For the entire month of September, I’ll be participating in the SNAP Challenge and attempting to eat on $4.50 per day. Read more here.
Whew. I meant to post this days ago, but this week has been out of control! More about that when I do my SNAP Challenge week one summary on Monday.
I loved the Soy Dijon Pork Tenderloin that I made ages ago and have wanted to use the same marinade for chicken for quite some time. Chicken thighs are cheap, so I figured that it might be a good cornerstone meal for the first week of my SNAP Challenge. The sweet-salty marinade was just as delicious as I remembered!
To add a little extra flavor, nutrients, and bulk, I cubed a sweet potato and layered that in the roasting dish before adding the chicken and the marinade. The sweet potato added a nice sweetness to the dish and definitely helped keep me full. That was a good decision. I also doubled the marinade to provide plenty of sauce to cook the potatoes in, plus drizzle over the rice and vegetables that I served on the side.
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Soy Dijon Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes
Servings 7 to 8 servingsIngredients
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard ($0.48)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.40)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 2 lbs chicken thighs- 8 pieces ($5.65)
- 1 medium sweet potato (1 lb.) ($1.43)
Instructions
- In a bowl, stir together the Dijon, soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar, minced garlic, and some freshly cracked pepper. Add the chicken thighs to a large zip top bag or shallow dish, and then pour the prepared marinade over top. Refrigerate the marinating chicken for at least 30 minutes (can be prepared in the morning and refrigerated all day).
- When you’re ready to cook, begin to preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and cube the sweet potato into 3/4 inch pieces. Lay the cubed sweet potato in the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay the chicken thighs over the sweet potatoes and pour all of the marinade over top.
- Cover the dish with foil and roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, removing the foil after the first 30 minutes. After baking, spoon some of the liquid from the bottom of the dish over the chicken and serve. Use the extra juices from the bottom of the dish to spoon over rice and vegetables.
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Step by Step Photos
Prepare the marinade by stirring together 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 cloves minced garlic, and some freshly cracked pepper.
I used about 2 lbs. of chicken thighs, which was eight pieces. Two of the pieces were pretty small, so I counted those as one serving, for a total of 7 servings for this dish. Depending on the size of the thighs, you might get about 8 servings.
Add the chicken thighs and prepared marinade to a zip top bag or a shallow dish. Refrigerate the chicken thighs as they marinate for at least 30 minutes. If preferred, you can mix up the marinade before work and let them marinate all day so it will be ready to cook when you get home.
When you’re ready to start dinner, begin to preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and cube one sweet potato (about 1 lb.) and lay the cubes in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cut the cubes into no larger than 3/4 inch pieces so that they cook through completely while in the oven.
Lay the marinated chicken thighs over the sweet potatoes and pour ALL of the marinade over top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil after the first 30 minutes to let the top brown.
After it bakes, spoon some of the yummy juices over top of the chicken.
Don’t let that delicious juice go to waste! I used mine to moisten and season the rice and vegetables that I served with the chicken. It’s SO good.
Stay tuned to see how I worked this into my SNAP Challenge meal plan!
I rarely cook meat but chicken thighs were marked way down at the grocery store tonight so I picked up a package. I baked it in 2 square baking dishes for about 2.75 lb chicken thighs + 1 large sweet potato + sauce as is in this recipe. The chicken cooked in about 45 minutes and tastes amazing. It is tender, juicy and flavorful. My sweet potatoes weren’t done quite as well as I would like so I think perhaps I should have cubed it smaller. I will definitely make this again. Made my house smell delicious and came together easily.
This has become a go to for super busy nights. When I know I’m going to be stuck at the office late, I prep all this the night before and put it in the fridge. Then all the hubby has to do is take it out, put it in the dish and put it in the oven. It’s always super yummy, but I use breasts instead of thighs because we prefer them :)
This was absolutely delicious. I even made this for someone who hates mustard in all of its forms and isn’t a big fan of sweet potatoes and he thought it was great. It was the perfect combination of tangy and slightly sweet, with a tad of a kick from the fresh pepper. Served this with your seasoned rice. YUM.
Do you think using chicken drumsticks would work with this or is it better to use the thighs because they have more meat on them?
Yes, thighs definitely have more meat. You could do a mix of the two if you want a couple drumsticks.
Thank you Beth! Just made this today with boneless chicken thighs and used coarse dijon instead–amazing!
So I did this in the crock pot and it worked really well, I just put everything in and came back 5 hrs later. I served it over Jasmine rice it was great.
I just made this recipe tonight! I’m a vegetarian, so I subbed in tofu for the chicken. It was perfect! The sauce is so completely luscious and my apartment smells amazing! I was drooling as it cooked. I recently had bariatric surgery and was just allowed to introduce soft foods back into my diet today — cooking this dish was a great way to celebrate! I used Splenda brown sugar to reduce the sugar content. I have a very small food budget and can always count on you to provide recipes and ideas that help stretch my dollars. I have made many of your recipes, but this is my first time commenting. :)
BETH YOU ARE A WIZARD. I never eat sweet potatoes. I hate sweet potatoes. Or do I? Because this is the second dish I’ve made from your site with them and this recipe is just as good as your sweet potato-churizo skillet. I love love love your blog. Thank you! You give hope to all 20-somethings with mediocre cooking skills.
Sweet potatoes are awesome! I hope I’ve changed your mind. ;)
I am making this for two people, would this cook okay in smaller portions in glass tupperware? Do you think I can freeze the leftovers in portions (cooked) to reheat later?
Thanks – can’t wait to try this out!
Yes, I think you can cut it in half and cook in a smaller dish. The cooking time might be shorter as well. Just keep an eye on it. I did freeze 1-2 portions of mine and enjoyed them reheated. :)
Made this exactly as written and it was delicious. The husband loved it too. Thanks for another great recipe!
Made this last night! My pack of thighs was a little over three pounds so I doubled the marinade and diced four small sweet potatoes instead of one medium. Served it with your seasoned rice but used 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp tony’s, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder instead of your thyme, etc.
It was great but very heavy and very rich!! I ate two thighs but will definitely stick to one next time :)
My husband said this was the best chicken he’d ever eaten! I used brown mustard instead of dijon since that’s what I had on hand. Turned out amazing.
Hi Beth,
Whenever I make one of your recipes, my husbands always says he wants to meet you and shake your hand. This was one of those recipes. My thighs were on the bigger side (~3lbs), so I had to add about 20 minutes to the cooking time. I also marinated them for a full 24hrs, which I think contributed to them be super moist and juicy. Delicious recipe and flavors!
Budget Bytes is my favorite go-to recipe site. I love your style, and thank you for posting lots of pictures with your recipes. I also dig that you’re a microbiologist. Keep up the good work.
– Joyce
I made this the other day with skin-on chicken thighs and a regular potato (because the two grocery stores I went to was out of sweet potato! :() — it was so good!!! I got a package of 6 chicken thighs (over 1 lb) and it was good for 3 meals for me. :D
It was a great way to add some flavour to some frozen vegetables I have to work my way through and the leftover juices are sooo good with brown rice. :) I can’t wait to try this with sweet potato in the future. I also loved how little prep work there is involved. I bought the chicken late one night, let it marinate in the fridge and made it quickly the next day with very little effort. :) I will make this again!
Can I evenly swap for boneless chicken breast? What kind of alterations should I make?
Breasts have a lot less fat than thighs, so it will definitely change the flavor and texture. I’m not sure how long the breasts will need to bake without having tried it (it will also depend on the size of the breasts).
I went ahead and made this with the chicken thighs for the first time. It came out flawless. I also made the seasoned rice and roasted balsamic broccoli. Probably the best thing i’ve eaten in a while haha.