If I’ve said it before, I’ll still say it 100 times more, simple pan sauces are life! 🙌They’re the fastest, easiest way to create a flavorful meal from a simple cut of meat. This 20 Minute Honey Mustard Chicken is the perfect example. With only a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, you can make this sweet and tangy chicken on even the busiest weeknight. Promise.
Pictured with Parsley Salad with Almonds and Apricots.
What is a Pan Sauce?
Pan sauces are the magic that happens when you build a sauce on the leftover juices and browned bits (called “fond’) in the pan after you cook a piece of meat. There is so much flavor in those little bits that are left behind, so don’t let them go to waste!
First you have to “deglaze” or dissolve those bits off the pan using a liquid (usually broth or wine), then add some herbs or spices, butter for a creamy finish, and whatever else you’d like. For the pan sauce in this 20 Minute Honey Mustard Chicken I’ve added a simple mix of stone ground mustard and honey, which also give the sauce a little more body. It’s simple, but fool proof, and you’re going to love it.
Other Recipes with Easy Pan Sauces:
- Herb Butter Chicken Thighs
- Apple Spice Pork Chops
- Chicken Piccata
- Blackberry Sage Pork Chops
- Balsamic Chicken Skillet
What Kind of Chicken Can I Use for Honey Mustard Chicken?
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs here because they are always juicy and tender, cook very quickly, and require the least amount of prep. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you will want to pound them out to an even 1/2-inch thickness before browning in the skillet, which will add about 5 minutes to your prep time. Bone-in and skin-on cuts make excellent pan sauces, but they do require a much longer cook time, so they’re not ideal for this quick method.
20 Minute Honey Mustard Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs* ($4.50)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
- 2 Tbsp stone ground or whole grain mustard ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp honey ($0.24)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium flame. While the skillet is preheating, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt in a small dish. Sprinkle the spice mixture over both sides of your chicken pieces.
- Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken pieces and cook on each side until well browned and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side, this can vary with your cookware and size of your chicken pieces). Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Allow the broth to simmer in the skillet for about 5 minutes, or until it has reduced by half.
- Finally, add the mustard, honey, and butter to the skillet. Stir to melt and dissolve the ingredients together. Add the chicken and juices back to the skillet, and allow the sauce to come back up to a simmer. Spoon the honey mustard sauce over top, then serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Begin to preheat a large skillet over medium. While waiting for the skillet to heat, combine 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small dish. Sprinkle the spices over both sides of your chicken (1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs).
Once the skillet is nice and hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to the skillet, and swirl to make sure it has coated the entire surface. Add the chicken pieces and cook them on both sides until well browned and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). Cooking chicken like this can take some practice. You can see from my photos how one side of my skillet gets hotter (chicken is more browned) than the other side. So keep an eye on it, turn the heat up or down if it’s going to fast or too slow, and kind of play it by ear. This is why cooking is a learned skill. It’s never exact! :)
Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate, then add 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet (or white wine, if you happen to have an open bottle!). Stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, then let the broth simmer for about 5 minutes, or until it has reduced by half.
Finally, add 2 Tbsp stone ground mustard, 2 Tbsp honey, and 1 Tbsp butter. Stir to melt and dissolve these ingredients into the sauce.
Return the cooked chicken to the skillet, spoon the honey mustard sauce over top, let it come back up to a simmer briefly, then serve!
That honey mustard pan sauce is so good and perfect for drizzling over whatever you’re serving your 20 Minute Honey Mustard Chicken with. I served mine with my Parsley Salad with Almonds and Apricots, but it would be great with just about any salad, vegetable, or even just rice.
Mmmmm…get in my tummy RIGHT NOW!!! I’ve run across many honey-dijon chicken recipes before, but the addition of the smoked paprika sets this one head and shoulders above the other. It really makes for rich/complex flavour: dark spice and light tangy high notes. I could have licked the leftover sauce right from the pan (but poured it on leftover rice instead). Best of all – this is a really simple recipe that is ready fast! Easy five stars!
Thank you so much Catherine!
I’m sodium free so can you tell me the sodium content?? Thanks.
Thanks for the request! I do get that request a lot, but unfortunately I don’t have a reliable source for the nutrition information. The calculators and databases that most bloggers and websites use to calculate the info can be extremely inaccurate, and for something that can so severely impact the health of people with health conditions, I just don’t feel comfortable publishing unreliable numbers. I prefer to leave it up to the reader to use the database or calculator they trust. I’m sorry and I wish accuracy were easier than shipping the food off to a lab for analysis!
We love this recipe this is the third or fourth time I’ve made it and comes out great every time. I always make it with chicken broth and Dijon mustard. So good! We had tonight with wild rice and steamed carrots.
I made this vegetarian by substituting portobello caps for the chicken, kept everything else the same. It was soooooo good!
We make this at my house probably once a week and love it every time! I love how quickly and easily it comes together, and my husband comments literally every time we eat it how much he enjoys this dish. I’ve modified it a bit to suit our tastes- I use a bit more stock and let the chicken cook in the sauce, which I tend to cook down until it’s fairly thick. We also almost always use chicken breasts rather than thighs. We usually serve this with oven roasted asparagus or broccoli, and it’s an absolute winner!
This is ridiculously good! I like using a mustard that doesn’t have white wine, though, because I personally didn’t like the honey mixed with the tart flavour of what I assume is the wine. This recipe’s amazing with thighs, but I made this once with breasts and it was still really good. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I want to make this tonight, but I only have yellow mustard! Do you think it would still work?
It will definitely taste different.
Thank you, Beth! I am not a big meat eater but if there was a recipe to convert me into eating more meet, this would be it. My husband made this and it was absolutely delicious, wow! Simple, easy, quick and absolutely wonderful. I did have a question though, how do you suggest we use this recipe but adjust it so it can be done on a charcoal BBQ? Thank you, you’re the best :)
I’m not sure that’s possible, unfortunately. You need the skillet and the reserved chicken drippings to be able to make the pan sauce. :(
I thought course ground mustard was the same as ground mustard oops. lol Realized my mistake before I added the chicken back to the pan. Just dumped the sauce portion and remade it. Posting in case it saves anyone else. Turned out great regardless! ♡
We thought the chicken needed a little something more but can’t decide what, but it is tender. I doubled the sauce like one of the comments suggested but I would add a thickener next time with maybe additional mustard and some pepper for added flavor.
This was so good, even reheated the next day for lunch! I’m not crazy about chicken thighs so I used boneless skinless breasts instead and it came out so tender and juicy. I didn’t have paprika so I used chili powder instead and it was still delicious. I’ll be making this again for sure.
So delicious! thanks for sharing. My husband would love this
Delicious and another BB recipe to add to my rotation. Quick and easy, which is just what I need during finals so I don’t live off of cereal. Thanks!
I made this recipe tonight with skinless, boneless chicken breasts. It was delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I made this with chicken cutlets (thin chicken breasts) because my husband doesn’t like chicken thighs. It was so delicious, can’t wait to make it again! I ate it with one of those bagged Trader Joes kale/brussel sprout mixes that I sautéed in olive oil. Tasted great with the sauce.