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You have to try this yum yum chicken. Tender, juicy chicken thighs are smothered in a savory-sweet sauce starring Dijon mustard and real maple syrup. It’s so good that you’ll want to lick the plate when you’re done.
Hmmm let’s talk about this chicken for a minute. It has 100% become my go-to easy chicken dinner. Each succulent, juicy bite of tender chicken is dripping with a smooth, velvety, maple-Dijon sauce that is just loaded with flavor. The sweetness of the maple syrup combined with the savory, tangy nature of the dijon and a hint of acid from the rice vinegar is just an unbeatable combination. The flavors mix with the juices released from the chicken as it bakes, creating a masterpiece. Yum yum good!
This recipe requires only 5 minutes of prep time and is sure to please the whole family (unless they hate mustard haha). Change up your chicken routine tonight with this saucy, flavorful entree.
Why You’ll Love This Yum Yum Chicken Recipe
Ok. I’m going to be honest with you. You need to stop what you are doing right now and make this yum yum chicken. You will not be sorry. Here’s why.
- So easy. Whisk together a few ingredients, smother chicken in the mixture, cover, and bake. That’s pretty much it aside from whisking in a bit of cornstarch at the end to thicken the sauce. This is a foolproof chicken recipe that anyone can make.
- Simple ingredients. Aside from basic salt and pepper, this chicken dish only requires 6 easy-to-find ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.
- The yum[miest] sauce. Sweet, savory, and tangy all at the same time, the silky smooth maple-dijon sauce that smothers the chicken is unbeatable.
What Is Yum Yum Chicken?
The term “yum yum chicken” typically refers to a chicken smothered in a savory-sweet sauce and baked to perfection. There are lots of different variations when it comes to the sauce. Some have mayo, some involve the umami flavor of soy sauce, and the list goes on. Generally, though, the sauce has both sweet and savory elements to it. This maple dijon version is my favorite.
Recipe Ingredients
You won’t need anything fancy to make this delicious maple chicken. Here’s a list of ingredients for you. You’ll find exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Boneless, skinless, chicken thighs – Cut away and discard most of the fat. You can use bone-in chicken thighs instead. The cooking time will be the same. You can also choose to use boneless chicken breasts but you’ll need to reduce the cooking time to 25-30 minutes.
- Dijon mustard – Do not try to use a different kind of mustard here.
- Pure maple syrup – Please don’t use the fake stuff.
- Rice wine vinegar – You can use seasoned or unseasoned rice wine vinegar (also known as rice vinegar) here. Also, feel free to use regular white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or champagne vinegar if that’s all you have on hand.
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Cornstarch
- Fresh rosemary
How to Make This Chicken Dijon Recipe
Here’s a quick overview of how to make yum yum chicken. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 450 °F and line an 8×8″ baking pan with 2 layers of tin foil.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Assemble. Place the chicken in the prepared pan and cover it with sauce. Turn to coat the chicken thoroughly.
- Bake. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Rest. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate.
- Thicken the sauce. Whisk the cornstarch into the liquid in the pan.
- Serve. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with rosemary.
Tips for Success
Time to study up on what you can do to make the best yum yum chicken. Here are some expert tips and tricks for you.
- Use the right pan. If you use anything bigger than an 8×8-inch pan, the sauce will spread out over a larger surface area. This will cause the sauce to cook off, ending you with dry chicken and little to no sauce.
- Use 2 layers of foil. Double layering the foil insulates the sauce and the chicken, keeping it from burning in the high temperature.
- Do not discard the cooking liquid. It can be tempting to toss the baking dish into the sink to be washed after plating the chicken. Don’t do it. You need the cooking liquid to make the sauce.
- On cornstarch. It is important to whisk the cornstarch into the cooking liquid immediately after plating the chicken while the liquid is still piping hot. Otherwise, the cornstarch won’t work its thickening magic.
What to Serve with Maple Chicken
This chicken dish plays so well with a side or two. Here are some ideas to get you inspired.
- Crusty bread. Tear a hunk out of your favorite loaf (I have been loving this Garlic Bread Recipe) and use it to soak up all of that yummy sauce. This Rosemary Olive Oil Bread would be great too.
- Potatoes. These starchy root veggies are the perfect complement to this saucy dish. Serve yum yum chicken with these Parmesan Garlic Ranch Smashed Potatoes or my Butter Parsley Potatoes.
- Roasted veggies. The rich savory quality that roasting brings out in vegetables is the perfect accompaniment to this irresistible entree. Try my Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Parmesan Carrots, Crazy Roasted Cauliflower, or these Garlic Roasted Green Beans.
- Salad. Add a little greenery to the mix with this Nutty Spinach and Quinoa Salad or my Lightened Up Kale Caesar Salad.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator. Allow the chicken to cool completely before sealing in an airtight container with the sauce. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Once the chicken has cooled, seal it in a freezer-safe airtight container with the sauce and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the chicken to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
On the hunt for more delicious, satisfying, wonderfully simple chicken recipes? Here are a few of my other favorites.
- Chicken Francese
- Mississippi Chicken
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Moo Shu Chicken
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
- Garlic Butter Chicken
Yum Yum Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125 g) Dijon mustard , (no substitutes, PLEASE read notes below)
- ¼ cup (59 ml) pure maple syrup, (no substitutes. No Aunt Jemima, fake maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, seasoned or unseasoned
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds (907 g) boneless skinless, chicken thighs, (most of the fat cut and discarded)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 °F (232 °C). Line a 8×8" oven-proof pan with 2 layers of tin foil.
- In small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.1/2 cup (125 g) Dijon mustard , 1/4 cup (59 ml) pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it gets all coated.2 pounds (907 g) boneless skinless, chicken thighs
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Do NOT discard the liquid.
- Immediately after plating chicken, whisk in the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the liquid in the pan. You'll create a nice, thick sauce to drizzle over your chicken. You need to do cornstarch mixing immediately because the liquid needs to be hot in order for it to thicken properly. If it's still not thickening after 1 tablespoon, you can add a little more.1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Sprinkle rosemary on top before serving.2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Photographs by Eat Love Eat
Pure maple syrup and chicken? Not sure…. Convince me!
Give it a try and see how you like it.
I have a big family. Would you use a 9×13, double foil, to make a double batch of this? How long should I cook using breasts, still 25-30min?? I know you prefer the thigh…my husband is a selective eater, but I KNOW he’ll love the mustard and syrup.
Yes, a 9×13, double foiled pan would be great for this if you were to double it. If your chicken breasts are in a single layer, you could definitely do 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!
Julie! You kitchen goddess you! I tried this last night – and it was EPIC! My boyfriend actually asked for more after two chicken thighs, peas on the side AND a very generous helping of garlic mashed potatoes! This is definitely going into my menu rotation! And the homemade mustard worked like a charm! Just to add, Maple syrup is very expensive in South Africa, so I used organic honey, and it came out perfectly. Thank you so much!
I love your honesty. It is perfect for someone like me, who will always try to improvise when missing even the size of pan I need. I am very excited to try this and I love that I have all the ingredients on hand to make the dish. Thanks for posting this!
I’m glad you like my honesty, Lori! Some people think it’s too harsh and yelling. I’m totally not. I just want everyone to get it right and I’m excited that you’re going to try it :) enjoy!!
Hi Julie.
This looks sooo good, I really want to try it. Just one question though – I only have homemade mustard. Could that work? It’s slightly more tangy than Dijon. It’s made with mustard powder, brown vinegar, sugar and cornstarch. What do you think?
Hi Marle! Yes, that should be ok. Homemade mustard sounds delicious :)
Awesome! Thanks for the response! I’m torn between this or your Honey Soy Chicken for dinner. If you’re interested to try the mustard, I’d be happy to share the recipe. :)
Depends on if you’re going for an Asian flare or a tangy flare tonight ;) my vote is holy yum tonight and honey soy another night! I’d love to see that mustard recipe – I’ve never made homemade mustard before and I’m a mustard fiend!!
Okay, so here goes:
200 ml sugar
8 Tbsp Mustard powder (I use Colman’s Mustard Powder)
2.5 ml salt
10 ml cornflour
250 ml brown vinegar
4 eggs
1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Add eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly with each egg
3. Add vinegar slowly while whisking continuously
4. Transfer mixture into a double boiler and whisk continuously for 20 minutes until thick and smooth.
Cool and transfer into jar.
Let me know how it turned out if you try it. Good luck! :)
Thank you for sharing your recipe, I made this last Sunday night and when I was making my menu plan for this week I had to make it again tonight.
We followed your recipe exactly except we did the chicken breast substitute and 30 minutes at 450 was perfect! Thanks again for a new family favorite!
So glad you liked this recipe to make it again, Lisa! Thanks for the feedback!
This is our new favorite! I love it!! So easy and delicious! I follow your recipe exactly and it’s always wonderful. Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed this, Sherrie! It’s one of our favorites too! Thanks for the feedback!
I have not tried this recipe yet, but I have no doubt it will be good as I have a sauce very similar to it I have been making for a while that I use on salmon and it is out of this world. It too is made with Dijon mustard and Maple syrup, but it does not have the vinegar (which is a nice touch) and instead of rosemary, which it orig called for, I switched to dill. WOW what a difference. It woke up the flavors in the sauce. But, now since thighs are my favorite cut of the chicken, I will deffinately try your sauce next time I make them as I love those flavors already!
Sounds wonderful, Jennifer! I hope you enjoy this version as much as you do your salmon version that doesn’t have the vinegar! You’ll love it, I’m sure! Thanks for stopping by!!
Doubled the recipe for a family of four (we have some big eaters in our house) and was the perfect portion size. Was a big hit I am glad to say :) The only downside was because I used chicken breast instead of thigh, the meat was drier and not as juicy as I had hoped. But next time I will have to try heating the oven to 400 and baking it for 15-20 min. instead of 40. Thanks for sharing a simple, yet delicious recipe!
Glad you and your family enjoyed this! :)
I took your word for it and made it the other night. EXACTLY. It was just OK good…we kept waiting for a flavor explosion that would have elicited the name ‘Holy Yum’ and I fear it never came. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good, weeknight meal but I was expecting more oomph of some sort. I might try it again with some leeks or spices since I love both maple syrup and mustard but for me sadly just wasn’t enough.
Sorry you didn’t like it as much as we did, Virginia! Hope you find the “oomph” flavor you’re looking for next time! Leeks sound like a great addition!