This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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 pinned this a looooong time ago – it may have been one of my very first pins. Everything about it looked and sounded delicious to my eyeballs. Anyway, Mr. Man and two daughters, who arent big mustard fans, were the primary reason I hadn’t tried your recipe until today. When the hubby went out of town this week, I had the perfect excuse to fix a batch. Holy Yum. Yum yum yum! I followed your directions to the letter until the end. I ended up foregoing the cornstarch and poured the sauce into a small saucepan. I added a splash of white wine and cooked the sauce down until it thickened on its own. I will definitely be fixing this again. My family can fend for themselves on my Holy Yum Chicken night! Thank you!
I made this for company for the second time yesterday. Everybody loved it, even so I messed up: I didn’t properly read directions and mixed the corn starch directly into the mustard/syrup mix and baked it like that. It had me worried, but turned out fine, and the sauce was ready to go as soon as the chicken was done. Great Recipe!!!
I’m excited to try this tonight! Although I don’t have any fresh Rosemary (only ground), I have several Thyme bushes in my garden so I will try it out and let you know the results :)
OMG…YUMMY. I used 2 chicken breastfeeding and the same amount of sauce. I also added dry mustard and powdered ginger to recipe. I ended up adding the corn starch to sauce before putting in the oven. My oops made the sauce very think with crusty bits on the edges, which was tasty too. I would do this again, just use about a teaspoon of corn starch instead of the table. So glad I found this recipe. It will have its regular rotation on the menu. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I absolutely love that you dressed people down for criticizing recipes they did not follow. That behavior is rampant, and it is disrespectful to the provider of the recipe who tested it, many times over and over again in a conscientious manner. This recipe looks really good. You will not hear from me even of I try it, and it doesn’t work out. I always presume I prepared it wrong. Thank you for taking the time to share it.
Thanks Laura! Even if you try it and it doesn’t work out, I’d love to help you troubleshoot. I just get annoyed when people yell at me for something they might’ve done wrong like subbing an ingredient or whatever and it’s somehow my fault, haha
People are so annoying. Asking the same questions over and over again that you clearly addressed.
I also added some rosemary herb into the chicken as it baked. Mashed potatoes and kale salad with this yummy chicken recipe…excellent!
Wow…..so tasty! I used chicken sir fry strips and white wine vinegar…. awesome!!
I just made this recipe tonight and it was fabulous. It was so easy. My six year old helped me make the recipe so he could not wait to eat it. I will definitely make it again.
I made with turkey tenders sliced chicken thigh size. I used 2 lbs – I had to add a bit of cream to the sauce at the end so I had enough for everyone, it did not detract – DELICIOUS!!!!
My husband loves mustard. Especially Dijon. I’m not nuts about it. But he was having an especially bad day and I was feeling especially sympathetic, so when I stumbled on this recipe, I changed my mind about what I would do with the chicken thighs in the fridge tonight. “Holy Yum!!!!” is exactly right. Jon LOVED it and surprisingly, so did I. I followed your recipe to the letter (which I never do, but your Disclaimer scared me). Except, I drizzled some rice vinegar in the sauce after I thickened it. The dish was sooooo simple to make, I almost feel guilty (not really). I made a spinach salad and basmati rice to go with, and we drank some nice white wine. Bad day turned around. So, thanks, Julie. You get our woman of the day award!
PS: Nothing burned. There was plenty of sauce. The chicken was moist and tender, and the mustard was not overpowering (or I would have really not liked it).