Best Baked Chicken Thighs with Maple Dijon Mustard Sauce - so easy and so good! Your family will love this and rave about this recipe for days!
A perfect, easy recipe if you don't have much free time. These Chicken Thighs with Maple Dijon Sauce require only 5 ingredients, the whole dish takes only 10 minutes to prepare, and then about 40 minutes to bake (while you drink a cocktail or a glass of wine) - super easy, don't you think?! Easily double the recipe for a bigger baking pan. And you get some of the best baked chicken thighs you'll ever make!
To make maple dijon sauce, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup and rice vinegar:
Generously salt and pepper the chicken thighs and place them in the casserole dish:
Spoon the maple-dijon sauce over the chicken thighs:
Turn the chicken thighs over several times to make sure the sauce coats the chicken evenly.
Baked uncovered for 40 minutes until chicken is fully cooked (no longer pink in the center and registers 165 F on meat thermometer).
Best Baked Chicken Thighs with Maple Dijon Sauce
Ingredients
Maple Dijon Sauce:
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Chicken!
- 5 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450º F.
- IMPORTANT NOTE about what baking dish to use. Keep in mind that because the sauce has sugar and is cooked at a high temperature, it will tarnish your cooking pan. To prevent that, line your baking pan with foil or use a disposable aluminum baking pan.
- Mix together the Dijon mustard, maple syrup and rice vinegar.
- Salt and pepper the thighs, then place them in the baking dish - I used 2.5 quart oval casserole dish ( 13 inches * 9 inches *4 inches deep).
- Pour the maple-mustard mixture over the thighs, turning them a couple times to fully coat them.
- Place the baking dish with chicken thighs, uncovered, into the oven, and bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the chicken thighs with the sauce 2 or 3 times during the last 20 minutes of baking.
- Serve the chicken thighs immediately, on plates, topped with the remaining sauce from the baking dish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Can this be made with skinless chicken breasts ?
JoAnn, yes, you can make this with skinless chicken breasts. If they are bone-in breasts - follow the recipe as is. If they are boneless breasts - reduce baking times and boneless chicken breasts cook much faster than bone-in.
Yummy. Super easy and delicious! Winner winner
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the 5-stars! 🙂
Love this dish…t’s easy and delicious. I even gave my daughter-in-law this recipe and both she & my son rated it a ten!
I am so flattered by your comment! Thank you! 🙂
I made this tonight, but I used a bit less mustard and a bit more maple syrup, to equal 3/4 cup. We just love the maple taste- only real maple syrup! Unfortunately, I didn’t see the hint to line the pan, I see a lot of scrubbing in my immediate future! I used apple cider vinegar because that was what I had, and it was delicious! I do think using the smallest dish possible is a great idea, we had plenty of liquid to baste with. My compliments on a great dish!
Sue, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the comment!
This is a great recipe and so easy! For those who would like to skinny it up a bit ... I have made it with skinless boneless thighs and it works equally well. I typically trim away excess fat and roll them into a more compact shape.
As others have noted ... the baked sauce will adhere to your baking pan / dish like varnish and is hard as the devil to get off ... so I always make this with the dish lined with foiled or use a disposable aluminum baking pan and toss it when done (you will be glad you did).
Great suggestion! I’m making it tonight and will heed your advice.
Mindy, I agree - Bill provided great tips. I have updated the recipe accordingly.
A favorite in our kitchen. Yes to real maple syrup, I added fresh rosemary and cook in oven in cast iron skillet. Delicious!
We use cast iron as well. Delish. I think I'll try the rosemary...it doesn't compete for flavor?
I think rosemary would add wonderful flavor!
I have apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, red wine vinegar. Can any of those substitute for the rice vinegar? I can't see myself using it for anything but this.
Even though rice vinegar is called for I would think most any vinegar would work fine since we are talking about so little ... I think it's primarily serving to add a little acidity to cut the sweetness a bit When in doubt I opt for apple cider vinegar.
Excellent but layer pan with tinfoil if you use Pyrex
Coating will really bake in your dish
To make this Keto friendly, I used Mrs. Butterworh sugar free maple syrup.
My sauce burnt on the pan, and there was nothing left to baste. What did I do wrong?
Maybe your oven got too hot. Maybe try to bake the chicken thighs at 375 F or 400 F next time.
I've found that recipes such as these burn if everything is spread too far apart on a baking sheet. I have better luck if I use a baking dish like corningware or a dutch oven and things are closer together.