If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest, any time at all, you’ve surely seen a pin for Maple Dijon Chicken. Pretty much every blogger out there has made it and it has been pinned to the moon and back. So, I thought I’d play a little game of pintester and try it out myself, because unless every single blogger out there is a liar, this stuff has got to be good.
Of course, I didn’t want to just beat a dead horse with a stick, so I threw my own spin on the recipe. I made the basic Dijon and maple syrup marinade, tasted it, and then added what I thought it needed.
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Maple Dijon Chicken My Way…
I made a few changes to the recipe found all over Pinterest. First, it needed garlic. I mean, it was just begging for a little garlic. The bulk of the marinade is Dijon mustard, which can be very sharp and tangy, so it needed some low garlic notes to bring it back to the ground. Second, I added a touch of soy sauce. This acted in the same way as the garlic to help round things out and balance the high and low notes. Not to mention, it provided a little bit of much needed salt to balance the sweet maple syrup and just help all of the flavors pop.
I only made about half the amount of marinade as most other people do. I found that it covered my chicken very well and that helped keep the costs low (real maple syrup is NOT cheap). Lastly, I baked my chicken in a casserole dish (as opposed to on a baking sheet) so that the juices would stay near by and keep the chicken moist, rather than evaporate away and leave the edges dry and burned. It resulted in super tender, delicious chicken and ample juices for braising.
Thyme, Rosemary, or Both!
You can make this Maple Dijon Chicken with either thyme or rosemary. When I began preparing the recipe I found that I was out of both. I almost wanted to give up on life right then and there, but suddenly remembered that I have a rosemary plant on my front porch. :D So, I used fresh rosemary. I have dried rosemary listed in the ingredients, but you can use fresh instead (I’d use about the same amount).
What to Serve with Maple Dijon Chicken
I paired this succulent chicken with my Carrot and Orzo Salad this time around, but I think it would also go quite well with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables, or a nice Fall inspired salad, like my Autumn Kale and Sweet Potato Salad. If you’re looking for some more classic comfort food type sides, try it with mashed potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Whether I need one or two chicken thighs for a serving depends on the size of your thighs, so I just listed the price per “serving” as the price per thigh.
Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs
Servings 6 thighsIngredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, and soy sauce. Mince the garlic and chop the rosemary. Stir both into the marinade.
- Arrange the chicken thighs in the dish so that they are close, but not overlapping. Pour the marinade on top and then spread it around until the thighs are completely covered.
- Bake the chicken thighs in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until they are cooked through and the liquid around the thighs is simmering. Spoon some of the liquid over the thighs, return them to the oven, then switch the oven's setting from bake to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until the top of the chicken is golden brown. Watch the chicken closely as it broils, as broilers can vary.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Add the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, and soy sauce to a small bowl. Mince the garlic and roughly chop the rosemary, then add them to the bowl as well.
Stir the Maple Dijon sauce ingredients together, then set the sauce aside.
Coat the inside of a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Arrange the chicken pieces inside the dish so that they are close, but not overlapping.
Pour the Maple Dijon Sauce over the chicken pieces, covering them as much as possible.
If necessary, use a spoon to scoop up some of the runoff back up over the surface of the chicken. You want the chicken completely covered.
Bake the Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until they are cooked through and the liquid around them is simmering. Spoon some of the the liquid back up over top of the chicken, then place them back in the oven, switch the oven from bake to broil, and let them broil for about 5 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Watch the chicken closely as it broils, as broilers can vary. (That extra rosemary is just a garnish)
The Maple Dijon Chicken Thigh is pictured here with my Carrot & Orzo Salad.
The other bloggers didn’t lie – It’s one of the easiest, tastiest chicken dishes I’ve ever had. I want to eat it every day!
Love your site like I’ve sAid before been making recipes from here and I love them, made this for the first time I had no Dijon mustard so I used honey mustard and it was delicious=) I’ll deff make it again with Dijon to see the difference thank you again for this site. =)
The pic ate so helpful thank you!!
Tried this recipe tonight and it turned out absolutely delicious! Thank you =]
Would it be ok to leave the chicken to marinate over night?
That would probably work fine, yes.
Hi,
Super random question but if I only have bone-in chicken available, do you think it’s best to remove the bone first or just keep it in and eat it off the bone? I really don’t think so but would keeping the bone in change anything in regards to texture or taste?
Thanks!
I think it would be much easier to leave the bone in and just eat it off the bone. The only changes it will make is that it may take slightly longer to cook.
Yum is not enough!! It was spectacular! Used the leftover juices to make gravy and served it with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was delish! Thanks :)
Made this tonight. I’m a vegetarian but all my carnivores loved it. I will make this again for sure. So easy. I used 3lbs of thighs and the sauce was sufficient. Didn’t have enough Dijon so I topped up with yellow mustard and it was good.
What about if I use bone-in, skinless thighs? How would you recommend changing the recipe?
It might need to bake a little longer, try 10-15 minutes… but that will also depend on the size of the thighs.
This was fantastic! I pulled it out of the dish and stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes (so it would “look done” for my picky husband) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. This was beyond simple and everyone loved it. We’ll definitely be adding this to the rotation. A note: I put it over rice but will do something else next time because the rice absorbed too much of the sauce.
I doubled the recipe, added a splash more maple syrup and used it as a marinate for the chicken. Through everything in a ziplock for four hours and then grilled them up. They were moist, tender and flavorful! Would definitely make again! Next time I’ll add a bit more garlic.
This is the first Budget Bytes recipe I’ve tried but it won’t be the last! I didn’t have Dijon mustard so I mixed half yellow/half whole grain. Also only used just over a pound of meat for the full marinade, which left extra sauce for over potatoes. The chicken came out fabulous! I don’t really even like chicken thighs, but I think this might have changed my mind
Hi Beth
Made this last night and it was awesome, however when pouring the sauce on before baking I thought that there was not enough, then after 45 minutes, the sauce had turned really watery and did not have a glaze look like your photos, do you and anyone have any thoughts as to why?
Nonetheless, it was still delicious and have some leftovers in the fridge sitting in the watery sauce, hopefully it may have thickened overnight.
Thank you!
The wateriness is likely due to the moisture coming out of the chicken. I wouldn’t really say mine were glazed (take a look at the second picture from the top – right after the recipe, the coating looks much less thick). I spooned some of the liquid over the top after it baked to make it look more moist, which might be why it looked kind of glazed. :)
The sauce definitely thickened overnight and the leftovers were amazing! I have made this about four times since my first comment & look forward to the next day as the flavors seem to build into the chicken & in the sauce =)
I love this recipe, but I actually like it better when replacing the maple syryp with honey.
I made this last night, and with the exception of doubling the sauce, followed your instructions to the letter. OMG, amazing!!! Hubby and I had it over protein/fiber egg noodles (thus, the need for the extra sauce), and he’s already put in a second request. We have yet to be disappointed by any recipe I’ve tried from your site. Thanks for another great one, Beth!
If you used chicken breasts in the crock pot, how long would you cook them? Thanks for the great recipes!
If you did this in the crock pot it will be quite a bit more watery. When I cook chicken breast in a crock pot, I usually do 4 hours on high, although it will always vary depending on the size of the chicken breast and how full the crock pot is.
turned out perfect. really delicious, family said it was like a dinner out!