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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
I’ve never made such an easy and fast recipe that tasted this good. I make this when I don’t feel like making dinner. So…. Kind of a lot! The simplicity of the putting together and the clean up make it even tastier. And the name is funny too. All the recipes I’ve tried so far are awesome! Very happy I came across it.
could I use white wine vinegar? I don’t have rice wine vinegar and don’t know that I want to go buy a bottle just for 1 recipe
I’ve replied to hundreds of comments in the past about this. White wine vinegar is fine :)
Can I use red wine vinegar? It’s all I have on hand. :/
Should work just fine.
This was amazing! Followed directions to a tee. It was perfect and OOOOH si tasty.
This was great! So glad I wandered on to this recipe. I followed it very closely using what I had on hand. I used bone-in thighs and legs as they were already thawing. I’m not a big fan of maple syrup but had a small bottle leftover from Christmas and this was a perfect use for it! Thanks for the tip on the 8×8 pan size and foil as I probably would have used a larger size and it would have burned. Used up the last dregs of my rice vinegar (1 Tbs) and next time will try 2 as I love both mustard and vinegar. Realized at the very end I was out of cornstarch so used Wondra and it was DELICIOUS! Small sprinkle of rosemary….Yum Yum Yum!
My sauce wasn’t thickening up so I transferred it to a bowl and microwaved it for 1 min (stirring after 30 sec then continuing for the final 30 sec) and it thickened up right away. Most starch, incl. corn starch, has to reach 95 degrees C to reach full functionality. I never seem to move quick enough when transferring the chicken to maintain that temp. The microwave works great, though. I work in a food lab and we often heat solutions in the microwave or a water bath if they are prone to scorching.
I appreciate what you were trying to do here. As a guy who likes to try new things this was just “ok”. Woke up with gall bladder pain due to the unhealthy nature of the dish.
this hands down has to be one of the most ridiculously idiotic comments of all time. Who the heck can feel a gall bladder pain? That’s like saying – man my pancreas hurts today. Absolutely absurd. Second – unhealthy? It’s just mustard, maple syrup and chicken… You knew that going in – what the heck is unhealthy about that?
Actually, Pam, one can have extreme, severe pain from the pancreas & the gallbladder. Often the treatment for such horrible pain is morphine. It probably wasn’t the dish, but an accumulation of fatty foods over a long time. Poor. Guy might discuss a Hyda scan of the gallbladder & have labs drawn. This pain is so severe some people used to die without treatment.
Forgot, I’m a retired RN. & have treated both of these illnesses, & experienced both of these myself with multiple organ failures after the flu.
I had gallbladder disease and had frequent “attacks.” You can absolutely feel gallbladder pain. I don’t necessarily agree that this recipe would have caused it, it was more likely carbs that were eaten with the chicken.
This string of comments is ridiculous. The fact that this guy has gallbladder issues has nothing to do with this chicken recipe so why is it part of the review/comments section?
If you don’t like a recipe that many others seem to love, why not just keep it to yourself?
This looks so good thanks for sharing!! and for you other folks. This blog isn’t WebMD!!! Move on!
This was delicious! I’m not a big mustard fan so I used brown sugar mustard instead. Came out awesome! We had leftovers and made a cranberry, walnut chicken salad with the remaining chicken! So yummy!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I used chicken breast because I usually think thighs taste too greasy, but followed Julie’s suggestion and only cooked for 25 minutes. It came out perfect. I will definitely make this again. So easy!
Very, very easy to make (perfect for busy weekdays) and decent taste! The taste is a little strong, but the tang definitely makes the dish. Unfortunately, the sauce didn’t thicken very much and remained very liquidy despite the addition of more cornstarch than the recipe calls for, but otherwise good recipe.
this looks fantastic!