There are many chicken thigh recipes out there but none are like this honey mustard chicken thigh recipe. There is a perfect balance between the tartness of red wine vinegar and the sweetness of honey. The spicy brown mustard, instead of the usual Dijon or yellow mustard, adds a nice hint of spiciness without introducing a strong mustard flavor. Fresh garlic, once cooked, adds rich deep savory flavor to the dish. I’ve made this dish by smothering chicken thighs with honey mustard sauce and baking immediately, and I’ve also let the chicken marinate in the honey mustard sauce overnight. Both dishes hit you with a big flavor, but the marinated one is just more tender and more flavorful inside out. If you can, definitely marinate your chicken thighs.
Can I substitute chicken thighs in this recipe?
Chicken thighs and legs are perfect for this recipe – dark meat handles heat much better and is practically impossible to mess up. Dark meat is also juicier and more flavorful. I recommend roasting chicken legs and thighs to 185F internal temperature for that desirable fall-off-the-bone texture and ultimate tenderness. That said, chicken breasts are incredibly good in this recipe as well. One thing to remember is to cook them at a lower temperature and pull them out as soon as the internal temperature reaches 160F. If you do that, you will get tender and juicy meat, that, coupled with the delicious honey mustard sauce, is like heaven in your mouth.
Skin-on vs. skinless thighs
A common dilemma is whether to use skin-on, bone-in or skinless, boneless chicken in this recipe. I’ve tried both and both worked really well. However, if you have no preference, go with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Skin adds extra flavor to chicken, while both skin and bones protect chicken meat from drying out and help keeping it moist during cooking.
Looking for more great chicken thigh recipes? Check these out:
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs Extra Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs Baked Mojo Chicken Thighs Killer Marinated Chicken Thighs
This post was updated on September 26 2018
