Pan-seared chicken thighs may seem delicious already, but with this honey mustard chicken thighs recipe, they will be downright irresistible. The tender meat is cooked to golden brown perfection, then covered in a decadent honey mustard sauce that beautifully enriches its savory flavors. Even better, despite its lavish appearance, this dish only takes 30 minutes to make with a few simple steps.
A dish that requires little work but still offers tons of gorgeous flavors? We can’t think of anything better!
Why We Love Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- It’s straightforward and easy: The whole dish requires only familiar ingredients, most of which are pantry-ready. They come together in one pan in half an hour, creating a perfect effortless meal for a lazy day.
- It pairs well with almost anything: We kept things simple by serving these honey mustard chicken thighs with mashed potatoes, but it can also go with roasted veggies, salads, pasta, or almost any side that you choose.
- It tastes incredible: Honey and mustard is a classic combination that never fails to deliver. In this recipe, it offers sweet, creamy, and tangy flavors which seamlessly blend with the chicken’s savory goodness.
Ingredients You Will Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this dish:
- Chicken: As evident from the name, this recipe uses chicken thighs. We went with the bone-in kind for that extra bone marrow juice.
- Vegetables & Herbs: As mentioned above, this dish is served with a side of mashed potatoes. We also sprinkled in some chopped parsley for garnishing and an herbaceous touch.
- Honey: Go for any variety that you have available. If your honey has crystallized, you can simply liquify it by placing the container in a bowl of warm water until it melts back into the original syrupy texture.
- Mustard: We went with traditional Dijon mustard, which is tangier and slightly spicier than regular mustard, giving the dish a more complex flavor. This is optional but we also added a pinch of mustard seeds to accentuate the sauce’s overall taste.
- Seasonings and Spices: We used salt, garlic powder, and paprika to subtly kick the flavors up a notch and make them more pronounced.
- Dairy Products: Milk and heavy cream give the sauce a much richer taste and texture. If you’re lactose-intolerant, feel free to replace it with almond milk and plant cream or any of your usual substitutions.
Is Our Recipe Healthy?
Our honey mustard chicken thighs make a nutritious main course with high-quality ingredients.
With chicken as the main ingredient, this dish offers a decent amount of protein—33 g per serving to be exact. Chicken also comes with various other essential nutrients, such as iron, zinc, choline, and vitamin B12.
Accompanying the chicken is a hefty side of potatoes. Its rich resistant starch content also increases the dish’s nutritional value.
Not only are the ingredients nutrient-dense but their amounts are also moderated to meet the standards of our nutrition guidelines while still contributing to the overall taste. Each serving has approximately 475 calories, 6.9 g saturated fat, and 543 mg sodium—all of which we believe is quite reasonable.
How to Store and Reheat
This dish should last for up to 2 days when kept in airtight containers in the fridge. You can reheat it in the microwave or give it a quick stir on the stovetop.
What to Serve With
This honey mustard chicken thigh dish is already quite filling, so you’ll only need a light and simple side dish to go with it. Here are a few of our recommendations:
Rich, Creamy Takes on Chicken Dishes
This chicken piccata recipe combines cream and lemon juice to create the ultimate sauce for chicken. It’s served with some buttered asparagus, al-dente rotini, all coming together in 30 minutes.
If you prefer something sweet, this peanut butter chicken is a must-try. The sauce is made from peanut butter, with some honey and garlic to give it a burst of flavor. It’s just downright indulgent.
Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs Recipe
With a 25-minute cook time and simple steps, this honey mustard chicken thighs recipe creates a decadent and comforting dish that will effortlessly elevate all your homemade meals.
- cook TIME 18 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Main Dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 475 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 oz skinless bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp traditional Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard seed
- 24 oz potato (sliced into large cubes)
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Slice the Potatoes: Peel off the skin, cut the potato crosswise into 1-inch slices, then cut the slices into large cubes.
Mince the Garlic: Separate the cloves then thinly slice them. With a rocking motion, chop the knife over the sliced pieces until they are finely minced.
Chop the Parsley: Remove the stems then gather the leaves and thinly slice them. Rock the knife over the sliced leaves a few times until they are finely chopped.
Cook:
Slice the chicken: Make small slits into 26 oz skinless, bone-in chicken thighs to absorb the spice.
Season the chicken: Dry rub 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp paprika all over the sliced chicken.
Microwave the potato: In a microwave-safe bowl, put 24 oz potato, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 10 minutes.
Pan-sear the chicken: In a pan over medium heat, pan-sear the seasoned chicken with 2 tbsp olive oil for 7 minutes on both sides until the skin turns light brown then take them off the heat.
Add the garlic and the flour: Add 1 tbsp garlic and 1 tsp all-purpose flour into the pan then stir around for 30 seconds.
Make the honey mustard sauce: Proceed to add 2 tbsp honey, 2 tsp traditional Dijon mustard, 1 tsp Dijon mustard seed, 3/4 cup milk, 4 tbsp heavy cream, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt and stir around until the mixture thickens.
Add the chicken: Put the pan-seared chicken back into the pan to cook over low heat for 7 minutes.
Mash the potatoes: Remove the potatoes from the microwave and mash them with 1/4 tsp salt.
Garnish and serve: Transfer the chicken onto serving plates and serve alongside the mashed potatoes. Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped parsley.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author