This Honey Mustard Chicken is a fantastic midweek meal that’s fast to whip up and tastes incredible! Made with chicken breast or chicken thigh simmered in a luscious honey mustard sauce, it’s really easy to make and a great base for adding your own touch.
I love doing homemade version of chicken simmer sauces you can purchase in jars, like the Everyday Chicken Curry sauce. Homemade is a gazillion times more delicious!
Honey Mustard Chicken
How many Aussies reading this remember this jingle from the 90’s??
? I feel like Chicken Tonight, like Chicken Tonight! ?
It was for an advert for a range of simmer sauces called “Chicken Tonight” sold in jars at supermarkets. They still sell them today. Everything from Honey Mustard to Korma, Creamy Mushroom to Cacciatore.
I have never in my life bought one, nor tried it (that I know). I do use some store bought pastes, like laksa and red curry. But I always “freshen them up”. It makes a world of difference.
But I’ve never used a store bought pour and simmer sauce. I don’t mean to come across as a food snob (hey – I’ve owned up to secretly doing the McDonald’s drive through!), it is just that my mother brain washed me as a kid. Blame her. (You can message her directly on her Japanese food blog, RecipeTin Japan!).
So my Honey Mustard Chicken is made from scratch. It might take 7 minutes longer to make than opening a jar. But it tastes 7 million times better! 🙂
The Honey Mustard sauce for the chicken is incredibly simple to make. The base ingredients are (this will come as a surprise…) honey and mustard which are mixed in with chicken broth and slightly thickened with flour or cornstarch / cornflour.
It tastes tangy, sweet and it’s creamy even though there is no cream in it. I don’t find the need to add cream, it’s rich enough as it is. And I also love the beautiful golden colour of the sauce which gets diluted if you add cream.
In all honesty, as long as you have honey and mustard plus some form of liquid stock, even bouillon cubes, you’ll be able to make a great Honey Mustard sauce that can be used not only for chicken, but also for other white meats including fish, turkey and pork.
I added a touch of thyme because the sauce is so lovely and creamy, I think it’s nice to add a touch of freshness from a herb. I’ve added some suggestions in the recipe for other herbs that I think go really well with this.
Sooooo…..who feels like chicken tonight?? 😉 – Nagi x
More recipes made using Honey Mustard Sauce
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken – baked until golden with a creamy honey mustard sauce and potatoes
Honey Mustard Drumsticks – tossed in a simple honey mustard sauce and baked until sticky
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing – fantastic used with leafy salads or more hearty salads like roasted potato salad
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Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
- 700 g / 1.4 lb chicken tenderloin or chicken breast cut into thick strips (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
Seasoning (optional – Note 2)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Thickener
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise (Note 3)
- 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour or 2 tsp flour
Sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth / stock (250ml)
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (70g)
- 1/4 cup honey (85g)
Optional Extras (I used these)
- 1 – 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard, adjust to taste
- 2 tsp sprigs thyme or 1/2 dried thyme (Note 4)
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with Seasoning if using.
- Thickener: In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and flour.
- Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove onto a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil in the middle of the skillet and put garlic straight onto the puddle of oil. Sauté for 20 seconds or until golden (don’t let it burn).
- Add chicken broth, bring to simmer, scraping the bottom of the fry pan.
- Whisk in Dijon Mustard and honey, then whisk in Thickener (make sure you scrape it all in).
- Add thyme and wholegrain mustard, if using.
- Cook for 1 – 2 minutes or until starting to thicken. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Return chicken and any juices pooled on the plate into the sauce. Turn to coat and reheat through – about 1 1/2 minutes – or until sauce is thickened to your taste.
- Serve on mashed potato, garnished with parsley, with a simple side salad.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Honey Mustard Chicken nutrition per serving, assuming all sauce is consumed.
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LIFE OF DOZER
Nose to tail measurement: 150 cm / 4.9 feet.
Yes I am taller. By a whole 5 cm / 2 inches.
Nagi I love your recipes. have tried several of them and honest think after getting on your website my love for cooking has been renewed. keep up the good week and keep those amazing recipes coming.
Thanks so much Lynette!
Nagi, I made this for the first time last night and it was exactly what I was craving!! The recipe is super easy and most families would have all the ingredients at home ready to make it. I’m so glad I didn’t resort to using premade sauce from the supermarket. Keep up the good work Nagi, we love making meals using your delicious recipes !!
I made this tonight for tea, but as I am a FODMAP restricted eater, replaced the honey with rice malt syrup. This was absolutely delicious. Now my hubby is expecting such high standard every night!!! OOoops. This was my once in a blue moon creativity flair
Nagi, I forgot to ask you a question regarding that wonderful dish, Honey Mustard Chicken You mention to try it with other proteins My husband and I would like to try it with Salmon. Would I cook it the same? For the sauce? Do I still use the chicken broth or fish broth? Thanks!
Bonnie from Markleeville, CA
Hi Bonnie! I would still use chicken broth even if using for salmon. I think it will suit the flavours of the sauce better than using fish broth. Hope you love it! PS Also thanks for the idea, I want to do a salmon recipe soon! N x
Hi Miss Nagi
This recipe is the bomb!! My husband and I love this recipe. Next time I will try this sauce for fish too! Cannot wait to serve with company. I haven’t had a recipe from you yet that we did not like. Your site is one of my favorite place to check out recipes.
I would highly recommend you to try this recipe people! And, I cracked up reading your story, about blaming your mom and you gave us her link in Japan. I was laughing out loud.
Give Dozer a hug and kiss from me
Thanks again Nagi. Peace to you and Dozer.
Bonnie from Markleeville, California
This meal is phenomenal! I used half the amount of honey (as I don’t have much of a sweet tooth) and it tastes incredible. Four lunches for the week sorted and one very happy gal 😄
I’m glad you enjoyed this Natalie! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
I just tried your Honey Mustard chicken and I love it so much. I did have to substitute the garlic powder with Italian seasoning cos I didn’t have any and I also skipped the last 3 optional ingredients. But it still taste great and the sauce was gorgeous!! Am telling my friends to go try make it.
That’s wonderful to hear Kristy! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this! N xx
Again 10/10 Nagi my umpteenth recipe i’ve tried from your site, i doubled up on this one to freeze some portions because of the confidence you instilled in me with your simple guidance, I held back on the potatoes because they dont freeze well. Made a simple white rice and froze it to go with that lovely sauce. Beautiful quick meal to reheat in micro please do more one pot meals you are a gem:)
Fantastic to hear Dee! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
So tasty and easy to make.
I had everything on hand and it just makes things so much easier.
I would make this recipe again and again.
It really was delicious and we had it with mash and broccoli.
The sauce was out of this world.
If you make it, you have to have it with mash potatoes.
The sauce and the mash is a match made in heaven.
Thank you again for another incredible recipe.
🙌🏻 PS You’ve been busy! 😂
Hi Nagi, can you please advise how to make this in slow cooker. I follow you from Sydney and absolutely refer to your blog for everything! Please make more slow cooker chicken recipes. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Marwa! I’m in Sydney too! Unfortunately this recipe isn’t suited to the slow cooker, it needs the caramelisation for both the chicken and sauce. I do hope you can try this on the stove, it’s SO GOOD! N x
I have not seen this site before and this recipe looks wonderful. I can’t wait to try it. My mouth is salivating!! What a great idea having the slider. Most of the time there’s only two of us…and sometimes I just make recipes for one, which are harder to find.
Thanks for the compliment Carol! N x
How can I double the quantities for more servings…. I don’t quite get the “slider” comment for this. Does this apply to all the recipes. Thanks Nagi…love your recipes…and love the notes.
HI Helen! If you put your cursor over the “4” next to Servings, then a slider bar should appear. Then you can slide it until the 4 becomes 8 servings (i.e. double the recipe), 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi!…thank you for that – well appreciated!
Just love your recipes – especially all the notes – so so helpful!
Helen
Do you think this would work in the oven if I reduced the amount of liquid? I thought maybe leaving the skin on so it browns a bit, tossing it in a less liquid sauce and baking for a while. I am fed up with cleaning messy stove tops!!
Hi Sue – yes, skip the cornstarch and reduce the chicken broth down to 1/2 cup 🙂 N x
Sorry about the repeat!! When I sent the first message it didn’t appear to go out!
If I reduced the liquid in the recipe do you think this would work in the oven? Maybe keep the skin on, toss it in a less liquid sauce and bake for a while?? I am so fed up with cleaning cooker tops!!
Hi Sue, been meaning to share a baked honey mustard chicken soon! But it won’t work with breast – just skin on thigh or skinless thigh if you really don’t like skin and bone. Skip the cornstarch, pour the mixture over the chicken into a pan and bake until golden and cooked through, the liquid should reduce down to a sauce. 🙂
Amazing recipe! Very very taty & much better then store bought! I’ve been wanting to make it from scratch for a while so I’m so glad I found it (by absolute chance… thought I had a packet of the sauce and I didn’t, so I looked to trusty google!)
Safe to say I won’t ever be going back to the jar/packet sauce version!
So glad I found your website there are already stacks of delicious recipes I want to try!
Thank you!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Florianne, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Finally! I have found a recipe site that uses real ingredients and not merely opening jars! I cook from scratch and cannot wait to make this fantabulous honey mustard chook! My passion is sauces – I work out the sauce first then add the rest to fit! And sometimes not to fit but I don’t follow rules! LOVE your site.
Gosh yes to no jars! I don’t even use salsas or taco mixes 🙂 I just can’t!! N xx
I am new to your site and am loving the e-mail recipe ideas. As I wanted a chicken recipe for our 54th Wedding Anniversary today I tried this one and we loved it! I actually used creme fraiche instead of mayo for the thickener as I thought mayo might be a bit rich, but actually I think it would have been better and shall use that next time. We only used half (being only 2 of us) and the remainder plus leftover asparagus served with it will go into a pasta bake tomorrow. Best wishes from a typical English summer, heatwave last week, cold and damp today! Although a cat household, we love Dozer!
That’s wonderful to hear Jane, thank you for letting me know! Congratulations on your 54th Wedding anniversary! N xx
Definitely a winner! I have made this so mgmt times now ands it’s amazing everytime and there is never any leftovers. All of my kids love this one, which is a rare thing! We try to be as addictive free as possible do it is great to find a recipe that is just as easy and even tastier thenstore blight stuff.
That’s so great to hear Louise! Thank you for letting me know – N xx ❤️
Whoops! Meant to post this under the one
Pot Greek lemon chicken and rice recipe! Can only blame baby brain 😣🙈
It’s a REAL THING!!!! My highly intelligent friends all turned to mush when they were pregnant!
Thanks for such a great recipe! made this several times now and it tastes amazing everytime. I love hire easy it is to make and iusually have these ingredients on hand. All three children heartily enjoyed this one. As it is difficult to find something they all like, this one is a keeper.
Fantastic! So pleased to hear that Louise, thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N xx
You’ve done it again Nagi……….Wondering yesterday what to do with chicken thighs for last night’s dinner????? There’s nowhere else I go for inspiration other than your website and gosh, what an amazing recipe this one is.
You’re right, it does taste like ‘chicken tonight’ but so much tastier and satisfying that you can make it yourself.
The sauce OMG, it’s to die for.
I did miss a step but that was after I had opened the wine….one for the pan, one for me!
Fortunately the thighs were big so we have leftovers for tonight’s dinner.
Thank you once again, it’s another fabulous recipe.
AWESOME! I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this one Barbara! Hope you have a great weekend – N x