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!
If you double the recipe, will it change the cooking time?
Thanks!
As long as the thighs are not too crowded in the dish, the cooking time shouldn’t need to be increased.
Wow! This is a keeper! For the dijon, I used half whole grain dijon and the rest regular dijon. Thanks for an awesome recipe. I served with roasted potatoes and green beans.
I made this tonight for dinner. I added about 1/4-1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes and a little grain mustard instead of all dijon (I just can’t help but mess with things). I also baked it for 35 minutes, then broiled for 5. I still feel like it was over baked. I will try to bake it less next time and check it. Otherwise, it was a really good recipe. We enjoyed it.
I want to make this with chicken breasts instead of thighs, how would you suggest I alter the recipe for that? Just change the cook time?
Yes, you’ll definitely need to change the cook time because chicken breasts can get quite tough if baked for that long. I don’t have an exact time recommendation for you, though, since I rarely bake chicken breasts (and it depends quite a bit on their size).
This came out amazing! It was a lot easier than I expected, which I was super grateful for. Everyone was satisfied and complimenting the chicken, even the kids who are very picky eaters! I will definitely be making this again, except I’ll be making even more since everyone wanted seconds :)
Thanks for the recipe. I appreciate that i have all the ingredients on hand! I’m confused about the cooking time. 45-50 is really long for thighs. Did i read that right? Mine are done in 25min, but the sauce didn’t have time to carmelize. Do you use really large chicken thighs? The sauce smelled delicious but I think i missed something in the flavor because my chicken was cooked in way less time.
They weren’t super large thighs, I just cooked them longer to allow the sauce to caramelize. Because they’re dark meat they don’t overcook and get all rubbery like breasts do. They stay nice and tender.
You are totally right. I’ve made them several times now and cooked them your recommended time. The thighs held up and had so much better flavor and texture and the sauce caramelized nicely. Thanks for the great recipe. :-)
This was great! I will make this again!
Very good. Used 4 bone-in thighs, trimmed very well. Used the same amount of mustard sauce. Smelled great while baking. Only 2 of us so will have remaining 2 thighs for leftovers. Side dish was vegetable noodle bowl. Yum!
I made this many times as is always great. I decided to put another twist on this. Add ham and Swiss cheese to the inside of the thighs.. Different take on chicken cordon bleu. Try it you just may fall in love again
Oooh, that sounds amazing!!
I made this but I substituted Honey Dijon mustard dressing and it was great. I made no other changes, and the extra garlic helped. I live in Ecuador and there is a garlic pesto sauce that is excellent to use for a dish like this.
Can you use honey instead of the syrup? Same amount?
Yes, honey would work, just keep in mind that the flavor is quite different from maple syrup.
This is a great dish. Full of favor. My husband loved it. I didn’t have rosemary or thyme so I used poultry seasoning. Worked great and I’m trying to use it up. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe!! I made a big batch for my 2 favorite guys(my hubby & son)so they would have an easier time fending for themselves while I visit my family. Huge hit!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
To say these are tasty is an understatement! I’ve been on a roll this passed week using several of your recipes and they haven’t disappointed! I’ve tried other similar recipes using a Dijon sauce with chicken but this one takes the cake! Thanks again!
Oh my goddd this was INCREDIBLE. I didn’t know anything this easy could taste so good… I like my sauce on the sweeter side, so I added a bit extra syrup and it turned out perfectly. This is definitely going to become one of my regular weeknight dinners.