My former Applebee’s order in middle and high school: chicken tenders with a decent sized amount of honey mustard sauce for dipping. Give me all the tangy sweetness, please.
Not gonna lie, I’ve always been obsessed with all things mustard. I love dipping my carrots in dijon. Can’t have a sandwich without spicy or brown mustard…or any mustard really. I get weak for a good honey mustard pretzel combo. Can’t ever have a hot dog or corn dog without yellow mustard. The list goes on.
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite mustard uses: a honey mustard chicken marinade to make the BEST honey mustard chicken! You can grill or bake it, and the honey mustard marinade is great for a salmon, too.
Keys to a delicious chicken marinade
A great chicken marinade requires three key ingredients to make your chicken super juicy and flavorful:
- Fat from oil or even full fat yogurt or buttermilk
- Acid from vinegar or citrus fruit
- Plenty of seasonings like spices and fresh or dried herbs
This honey mustard marinade, of course, has all three, plus some sweetness to make it extra delicious.
Get all of my tips and tricks for making the perfect chicken marinade, plus ways to grill different parts of chicken here!
Honey mustard chicken ingredients
This easy grilled honey mustard chicken recipe has just 4 main ingredients that make the most delicious combo perfect for chicken. Options to make it a little spicy, too, because you know how I do. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Honey: for the delicious, sweet base of the honey mustard marinade.
- Dijon mustard: a little tangy whole grain mustard to pair with the honey.
- Olive oil: you’ll want a bit of olive oil to add moisture and coat the chicken completely.
- Garlic: fresh garlic brings out all of the flavors. Garlic powder would also work if you don’t have any fresh garlic!
- Salt & pepper: add plenty of salt and pepper for the perfect amount of seasoning.
- Optional: a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat. Or even a teaspoon of curry powder for something a little different!
- Chicken: this marinade will work for 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, wings or even drumsticks!
How to make the best honey mustard chicken marinade
- Add all of your marinade ingredients to a large bowl and stir well.
- Add your chicken and stir again to evenly coat the chicken.
- Cover and place the bowl with the chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes to one hour, or even longer for a more intense, flavorful marinade.
- Grill or bake your chicken however you’d like! We love grilling ours. See below for tips on grilling or baking your chicken!
Baked or grilled: you decide
- To bake: you’ll want to bake your marinated chicken on a parchment-lined pan or in a baking dish at 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until the internal temp reads 165 degrees F. Get all of my tips for baking perfect chicken here!
- To grill: as I mentioned, we love grilled honey mustard chicken! You’ll grill your chicken at 400 degrees F for about 6-8 minutes on each side. Check out this guide to grilling perfectly juicy chicken every time.
Can you freeze this chicken marinade?
Yes! If you’d like to save your chicken & marinade for later:
- To freeze: simply pour the honey mustard chicken marinade into a resealable, freezer-friendly bag, add your chicken, and freeze the entire bag for up to 3 months.
- To thaw: when you’re ready to cook it, simply thaw the chicken in the marinade overnight in the refrigerator and cook and bake however you’d like.
Ways to use honey mustard chicken + pairings
This delicious honey mustard chicken recipe can be used in tons of your favorite recipes:
- Make easy chicken kabobs
- Serve with my grilled garlic fingerling potatoes and a side salad
- Enjoy with delicious grilled veggies and rice or cauliflower rice
- Add it to a summery pasta salad recipe
- Top a beautiful, crunchy salad or serve it on the side
- Serve it with grilled sweet potato fries and an amazing, healthy coleslaw
- Throw it in a wrap with other veggies
I hope you love this honey mustard chicken — feel free to bake or grill it. If you make it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe — I really appreciate it! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast or chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard (I like the grainy dijon mustard!)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated
- Optional if you like a bit of heat: ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground salt and black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together honey, dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Add chicken and stir well to coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Grill or bake chicken however you’d like. Serves 4.
- To grill chicken: Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Once preheated, place your chicken on your grill, and close the lid. It’s important to keep the lid of your grill closed while your chicken is cooking so that no heat escapes. Cook your chicken on the grill for 6-8 minutes on one side. After 6-8 minutes open your grill lid and flip your chicken with tongs. A great tip is to only flip your chicken breast once so that it stays nice and juicy (and creates delicious grill marks!). Cook your chicken breast for 6-8 minutes more. Cook time will vary a bit depending on the size of your chicken and what type of cut, so be sure to check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken breast using a meat thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, your chicken is done and can be transferred to a clean plate or cutting board.Immediately cover chicken with foil to seal in the juices and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it. This will help you achieve that juicy, chicken breast you’re looking for!
- To bake your honey mustard chicken: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on July 7th, 2020, and republished on July 21st, 2022.
This recipe is delicious, it helps the chicken breasts to be nice and juicy (I baked mine) and is a good go-to when there’s not much energy in the tank. Next time I’m going to put more of that sauce on the chicken before it bakes so there’s more to scoop up over the meat when everything’s done!
Absolutely! Such a great back-pocket recipe for busy weeks 🙂 Great idea to make extra marinade, too!
I love this recipe!! Just had a baby and it’s my go to easy quick reliable meal! Pair it with quinoa and roasted veggies and you’re set.
YES this one’s perfect for meal prep!
Do you bake with or without marinade?
Hi! Remove the chicken from the marinade to bake the chicken.
Love this recipe 💛 it’s even better if you wanna inject your chicken for more flavor and juiciness in the meat. So tender, sweet and delicious.
Happy to hear you loved it!
Hello…I’m making this for dinner tonight! It looks amazing! Your photos kind of look like pork chops though…did you halve your chicken breasts or pound them out to flatten before baking/grilling? I’m thinking that will cut down on the cook time and make them more tender. I’m excited to try…and thanks for sharing!
Feel free to pound them to equal-sized if you’d like! My photographer takes these photos, so she likely just found equal-sized chicken breasts 🙂
I’ve made this many times both in the oven and on the grill, and it comes out fantastic each time! So easy and delicious.
So happy to hear that!
My family loved it! I added brown mustard about a table spoon and 1/4 teaspoon of paprika. Will definitely add to my rotation!
Thank you
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
I liked the simplicity of the recipe. It turned out ok. Now I’ll boost it like was suggested, with a bit more cayenne for added flavor!
Great quick work day recipe!
Perfect! This chicken is great for adding to lunches and dinners 🙂
such an annoying website, just post the recipe, not some boring story and pics.
Hi! The photos and “story” help answer any recipe questions that may come up, so that people can cook with confidence. Feel free to click the “jump to recipe” button at the top if you’d like to skip it.
My husband and I used this recipe for a few chicken breasts we were grilling tonight and it tasted fantastic! Highly recommend if you’re looking for an easy but delicious marinade for chicken. Will try on chicken thighs next!
So happy to hear that! One of my go-to’s for grilling 🙂
So easy and so good!! Such a great weeknight meal option. We served it with grilled vegetables.
Love that! Sounds like the perfect dinner.
This is the best honey mustard marinade I’ve found. I only eat honey mustard chicken when I make this recipe. It’s a go to for me! Monique gives great advice to cook your chicken so it comes out perfect each time. It also pairs excellently as she mentioned with the vegan Caesar pasta salad. 10/10!
YES love this one! So glad it’s a favorite 🙂
I have not made the recipe yet ..Iwil make it
have been making something similar to this for years. I have never used the garlic (I will this time) and and I do sprinkle in some curry powder to taste
Perfect!!
This was so delicious! I like to have salad for lunch with chicken so I immediately had to make this recipe. I used 1 tablespoon of hot honey in place of regular and a mix of regular Dijon and grainy Dijon. The flavor was wonderful! The heat from the hot honey did not come through after grilling, but the chicken was tender and very flavorful. I will definitely repeat the chicken this summer for a quick & easy dinner.
I marinated the chicken for three hours in the refrigerator and a Ziploc bag. I then grilled the breast on the barbecue and they came out juicy flavorful and delicious. Highly recommend this recipe.
Love that!!
Could I marinate it tge night before?
Yes!
Has anyone tried this in the air fryer?
So tasty!
Glad you enjoyed!
This is a great recipe. I have made it 3x now and I haven’t modified the recipe, a rarity for me. I already had a dark, grainy mustard from a German store and it works great.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
so easy to put together – used breast tenders and actually let sit in marinade overnight. baked in the oven. tasty! served with roasted baby potatoes and green beans. simple weeknight dinner
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Made this yesterday after receiving the recipe in the email newsletter. easy and a big hit! In addition to chicken I also had some thinly sliced pork chops. so marinated those as well and grilled, two thumbs up!
Love that! Our fav marinade for all types of protein.
Should I poke the chicken breasts all over with a fork before marinating and baking or will all the chicken juice leak out leaving the breasts dry?
I typically just marinate as is without poking holes – the marinade will still get into the chicken!
A hit! I spread this nice, thick marinate under the skin of the chicken breast where it flavored the meat.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Perfect base for lunch (in a salad or a wrap)! This recipe is always a hit at home !
Agreed! Glad you love it, too 🙂
I brine and grill boneless skinless chicken breasts every Friday and was looking for new ways to change up the flavors when I found this recipe. The comments are great, and it looks delicious. Here’s my question: what would you serve with this? I am guilty of serving the same things over and over again when I grill boneless skinless chicken breasts. Thank you for any suggestions!
Hi Carol – Here are a few recipes I recommend:
Chickpea Apple Broccoli Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
Cheddar Broccoli Cauli Gratin
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Very easy to make, and it tastes delicious. My teens and hubby loved it as well. I am making it for the second time now.
Amazing! Happy to hear you and the family are loving this dish and it turned out great for you!
Thank you for sharing such a versatile and flavor-packed recipe! I love the idea of using honey and dijon mustard as the key components of the marinade; it’s a combination that can’t be beaten. Your detailed instructions and tips make the process so much easier. Plus, the mention of optional spices like cayenne or curry powder caught my eye – it’s wonderful to have that flexibility for anyone wanting to add an extra kick or a different flavor profile. I can’t wait to try this out on my next BBQ session, and I can already tell that it’s going to be a hit! And the fact that it can be used not just for chicken but also salmon adds another layer of versatility. Thank you for sharing your passion for mustard in such a delicious way!
One of my all time fav chicken recipes!! I have grilled and baked the chicken before, and both times it was 100. I love using chicken thighs for this recipe. Thank you so much!
Of course! I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe and it turns out great for you!
Awesome recipe! Thank you!
Absolutely – glad you are enjoying this recipe 🙂
I have made this recipe at least 5 times and played with varying types of mustard and honeys (hot honey has been good for a kick!) and it has not once tasted bad. I love it so much and use it for meal prep all the time. Also, to not waste the marinade, I cut up veggies – sweet potato, onion, etc – and toss the leftover marinade in it before throwing them all in the oven. Thank you for such a fun and versatile recipe!
This is the absolute best chicken marinade recipe I’ve ever made! I’ve made it countless times now, it’s great for simple chicken breast by itself or for grilled chicken sandwiches. Absolutely recommend grilling these up, putting them in brioche buns with dijon and chipotle mayo, provolone (melted on top of the breasts on the grill), leafy lettuce, red onion, and avocado. Beautiful, healthy, and delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
You have some interesting points in this article. I would never have reviewed any of this if I hadn’t come across this.
Delicious chicken!! My husband loved it. We had it with baked potatoes and Caesar salad <3
I was wondering if you could provide baking instructions. Thanks!
They are above in the recipe!