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Chicken/ Cream/ Hearty Dinners

Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs

June 24, 2019 (Last Updated: January 9, 2020) by Chris Collins

This Honey Mustard Chicken recipe is the perfect quick-fix dinner! Served in a creamy sauce and made in one pan, weeknight dinners don’t get better than this!

If you’re looking for a quick, easy and outrageously delicious dinner, then you’ve come to the right place. From pan to plate in under 30 minutes, this recipe is not going to disappoint! Follow me…

overhead shot of thighs and sauce in a skillet garnished with fresh thyme

One Pan Chicken Thighs

One of the first reasons why this is the perfect weeknight dinner is that you only need one pan. No extra dishes to marinate, no extra saucepan to make the sauce, just one pan. A 12″ non-stick pan to be exact.

The second reason is that we’re going to be using chicken thighs. The reason I love using chicken thighs for dishes like this, is that unlike chicken breast, you can get away with not marinating the chicken. Alongside the sauce being an explosion of flavour (which we’ll get to in just a sec), chicken thighs are much more flavoursome and tender than other cuts of chicken, meaning they don’t need a marinade to taste juicy and delicious.

The other reason is that chicken thighs tend to be incredibly cheap too. Which is perfect when you’re after a quiz fix, no fuss dinner.

Top Tip #1 – Use Chicken Thighs with the skin on and the bone in. Bone in meats tends to cook more evenly (as the bone heats the centre) and also tends to result in juicier meat. Plus, who doesn’t love crispy chicken skin!?
 
overhead shot of crispy chicken thighs in a skillet of creamy honey mustard sauce

Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce

Now, here’s where things get intense.

Honey and mustard is a combo we all know and love. But when you add shallots, garlic, pancetta, cream, stock and fresh thyme, the taste is amplified by x1000 (scientifically accurate). This sauce is actually very similar to my Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Cream Sauce, and also inspired by my Honey Mustard Sausage Tray Bake.

Top Tip #2 – Use a combination of Wholegrain and Dijon Mustard for added texture in the sauce and to mellow out the slightly acidic taste of the Dijon.

How to Make Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs (quick summary)

  1. Fry chicken skin side down until crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Flip, season again and fry until cooked through.
  3. Remove from pan (with excess fat) and fry pancetta until crispy.
  4. Add shallots, fry until soft, then add garlic and fry until it begins to brown.
  5. Pour in cream, chicken stock, honey, both mustards and stir to combine.
  6. Add thyme and simmer to reduce, stirring occasionally.

How to make creamy honey mustard chicken thighs - 6 step by step photos

If you can’t find Pancetta, feel free to sub Bacon – The Pancetta pairs beautifully with the chicken, adds texture to the sauce and balances out the sweet, sour and creaminess of the sauce. Bacon can do all of these things if that’s all you can get your hands on.

When it comes to what to serve with these chicken thighs, I have served with both mashed potato and rice; both work perfectly. For a garnish idea that’s easy on the eye, save a few thyme leaves and sprinkle over at the last second.

Can This Sauce Be Paired with Another Meat?

This sauce actually goes beautifully with pork. If you’re going to use Pork Chops, I recommend pan frying them and basting in butter and herbs, just as you would a steak. I go through this in a little more detail in my Honey Garlic Pork Chops.

Can I use Chicken Breast?

If you’re going to use chicken breast, I do recommend marinating in a little oil, lemon juice and herbs. Do check out my Chicken Avocado Pasta for the best/quickest way of doing this.

Hey, whilst you’re still here why not check out my other easy dinners?

One Pan and One Tray Dinners

golden spoon pouring sauce over chicken thigh in a skillet 


over shot of pouring creamy sauce over chicken thighs in a skillet

Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs

This Honey Mustard Chicken recipe is the perfect quick-fix dinner! Served in a creamy sauce and made in one pan, weeknight dinners don’t get better than this!
5 from 6 votes
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Servings (click & slide): 3
Course: Dinner / Main Course
Cuisine: One Pan
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Calories per serving: 562kcal
Cost per serving: £3 / $4

Equipment:

  • 12" Non Stick Pan
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Tongs
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients (check list):

  • 6 Chicken Thighs (bone in, skin on)
  • 3/4 cup / 180ml Chicken Stock
  • 1/2 cup / 125ml Heavy/Double Cream, at room temp
  • 3.5oz / 100g Pancetta (can sub bacon)
  • 2 Shallots, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
  • few sprigs of Fresh Thyme
  • Olive Oil, as needed
  • Salt & Black Pepper

Instructions:

  • Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place in chicken thighs skin side down and fry until crispy. Season with a heavy pinch of salt & pepper, then flip. Turn down to medium heat, season again, then fry until white through the centre. Remove from pan and pour out excess fat.
  • Add Pancetta and fry until it begins to brown. If there’s excess fat then drain (a couple of tsp left is fine) then add your shallots and fry until soft. Add garlic and fry for a minute or so longer, just until it catches colour.
  • Pour in chicken stock, cream, honey, both mustards and stir to combine. Add thyme and allow to simmer until it begins to thicken. Season to taste, then add chicken thighs back in the pan.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Chicken Thigh Cooking Time - Completely dependent on the size of your thighs, but for a medium sized thigh you're looking at 5-8minutes each side. Also, make sure they only just cooked through; they will carry on cooking as they rest and further when added back in the sauce. Just make sure the juices are running clear after the final cut.
b) Excess fat - Only use a small drizzle of oil to get the party started. As the skin cooks, the fat will render and start producing a lot of oil. Drain most of this away after they're cooked. The pancetta will also produce a lot of fat, but a little bit left in the pan is great for frying the shallots. It will also add a great deal of flavour to the sauce. A couple of tsp is fine.
c) Chicken Breast - If you want to sub chicken breast, I recommend butterflying 2 large breasts, to make 4 smaller breasts. You then want to marinate in a zip lock bag with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and 1/4 tsp garlic, thyme, oregano and salt. Just marinate for a minimum 30mins.
d) Pork - You can sub pork chops for this recipe. I recommend cooking them as you would a steak (bring to room temp, heavy seasoning, high heat, basting in butter and fresh thyme/rosemary, render the fat then leave to rest).
e) What to serve with these thighs - I have served with both rice and mashed potato. Both work great!
f) Calories - based on using 1 tsp olive oil, no sides and sharing between 3 people (2 thighs each)

Your Private Notes:

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 562 Calories from Fat 394
% Daily Value*
Fat 43.77g67%
Saturated Fat 15.06g75%
Trans Fat 0.155g
Polyunsaturated Fat 7.12g
Monounsaturated Fat 18.156g
Cholesterol 175mg58%
Sodium 447mg19%
Potassium 401mg11%
Fiber 0.8g3%
Sugar 13.03g14%
Protein 26.61g53%
Vitamin A 1000IU20%
Vitamin C 3.3mg4%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.
Tried this recipe?Show me how you got on by tagging @dontgobaconmyheart_ on IG and #dontgobaconmyheart
Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

If you loved this One Pan Honey Mustard Chicken then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!

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Recipe Rating




17 Comments

  • Reply
    May May
    July 23, 2023 at 8:58 am

    5 stars
    Delicious ! Loved it. I added some halved cherry tomatoes I had with the shallots. I didn’t have any bacon but I had some sliced salami which crisped nicely. I think next time I’ll add peas too! Thank you

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      July 24, 2023 at 10:49 am

      So great to hear this went down well. Love the subs! Thanks for the review 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Sue Ashton
    November 25, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    Can this be frozen?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 27, 2022 at 11:39 am

      I haven’t tried freezing this, but I can’t imagine it would freeze overly well as it’s a heavily cream-based dish. C.

  • Reply
    Jennifer
    May 3, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    5 stars
    The sauce paired nicely with steamed veggies. Done well

  • Reply
    Ann higgott
    June 12, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    Making this to nite can you add spinach to this rather then pancetta

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 12, 2020 at 8:44 pm

      I’ve never made this with spinach so unfortunately couldn’t say for sure! I find the pancetta (or bacon) really adds something to this dish, so recommend using it if you can 🙂

  • Reply
    boastfulfood
    June 24, 2019 at 11:26 pm

    I’ll pretend I didn’t see the calories on this one:) Just add wine and a nice crusty loaf of bread and I’m sold! Beautiful recipe, that last pic, so mouthwatering!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 25, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      Haha, yes! Never look at the calories

  • Reply
    Emily
    June 24, 2019 at 11:25 pm

    5 stars
    This chicken dinner really was quick and easy. Thanks for posting it!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 25, 2019 at 7:42 pm

      You’re so welcome!

  • Reply
    Cindy Gordon
    June 24, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    5 stars
    What a perfect comfort food meal! Honey mustard is a delicious combo!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 25, 2019 at 7:42 pm

      It sure is!

  • Reply
    Kelly Anthony
    June 24, 2019 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    You had me at from pan to plate in under 30 minutes. This creamy honey mustard chicken thighs will be perfect for busy weeknights.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 25, 2019 at 7:42 pm

      Thanks Kelly 🙂

  • Reply
    Mary Bostow
    June 24, 2019 at 9:40 pm

    5 stars
    Nothing is better then honey mustard and chicken! Five stars for this wonderful and easy recipe. This looks wonderful, thank you for sharing this

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 25, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      Thanks Mary!!

    5 KNOCKOUT

    DINNERS

    YOU'LL NEVER STOP MAKING!

    A FREE EMAIL SERIES, FROM ONE FOODIE TO ANOTHER