Honey mustard chicken thighs are super juicy with the sweet touch of honey mustard. Pan seared chicken thighs that are super easy and would be perfect for your weeknight dinners.
Recipe Highlights
- How do they taste: The chicken thighs are pan seared until golden for extra flavor then are covered in the honey mustard. A creamy sauce is made from scratch with a touch of Dijon and then using honey to taste to bring the recipe to the perfect sweetness.
- Skill level: It’s not only a quick recipe to make but it’s very easy. With a little experience with making a roux you’ll have no problem. Or, if it’s your first time this is a simple recipe to start by following the directions for the recipe.
- Storing: The honey mustard chicken thighs keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. But, you can also freeze the recipe and store them for later.
Ingredient tips
- Chicken thighs: I recommend bone-in, skin on chicken thighs because the skin soaks up the flavors in the sauce really well. Boneless chicken thighs can be used if that’s what you have on hand with no issues for that substitution.
- Honey mustard sauce: The sauce is made from scratch with only two ingredients: Dijon mustard and honey. There are a few herbs added with a touch of garlic to bring the flavors out perfectly.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme is used but dried herbs such as Italian seasoning, thyme and even rosemary are great substitutions. You’ll only need one stem of thyme because it’s simply an accent flavor to the honey mustard sauce.
Chef’s tips
- Season the chicken and the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. This is important because there are many factors that determine what will work perfectly for you. These are the main seasonings to avoid overpowering the honey mustard chicken thighs with other flavors that will clash with the sauce.
- Very lightly flour the chicken before seasoning. This helps the sauce stick to the chicken better and it’s very noticeable in the final result. It also helps with the browning of the chicken and thickening of the sauce. A very light coating is all you need. About one tablespoon or less for one pound of chicken is enough.
- After adding the chicken thighs to the pan, lower the heat. Then, occasionally move them around while simmering to keep the sauce from sticking.
How to make honey mustard chicken thighs
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
- Then, pan sear the chicken in a sauté pan with a little oil. When done, make the roux and add in chicken broth, honey and Dijon mustard until thickened.
- Next, add in the chicken thighs back in and continue to cook in the broth. After the chicken thighs are fully cooked remove them from the pan.
- Add in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long do chicken thighs take to cook on the stove?
This will vary from the size of the chicken thigh, but after browning the thighs should simmer about 15-20 minutes in the sauce on a low heat. Boneless chicken thighs cook much faster, they’ll need about 7-10 minutes if that much.
Can this recipe be baked?
No, due to the sauce these chicken thighs have to be pan seared. Here are some delicious baked chicken thigh recipes:
What is honey mustard made of?
Honey mustard is a simple sauce but the best honey mustard is much more than just honey and mustard. Normally, you’ll want something creamy such as mayonnaise or in the case of this recipe, cream. This reduces the strong taste of the mustard and allows the honey and the mustard to work together while being carried by a dietary fat that enhances the flavor.
Pan seared chicken thigh recipes to try next
- Sticky Asian
- Smothered
- Greek
- Honey Garlic Lemon Pepper
- Cream of mushroom
- Marry Me
- Honey Chipotle (personal favorite)
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Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4-5 chicken thighs
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 stem thyme
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, lightly sprinkle the chicken with flour. It doesn't need to be completed covered (1 tablespoon of flour should be enough), just sprinkles of flour over the two sides of the chicken.
- In a saute pan on medium high heat, add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil then sear the chicken until golden on both sides. When done, add in the chopped garlic. When the garlic has started to brown, add in the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Cook the flour for about 1 minutes until it starts brown a little. Now, pour in the chicken broth. Whisk the broth in the pan while scraping the bottom to get any stuck on bits. Once the broth has thicken and is simmering, lower the heat to low.
- Add in the mustard, honey, thyme and a little salt. You'll add more salt later if needed.
- Next, place the chicken back in. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce on low until fully cooked (about 15-20 minutes depending on size).
- When the chicken is done, remove the chicken. Now, whisk in the heavy cream and then taste for salt, add more salt if needed. Once the sauce is thick again turn the stove off, place the chicken back into the pan and allow to cool a bit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.