Man-Pleasing Chicken

Man-Pleasing Chicken

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!

Man-Pleasing 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. 

Man-Pleasing Chicken

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. 

Man-Pleasing Chicken

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
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Comments

Man-Pleasing Chicken — 2,556 Comments

  1. Am I the only one that did not care for this recipe? I tasted everything but an explosion on my taste buds. I gave this recipe to my mother to cook for dinner (no I am not a kid, she takes care of my kids while I’m at work) and it did not tantalize my taste buds at all. I read the comment that said you can’t taste the mustard…yes you can….for me anyway. And the juice was soupy not saucy. It’s alright I guess but can’t say I’d cook it again. Maybe it was the brand of ingredients I used who knows.

  2. Just finished eating these for supper and they were superb! Others have complained it’s not good, but if you follow the recipe, it’s wonderful! The dish is savory and simply fantastic. I took one bite and was instantly in love.

    This is a must try for busy families!

  3. I cooked this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! I am not a mustard person so I was thinking I may not like it but I wanted to make it for my husband anyway. Well boy was I wrong! I LOVED IT! I made rice, cooked in chicken broth to go with it, and roasted broccoli.

  4. this was so delicious-will definitely be making again- i used boneless chicken breast (cooked 30 min) and they were so juicy! whole family loved it– and just a note– my sauce seperated during cooking but was easily wisked back together before serving

  5. My family and I really disliked this recipe. The Dijon was WAY too overpowering. I did not use real maple syrup but I don’t see how the real thing would have toned down half a cup of Dijon. Sorry.

  6. Well..I will start off with this…I do NOT like mustard…However, I made this tonite and even though mine wasnt as pretty as yours lol…I have no leftovers! Both my men with back for seconds! They loved it and I did too! I will definitely do again but next time i will use the boneless, skinless chicken. I used the bone in tonite and was Delicious! ty for sharing this awesome recipe!

    • oh and my sauce seperated as well but half way thru, i pulled out chicken, whisked and put chicken back in pan and finished cooking.

  7. Mine is in the oven right now! Very excited to try this. Wondering if I added some french’s friend onions toward the last few minutes of cooking…. if that would be a nice crunchy touch?? What do you think?

      • I can’t find rice wine vinegar anywhere….some comments say they used rice vinegar, which I can find, but when I google rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar it says they are different?

  8. The only other thing I could find only said rice vinegar not rice wine vinegar so I grabbed just regular distilled white vinegar do you think it will still come out good or no? I didn’t no what else to get.

  9. Is rice vinegar the same as rice wine vinegar?
    My husband only likes chicken cutlets or chicken tenderloins, so I made this with chicken cutlets tonight. I also didn’t realize that maple syrup was different than the Log Cabin maple syrup I use on pancakes. (I actually think I have an authentic bottle of maple syrup in my other fridge that I forgot about). So, I used 1/2 cup dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of log cabin maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. I cooked for 25 minutes on 350.

    It tasted like dijon mustard and that is about the only flavor I tasted. Not a fan tonight and I was surprised as everyone else liked it. Maybe, I will try next time with the real maple syrup. Maybe I will do the chicken tenderloins since they are a little thicker.

  10. Darn I just bought rice vinegar not rice wine vinegar. I didnt see any other kind. I dont want to make with replacements because it seems like thats where people are running into trouble with recipe. Has anyone else used just rice vinegar and came out ok?

    • I wish I could upload a pic of the ingredients I used. My viniger does not say wine. It says seasoned rice viniger. My maple syrup was pure organic maple syrup and I used grey poupon Dijon mustard. I hesitantly used the boneless skinless chicken thighs even though I usually dont like dark meat but I wanted to make the recipe just like she made it. I am now a fan! It was amazing!

      • Thank you! Yes the vinegar i got says seasoned rice vinegar too! Yea! I am going to try it. I just got the smoothest dijon mustard i saw because some are grainy and that was another complaint and since I dont usually eat mustard I thought the least expensive smoothest looking one would be best. And I have 1/2 bone in chicken I am going to use. Will post my result, fingers crossed it will be good 🙂

        • I am not a huge fan of Dijon mustard either and I got the grey poupon because it looked the smoothest as well so I’m sure yours is fine!! Good luck I’m sure it’s gonna be great!

  11. I did something wrong… just not sure what? This came out WAY too salty! I didn’t add any seasonings, not even salt. Just used the ingredients listed. We couldn’t even eat it at all. The flavor seemed like it could be good, but the saltiness just overpowered. Hmmm???

  12. I made this with pork chops last night and it was amazing! Like other pinners said, my fiancé is really picky but was ooohhh-ing and ahhh-ing after this! The one suggestion I have besides foil lining your pan is to baste every 10 mins. It really makes a difference. Thank you for sharing such an easy, great recipe. It’s rare to find an actual “easy” dinner.

  13. This is not only Man-Pleasing Chicken it is Woman-Pleasing Chicken. We made it on the Traegger and I halved the recipe. Next time I will let it marinate longer.

  14. 1 tablespoon of White Vinegar with a generous pinch of sugar can replace the Rice Vinegar. Rice Vinegar (aka Rice Wine Vinegar) used as a dressing is very good on salads, tomatos, cucumbers, etc. (it’s like a lightly sweet vinaigrette without the oil). Rice Wine Vinegar comes in many flavors… plain, garlic, spicy, etc . Also if you want the brown look on top, just broil it in the oven under a “very close eye” for a few minutes before you take it out of the oven.

  15. Just popped it in the oven, and I LOVE how quick it is to make! Smelling the house up right now and it smells soooo good, my tummy is just a grumbblin!!!! MMMmmmMMM Thanks for this awesome quick recipe 🙂

  16. Make sure everyone that you are not using chicken that has sodium lactate or sodium chloride injected into it. (called meat enhancing solution). This will most likely make the sauce too juicy, thin & salty. (Walmart meat and prefrozen packages of meat 80%+ of the time contain either sodium lactate or sodium chloride.). If your raw chicken meat is overly juicy (excessively wet, pat it off with paper towels) and make sure the chicken is fully thawed before using with this recipe.

  17. I found this on pinterest and some of the comments about it having a strong mustard flavor make me a litte nervous to try it. I absolutely destest mustard and I can usually pick it out in a dish that others can’t taste it in. Is there anything else I could possibly use to get a great blast of flavor without possibly ruining some very expensive meat?

    • If you dont like mustard at all, dont use this recipe. Look for something different. I am not a fan of mustard and it was all I could smell and taste and when I doubled the recipe I didnt quite double the mustard but did everything else. My husband loved it tho! I ate it and thought it was ok but a definate mustard taste and smell.

      • I couldn’t taste the mustard at all. It must be the different brands of mustard people are using that cause such a difference. I used a store brand pub style dijon with the seeds strained and I used half the amount of sauce called for, and not even the slightest hint of mustard flavor when it was done.

  18. I made this and it was fabulous! I love the flavors of the sauce. I think the cooking method definitely needs some adjustment though. I used a thermometer and the chicken was done after just 15 minutes. I went ahead and cooked it another 10 minutes (25 total) just to make sure the sauce was cooked enough. The chicken was very juicy and tender. I think at 40 minutes it would have been overcooked. Next time, I will bake for 20 minutes and finish in the broiler to give it a good brown crust. Also, I highly recommend using foil in the baking dish. It took forever to clean the pan. Great recipe idea. I will definitely make this again.

  19. This is close to one of my all time fav. recipes, from Canadian Living Magazine. Only difference is honey (instead of maple syrup), some butter, and rosemary to the mixture so it all cooks together. Curry powder is a lovely change from the rosemary too. A friend made this for me YEARS ago and it’s still my go-to recipe for a quick meal and/or for unexpected company. Everyone RAVES over it! Can’t wait to try this with the maple syrup tonight!

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  22. Simple and delicious! I made this tonight and it couldn’t have been simpler and it came out beautifully. I baked it in my ceramic coated cast iron braiser, doubled the sauce recipe so I had more for basting (and for leftovers) and for the last 5 minutes, I cranked the oven up to broil so that it browned perfectly. I didn’t have rosemary and used tarragon instead and the only dijon mustard I had in the pantry was “dijon with chardonnay” but it worked out well and I will definitely make this recipe again. The pan drippings from the chicken mixed so well with the recipe ingredients to make this yummy sweet/savory sauce. Thank you so much!
    P.S. I made Trader Joe’s tri-colored quinoa for a side dish and spooned some of the yummy sauce onto it to make it better.

  23. Made this tonight, added 3 tbs honey, and cooked chicken on the grill. It was fabulous! Also, used dry rosemary in the marinade instead of as a garnish. Everyone loved it. Thank you!

  24. I made this for a luncheon today. I used whole wheat dijon and only had apple cider vinegar, so it wasn’t quite as creamy as the pictures above showed. However, everyone complimented me and the dish was empty in the end! I think the creamy dijon would be better and a little less vinegar would be ok. Overall, nice dish I will make again!

  25. Saw this on Pinterest, tried it & loved it! My boyfriend loved it & has been requesting it ever since. The mustard flavor is a little strong, but I think the syrup mixed perfectly with it. If you aren’t a huge fan of mustard, I would just use a little less & maybe more syrup to make it sweeter. We thought it was great!

  26. I made this tonight with 3.5 lbs of skinless boneless chicken breast, so I doubled the recipe. But the glaze dried up. The chicken tasted okay. The boys and I liked it, but hubby didn’t care for it. I also split each breast so they weren’t so thick and they cooked in about 20 minutes. You could still taste the mustard after cooking. Might be better by adding some honey, but I won’t be making again because of hubby. He doesn’t like any sweetness in his meat dishes.

  27. Making this tonight…anyone grilled this on a gas grill? Curious if it would have a high burn factor from the maple syrup…thanks 🙂

  28. We tried this recipe today, and it was delicious! I will definitely be making it again.. soon! It was so easy, and a great way to make a homemade meal on a work night 😉

  29. When, I read all the comments, I am reminded of a poem I once had. It was a poem about a recipe, a person was using. She didn’t have the ingredients, so she substituted, with what she had, and in the end, the dish tasted nothing like the original. Don’t substitute ingredients in any recipe, because if you do, you are creating a whole new recipe; one you may not like. There are a trillion recipes for chicken on the internet, so if you don’t like any of the ingredients in this one, find one you do like. You don’t like mustard, you don’t like maple syrup; why would you even try this. I happen to like all of it…just saying.

    • I’m so glad you posted this response. I’ve been reading through the statements and was laughing when people are complaining about the results, when they have either substituted ingredients or don’t like the taste of one of the specified ingredients to start with! If I see a recipe with stuff I don’t like, I don’t try it. If I see a recipe that I want to try, I follow it! There is always time to change a recipe and make it your own , after you have done the original version, that is part of being a cook.

      • Exactly!!!!! It’s maple mustard chicken: if you don’t like mustard and don’t even know what maple syrup is, don’t make it.

        Mustard has a strong flavor that people *like* if they like mustard. Don’t complain that a mustard chicken recipe tastes like mustard! That’s sort of the point.

        Maple syrup is boiled down tree sap. It is not corn syrup in a bottle shaped like an old lady.

        Do your research, know what you like, and don’t try to make something unless you actually have the right ingredients!!

  30. I’m so excited because tonight I made this chicken dish as my first Pinterest recipe, and my husband LOVED it! All of the flavors are great together, especially the fresh rosemary sprinkled over the top. Thanks for that recommendation. My husband is a volunteer firefighter/EMT (in his spare time), and he told me that he’s going to make this dish for his fellow firefighters the next time that he works a 24-hr. shift.
    BTW, I stopped at the store on the way home from work to buy the chicken and got everything all finished in time to take our daughter to her Girl Scout meeting. It took very little effort to make a very big impression. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  31. Thank you for a fantastic recipe! I used chicken thigh cutlets & left in on low towards the end & the sauce went all lovely & dark & sticky. Wonderful! Was certainly man-pleasing and also toddler & teenager-pleasing! Yummy!

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  33. I could not find any rice wine vinegar. Would it be better substitute red wine vinegar, or regular rice vinegar?

  34. To sum up tips from all these pages of notes:
    1. Line the pan with tin foil (otherwise your pan will be a BEAR to clean)
    2. Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar are virtually the same thing (FYI: here is a great site that explains this and ALL of the types of vinegars you have on hand, along with which would be okay substitutes — http://www.foodsubs.com/Vinegars.html)
    3. Be sure to use the CREAMIEST Dijon mustard you can find to help so you don’t get a grainy texture to it. If it tastes hot or spicy, you did not get the right stuff.
    4. The sauce will work great on a variety of meats (pork chops, chicken breasts, ribs, etc.)
    5. Coat with sauce during cooking time (some say every 15 min.)
    6. Some say to double the sauce
    7. Can be done in a crockpot. Cook on high for about 4 hours. You know the chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees on the meat thermometer.

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