Maple Dijon Mustard Chicken

This chicken recipe has been making the rounds on Pinterest recently, and I decided to give it a try and see what all the hype was about. We had it for dinner this week with roasted zucchini and baked potatoes, and it was a HUGE hit. My husband and children asked if we could add it to the weekly rotation. It’s a little strong on the mustard flavor, so you probably won’t like it if you dislike mustard, but if you DO like mustard, this is a great recipe. The sauce is rich and slightly sweet, and actually made an amazing sauce for the baked potatoes as well as the chicken. Using chicken thighs instead of chicken breast results in an incredibly moist piece of chicken (even if you overcook it like I did on accident). The recipe calls for fresh rosemary, but I didn’t have any on hand – I actually used dried thyme and tarragon instead (just sprinkled a bit on top after cooking), but I think fresh herbs would add a whole new dimension to the flavor, so I’m including the fresh herbs in the recipe rather than dried.

Maple Dijon Mustard Chicken Thighs

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/3 C dijon mustard
• 1/4 C real maple syrup
• 1 1/2 TBS rice vinegar
• 2 tsp chopped, fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9X13 inch pan with aluminum foil, and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan in a single layer. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, and rice vinegar. Pour evenly over the chicken. Turn chicken over to fully coat both sides with the sauce. Bake for 40 minutes until slightly browned and a meat thermometer reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken, baste chicken with the sauce halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.