Honey Mustard Chicken
Updated May 25, 2025
Quick Summary
This Honey Mustard Chicken is an easy, flavorful dinner recipe made with a simple homemade marinade of honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, and lemon. It’s perfect for grilling in the summer or baking in the oven year-round. Use chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders—whatever you have on hand. Juicy, tangy, and family-approved, it’s a versatile main dish that pairs well with any side!
Table of Contents
Easy Honey Mustard Chicken (Grilled or Baked!)
Looking for a quick and flavorful dinner idea? This Honey Mustard Chicken is a family favorite and a go-to recipe for busy weeknights or easy summer grilling. It’s made with a simple honey mustard marinade that’s sweet, tangy, and packed with flavor—perfect for chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders.
This recipe is incredibly easy to prep ahead. Just whisk up the marinade, coat the chicken, and let it rest in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. We love making this grilled honey mustard chicken during the summer because it keeps the kitchen cool and gives the chicken a delicious smoky flavor. No grill? No problem. You’ll find oven-baked honey mustard chicken instructions below too!
Whether you use the grill, stovetop grill pan, or your oven, this recipe delivers juicy, tender chicken every time. Serve it with your favorite sides—think roasted potatoes, a fresh salad or pasta salad, mac and cheese, or roasted vegetables—and dinner is done!
Tips for the Best Honey Mustard Chicken
- Marinate for maximum flavor: Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. The longer it soaks, the more flavorful and tender it becomes.
- Use your preferred cut: Chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders all work great. Thighs tend to be juicier and more forgiving on the grill, while breasts are lean and cook quickly.
- Grill over medium heat: This helps prevent the honey in the marinade from burning while still giving the chicken a nice char and caramelization.
- Save some sauce for serving: If you want extra sauce for drizzling or dipping, reserve a portion before adding the raw chicken to the marinade. Never reuse marinade that touched raw meat!
- Check internal temperature: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) for safe and juicy results.
- Let it rest: Rest the chicken for 5 minutes after cooking so the juices redistribute and stay locked in when you slice.
- Double the recipe: This chicken keeps well and is great for meal prep—add it to salads, wraps, or sandwiches throughout the week.
- Oven baking instructions: After marinating, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and place the chicken breasts inside. Discard the marinade left in the bag, then brush the tops of the chicken with reserved marinade. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on thickness, until the chicken is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Serve warm with your favorite sides.
Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup whole grain mustard
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Instructions
Making the Marinade:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reserve a ¼ cup of the marinade for brushing on the chicken.
Marinating the Chicken:
- Pour the marinade into a gallon Ziploc bag. Add the chicken breasts to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat until the chicken is well coated. Lay the bag flat on a large plate or baking sheet and place in the refrigerator. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
Grilling the Chicken:
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the bag and place on a clean plate. Discard the bag with the marinade.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of chicken. Flip and brush with reserved ¼ cup of marinade, not the marinade you discarded in the bag. Cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165°F.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or serving.
Notes
- After marinating the chicken, preheat your oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts in the prepared pan. Discard the marinade that’s in the bag.
- Brush the tops of the chicken with reserved marinade.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken) or until chicken is no longer pink and internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What if I don’t have a grill? No worries! You can use a grill pan or bake the chicken in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for 20–30 minutes, depending on thickness. Sear the chicken first if you want a golden crust, then bake with the sauce brushed on top.
- Can I use chicken thighs or tenders instead of breasts? Absolutely! Chicken thighs are juicier and great for grilling, while tenders cook faster and work well too. Adjust cooking times accordingly—thicker cuts take longer.
- How do I store leftovers? Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze cooked chicken for up to 2 months.
- Can I freeze the chicken and marinade together? Yes! For easy meal prep, place the chicken and marinade in a freezer-safe bag, remove excess air, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking.
- How do I prevent the sauce from burning on the grill? Because the marinade contains honey, brush it on the chicken only during the last few minutes of grilling to avoid burning the sugars.
More Chicken Recipes
Looking for more chicken recipes? Here are a couple of our favorite chicken dishes:
My husband and I made this tonight and absolutely loved the marinade and flavor it gave the chicken! We will definitely be making it again!
I am glad you enjoyed the honey mustard chicken. It’s a regular at our house too!
This kind of meal works with honey and orange juice. Both are good.
http://marmitafitcursos.com/
Awesome marinade! Used it last night on Pork Tenderloin. I love that this marinade was built of all things we had on-hand.
I am not a fan of the taste of mustard. Is the mustard taste noticeable in this recipe?
Just saw this recipe this morning and decided to try it because I had all of the ingredients. It was delicious (and I don’t like mustard)!
Oh good! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
This is a keeper!
I am so glad you loved the chicken! Thanks for letting us know.
What a good marinade, quick and easy too. Made a bowl using the chicken with fresh greens and grilled corn. Yum, thx
We grilled this chicken last night and it was delicious! I marinated it for about 2 hours and it had great flavor. We grilled extra to have on salads for lunch today. Thanks Maria!
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
This is so good! It is very easy and super flavorful. Everyone in my house loved it.
I marinated the chicken for 2 hours (due to time), and we grilled it – just perfect.
Instead of using the reserved marinade to baste during cooking, I warmed it and people used it to drizzle over the chicken and the rice we made as a side…yum!
Thank you!
Have you tried this on the Traeger grill? We just got a new one and this sounds like it would be delicious in the smoker, but could you give us any instructions?
Would this work in a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker, let me know if you try it.
So easy to make and very delicious. Can be grilled outside for easy clean up
Glad you loved the chicken!
Hi Maria
When using the oven method is the chicken covered when out in iven
You don’t have to cover it when cooking it in the oven.
This is DELICIOUS. Not only did my husband and I enjoy it, but my 2 year old gobbled it up! And it was so easy!! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
I am thrilled your family enjoyed the chicken! You are very welcome:)
Excellent marinade. Easy and full of flavor. My husband loverd it. Will make again soon.
This is so good I double it for leftovers! Definitely adding to our family meal rotation.
Looks good! Can I double the Dijon or use spicy mustard if I don’t have whole grain? Thanks!
Sure, that should be fine.
I don’t have two kinds of mustard, but have Dijon. Do you recommend I double the Dijon or just cut out the other mustard altogether?
My entire family loved this recipe, even my super picky daughter. This is a keeper!
Oh, good! I am glad it was a hit with the entire family.
This is delicious. We actually cooked it in the skillet instead of the oven. Grilling the chicken would also be delicious! We had homemade Mac and cheese and cream corn for sides- yum!
Hi
Can this reciepe be used for bone-in chicken thighs.
Yes!
EXCELLENT! I used honey spiced with chiles as we like things spicy. Next time I will double the sauce.
Think these would work on kebabs?
Yes, you could cut the chicken into chunks and thread on skewers. Enjoy!
This was a huge hit with everybody! Extremely flavorful, but not overpowering – absolutely delicious. Will definitely be added to our regular grilling rotation. Thank you for sharing
Marie, thanks for this delicious and easy recipe. It’s a snap to prepare the marinade and grilling is quick and easy. I let my chicken marinate for about three hours and it was very flavorful.
Sorry for the typo – I know your name is Maria!!!!
Delicious! This has been added to our rotation!
I made this honey mustard chicken last night and my husband grilled it. Oh my gosh, it was SO good. I marinated the chicken for half a day and used Bell & Evans chicken. The flavors were amazing. It is definitely dinner party quality!!
This looks so good & an easy weeknight meal in the summer. Unfortunately, I don’t like mustard. Does it taste “mustard-y” once grilled?
Made this chicken and it was delicious! The chicken was so moist and tender. We even had leftovers that weren’t dried out.
Will make again for sure
Yay! It is such a great chicken recipe.
Can you just use Dijon if you don’t have whole grain mustard?
Sure, the flavor will be a little different.
This recipe is a winner! Quick & easy and packed full of flavor! This is one I’ll go to again & again! I made it exactly as the directions called for. For those asking if it’s too “mustardy” my answer is no the flavors blend beautifully but if you really dislike mustard that much, you may want to substitute spicy brown mustard for the whole grain.
I am glad you enjoyed the chicken.
I’ll add this to your review: I’m not a big fan of mustard and never put plain mustard on food, but I love this!
Glad you loved it!
Can I use my crockpot for this recipe?
I made this recipe for the first time for my family and it was a big hit!!!!! Definitely a keeper thank you
You are welcome!
I baked this in the oven and it was delicious! I also spooned some of the extra on the potatoes and brussel sprouts I served with it. Easy effort for a decent payoff. Definitely will make again.
Hi Maddie!
Did you still marinate it prior to putting it in the oven?
Thank you!
This is an awesome recipe! Chicken is tender & very flavorful. I did skin bone in thighs. 475 for 30 and than 425 for 45.
Just wonderful to start summer with this recipe!
It’s a winner!
This is a favorite from when you first posted it. My go-to recipe when I’m making chicken on the grill!
I am glad you love the recipe.
Delicious perfection
Can you marinate it the night before if you’re fixing if for an early lunch the next day or would that be too long?
That is fine!
Super yummy! Made the marinade in advance and then cooked it super quick when I was ready. I saved some to serve with veggies and used the other half to make sandwiches with. Will definitely make again!
Glad you loved the chicken!