boneless thighs because I just can’t do bone in.. And I used organic REAL maple syrup.. I think it definitely makes a huge difference:) I am already excited to make it again! Thank you so much!
That is so cute. Thanks for sharing!
So I am not a fan of honey mustard and when my in-laws came for the 4th of July they left two whole containers of honey mustard dressing. I was looking for a recipe to use them up when I came across this one. I know, I know… nothing like the real thing, but I figured flavor profile is the same, sweet, mustard, rosemary. I tried making the chicken with honey mustard dressing and rice wine vinegar with dried rosemary. I did not have the ingredients for the real thing on hand. It turned out great, although the sauce did not thicken up I think due to the lack of maple syrup. I will definitely be trying this recipe for real next time 🙂
I can’t find boneless thighs, only skinless.
Also, should I take some of the excess fat off of them? I think I have too much liquid in my pan..is this from some of the excess fat? I am new at cooking, so if this is a, “duh” moment, someone please do not hesitate to say do.
You can buy skinless thighs and cut out the bones. And definitely trim any excess fat.
Ugh! I went to the store and forgot my list…..I tried to remember all the ingridents but forgot the rice vineger, can I use regular, or is that even close to taste?
No, no, no!! You need the rice wine vinegar. Totally different flavors. 🙂
My fiancee made this the other day, it was good but I thought that the title of the dish was a bit misleading. But, i am more of a hot and BBQ chicken type of guy.
Hubby hates mustard, but he absolutely LOVED this recipe! For my sake next time I may use a little bit of honey mustard also to sweeten it a little bit more.
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I’m more of a white meat fan but have to admit it often comes out too dry. The boneless thighs were perfect & not really very dark meat at all. I did need to turn the broiler on at the very end to get a nicely browned finish. My husband loved it & it really smelled great while it was cooking!!!
Hello and thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I will be substituting the foil for wrapping the chicken mixture up into banana leaves and placing on the grill. This recipe is going to be delicious I just know it.
Thank you and you’ve been proudly Pinned !!!
My cousin found a similar recipe to this on Pinterest that was a bit different and said it was so good. This looks awesome too and sounds like it so I’ll give it a shot. I’ll update on what I think. I hope it’s delicious.
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So I made this and it was yummy. Not amazingly yummy but yummy! I do need a thermometer though because 40 minutes wasn’t really enough.
what would me ten times better is if the skin was crisp. I think I would try grilling it last minute or something…skin would definitely taste better crisp.
Maybe use as a marinade (over night ) and then the grill the next day?!!
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Loved the chicken. I made a few changes:
1. used ACV and rice wine
2. added a pinch of sugar and a little more maple syrup
3. baked the chicken with the rosemary instead of adding it later
The result was great! Thanks for sharing.
My bf took one bite and asked me to make it again soon and put it into “the rotation.” We don’t even have a rotation! But he wants this made regularly 🙂 I used real maple syrup (from NY- tends to be sweeter) and blue cheese dijon mustard (it was all we had) and it was perfect. The chicken was perfectly moist and the flavors were subtle yet delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
Success! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been making this for years, except with honey– I never thought of using maple syrup. Will give it a try! As for those who don’t like Dijon, try it anyway. My sister’s family doesn’t like Dijon, and she tried it with yellow mustard first, then Dijon the next time, and they preferred Dijon. As far as using a crockpot, I did it that way once and it tasted a little “done-er” but it was alright. Obviously it won’t brown on top.
Hi There!
So, I made your dish tonight! I actually made it with turkey thighs, because that’s what I had in the freezer. When I read your recipe, I thought FOR SURE 40 minutes, for a boneless skinless thigh (even a turkey’s!), was too much!!! But, it wasn’t!!! Sauce was tasty, tasty. I served it with a zucchini and carrot latke. Would love to know what others paired with it!! Thanks for the recipe! A keeper!!
I know! The timing defies conventional logic, but it’s absolute magic!
This received a thumbs up from the hubby & kids tonight! No one in the house likes mustard, except for me, so I added a tad bit more maple syrup (I use Log Cabin’s ALL NATURAL syrup – yum). Plus, I added some honey & about 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. I also cooked it for about an hour at 430 degrees. They still have no idea that there was any sort of mustard in the recipe! Shhhhh….. 🙂
Thanks!
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I have almost 5 pounds should I just double the ingredients? Bone in ok to use?
We’ve made this using every kind of thigh and it always comes out great! You may want to triple the ingredients to be sure there’s enough to cover everything, and to have enough to put over your rice or noodles that go with it. 🙂 If you only double it, maybe put it in a smaller pan so they’re all squished together and the sauce will come up between.
Do you cook it uncovered the whole time?
Yes, it should not be covered. And if it doesn’t brown, you can stick it under the broiler for a few minutes at the end.
This chicken recipe is a definite keeper! My husband and son both liked it. I’ll make it again soon.
Cook at what temperature?
Cook at what temperature?
450 F as it says in the first line of the recipe…
I never comment..but had to. This chicken was awesome! I used chicken thighs with bones and skins..and made a double batch. The chicken was so moist and delicious. Definitely is something I will make often.
I detest any mustard other than yellow. But listen to what others are saying. This recipe is excellent!!! I paired it with bow tie pasta with a little Parmesan cheese and everyone loved it. For sure adding to my rotation.
I made this tonight and my sauce was lumpy and thick, nothing like pictured. Any thoughts on what went wrong?
I always whisk my sauce before serving to eliminate any lumps, but there are a couple of possibilities as to why your sauce didn’t turn out right: If the chicken doesn’t cover your entire baking dish, the sauce will dry up; or your oven might be too hot. I hope one of these suggestions hits the mark!
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can you use anything other than rice wine vinegar?
Can you replace the maple syrup with honey? I am not a maple syrup fan…but i will try it if honey is not recommended.
Try it first with the real maple syrup. The flavors blend into a delicious sauce with no particular flavor standing out from the others. Mmm!
This was good but not amazing to me. I am not a big mustard fan so I would add more maple syrup next time. The chicken did cook perfectly though in 40 minutes but did not brown as well as in the picture on this site. This could be just how my oven is so as some other people have said, I think broiling near the end could help. The little parts that did brown up though tasted pretty dang good compared to the rest of the chicken.
I would make this again and try to brown it up more. Thank you!
I made this thinking it would be over the top. I have made better chicken. Not impressed with this one
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I never leave comments but this was so good, it deserves a first shout out!
I made this for dinner tonight and was so surprised at how good those three simple ingredients made the chicken. My hubby ate 8 thighs all by himself! Lol. I threw in some quartered red potatoes with the chicken and just cooked everything together in the sauce. I must say that’s the best chicken and potatoes I’ve ever made!
I have never heard of rice/rice wine vinegar. Is this correct? Also, can you use raw honey instead of maple syrup? I buy my honey from a local beekeeper and it is so so good!! I also have chicken breasts so I will cook at a little lower temp as suggested. Can’t wait to try this one!!! I think it will be a keeper!! Thanks.
Tried this the other night . . . am deleting from my Pinterest board. Dijon mustard is OK as a glaze or marinade, especially with salmon, but was way too much as the main ingredient of a “sauce” in this dish. I bought rice/rice wine vinegar just to make this, and I honestly don’t know what it did for the recipe at all. Couldn’t taste it, and the maple syrup effect was minimal, at best. Granted I didn’t use “fresh” maple syrup. Hey, I live in Florida, and this is not something readily available on the shelves at the supermarket during the summer! I think it is great that people are enjoying it, but agree that the title and subtext may be a little misleading.
@tammy,
You need to use real maple syrup.
fyi..you can discreetly drop this recipe from your Pinterest board without telling the whole world. jeez
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crap. Starting throwing this together thinking I had all ingredients on hand. Is it going to matter that my rice wine vinegar is sweet/mirin?