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
Great recipe. Used 8 chicken thighs in the 8 x 8 dish. Looked just like the picture. Easy clean-up! Would cook it for 5 minutes less next time…and there will be a next time…
I just made this recipe for dinner. My hubby likes mustard and I wanted to try something new, so even though I dont like mustard, the reviews sounded so good I gave it a try. I followed the directions to the letter.. All I can say is… Dont screw with it. Dont change it up, jazz it up or think you can make it better, because you cant. It is perfect just as it is. HOLY YUM is this stuff good..
Thanks Janice!! Glad you all enjoyed it!!
I made the Holy Yum Chicken, wish it had a better name!, but it really is Yummy. I prepared exactly as you said, which rarely I do, and it was fabulous, I mean fantastic. How can something so easy be so good? Served with rice and blistered cherry tomatoes for a quick and easy dinner. I had rice in the freezer, always make a lot and freeze. I can’t wait to pass the recipe to my daughter. She is always looking for something quick and easy after coming home from work. By the way, I’m not a lover of mustard, that is I hate yellow, but Dijon is so different, must be the French. Well anyway it’s a real keeper. Did I mention my husband loved,loved it, that always helps! Thanks again for the recipe.
Glad you all liked it!!
This was really good. My husband asked me if I would please make it again. I didn’t change a thing.
Made this exactly as written and it was ok. I would not make it again though. I do like several of your other recipes but do not believe this holds up to the recipe name. And yes I do like mustard but that’s all I could taste.
Tonight I made with red wine vinegar and doubled the sauce. Served with noodles and asparagus.
I made this tonight with bone in chicken thighs. Made the sauce exactly as recipe calls for (except I used apple cider vinegar because it was all I had). It is super YUMMY!! My guy who thought it didn’t sound so good LOVED it! Thanks for the great recipe! I will make it again. Thanks!!!
Hi Julie,
My husband Rob and I LOVED your Holy yum Chicken!
Looking forward to more of your recipes.
Thanks, Lynn
Loved this so much….Thanks!!!!❤
Hi, I just some feedback: I found your preface of the recipe to be very annoying and a huge turn off. Your tone was very condescending and aggressive. Aaack! It really make me not even want to try this recipe. I’d recommend practicing your blogging and communication skills more before going live. The way it is now could be quite a detriment to reputation.
Hi, thanks for your opinion, however, if you ran a website like this with the same questions over and over and over and over again, you would have a disclaimer too. I’m not sure how else you would want me to write this. Smiley faces and flowers would make you happier? I’m sorry but I’m not that type of person.
Well, no smiley faces and flowers. Just simply explain and state the recipe. Speaking to people like they are incompetent children is not appealing. If people have questions and don’t like the recipe then so be it–it’s nothing to fuss about. I’d say just keep it simple, professional and still can add your own personal flare to a the blog and recipe, but no need for the constant exclamations and repetitive and inflexible instructions.
I mean, with all due respect, if you don’t like the way I write and the “inflexible instructions” then do whatever you please with this recipe and make it how you want to make it. I’m just simply trying to help people by being straight forward. Also, “simply explain and state the recipe” was exactly what I did in 2013 and if you actually scrolled back to through the first several pages of comments, you will have seen all the horrendous comments and the exact reason I ended up writing the disclaimer. You can take the disclaimer however tone you want and take it however you see but I personally don’t see it as talking down on people. To me, that is me being straight forward and helpful. Again, if you scroll back on comments, you will see readers who have praised this directness and you will also see people, like you, who don’t appreciate it. I’m sorry I can’t please everyone and make everyone happy with how I explain my recipes, but if you only put yourself in my shoes and try to run a website then you may be able to see my side a little bit at how attacks with people not following the recipe (and more) can get exhausting. The disclaimer was meant to be helpful to basically answer the most frequent questions I got on this recipe. Take it as you want.
Lol!
I can’t even believe this comment.
I think your tone was perfect and love your dry sense of humor.
Keep doing it your way!
It’s awesome.
…and love this recipe!
Thank you! :)