Easy Crispy Baked Chicken with Delicious Maple Mustard Sauce
One of our family’s favorite dishes, this crispy baked chicken with maple mustard sauce is so delicious it’s asked for birthday dinners! Made with just six simple ingredients, this easy recipe will become a must-have in your dinner rotation. Experience the perfect blend of sweet maple and tangy mustard flavors, from both dry and prepared mustard, that create a mouth watering dish all your friends and family will love!
✩ What readers are saying…
“Five Stars!!! Made this two nights ago as listed except I used panko instead of regular breadcrumbs…There is such good flavor in this: mustard-y but not too and the ratio of maple syrup to mustard is perfect…Great recipe that is also very easy to make! I have a number of mustard chicken recipes, but this is now my favorite! We’ll keep this in our regular rotation.” -Norma
If I were to ask my family to vote, this recipe for mustardy baked chicken would probably be their #1 chicken recipe – they all love it. It’s also a good option for entertaining as well as regular weekday menus, since it’s basically a “mix-coat-bake and serve” type of recipe (like real food “shake and bake” chicken!).
Well, and the fact that everyone I’ve served it to loves it, not just my family!
The great thing about baked chicken recipes is that most of the cooking is hands-off. So while the chicken is baking you can make the rest of the meal (I’ve got some side dish ideas for you below) and whip up the two-ingredient maple mustard sauce that pretty much makes the dish.
Is baked chicken healthy?
According to most nutritionists, chicken is healthiest when it’s either baked or stir fried. And this specific chicken with its crispy crumb coating will remind you of fried chicken without any of the added fat.
In addition, it uses only a few easy to find, real food pantry ingredients.
One of my favorite things are simple, healthy recipes made amazing with just a few great ingredients – and this recipe is definitely that!
I found the original recipe years ago in a newspaper and I adapted it to our tastes, to be easier to make, and as a way to use our homemade breadcrumbs.
Ingredients Needed
This is basically a crispy-coated baked chicken, but the twist here is LOTS of mustard – both dry and Dijon. The mustard is never overwhelming, though, probably because the mustard flavors are layered, which what makes this chicken taste so amazing.
In addition to the chicken and some salt, you’ll need these five ingredients:
- Breadcrumbs: I like to use homemade breadcrumbs, but I’ve also used panko crumbs which does result in a sightlier crunchier crust.
- Dry mustard
- Dijon mustard
- Pure maple syrup
- Olive oil
When you see the amounts of mustard called for in the recipe you may think it’s too much, but trust me – don’t be afraid to make it as written! Between the layers and the cooking, it all mellows into some of the best chicken you’ll ever eat – you won’t be disappointed.
What kind of chicken pieces work best in this recipe?
Our family prefers dark meat, so I mostly make this recipe with thighs and sometimes drumsticks. I think the extra fat in dark meat really helps the coating to crisp up and give a mouth feel like fried chicken.
That said, I have made it with a whole chicken, cutting up the pieces into thighs, legs, and breasts (if you want to know how to cut a whole chicken, I have a tutorial here). I especially do this when serving to guests, since I know many people prefer breast meat.
Breasts do work great, though they should just be pulled out of the oven about 10 minutes sooner than the dark meat to avoid drying out.
Let’s Make Crispy Mustard Baked Chicken
To make this baked chicken, you take three steps to layer the flavor:
- Step 1: Marinate the pieces in a mustardy brine for about an hour.
- Step 2: Toss bread crumbs with dry mustard and then roll the chicken pieces in the mixture. Bake on a rack placed in a sheet pan.
- Step 3: Serve the chicken with a mustard-maple pouring sauce.
It’s All About The Sauce
What puts this chicken over the top, I think, is the amazing maple mustard sauce served with it. And that’s all the sauce is – pure maple syrup and Dijon mustard. Sometimes the simplest ingredients create the best flavors!
TIP: I don’t pour the sauce on the chicken before serving, but let each person add it to their chicken when putting it on their plate. That way the crust will stay crispy until just before the first bite and they can take just what they want.
Storage
If you have any leftovers, go ahead and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken. The crust won’t stay crisp in the fridge anyway and this gives the sauce a chance penetrate all the coating making for a different, but still delicious, lunch the next day (we may or may not fight over the leftovers…).
What to serve with Crispy Mustard Baked Chicken
- Grandma’s Baked Tasty Rice (I go ahead and bake this at the higher temperature the chicken needs, just checking it and pulling it out earlier than the recipe states.)
- Sour Cream Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Amazing Garlic Green Beans
- Classic Caesar Salad
- Orange Almond Salad
- And if it’s a birthday dinner, serve this giant skillet birthday cookie for dessert or maybe these chocolate chip cookie cups filled with ice cream!
This is such a special recipe to our family, I’m pretty sure you are going to thank me for this – and please leave a review and rating so I can know how you liked it!
Want to save this?
Enter your email below and you’ll get it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get easy new recipes, gardening tips & more every week!
Easy Crispy Baked Chicken with Delicious Maple Mustard Sauce
Equipment
- large sheet pan with rack
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
- 4 tablespoons dry mustard, divided
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
- 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 8 to 10 bone-in skin-on chicken pieces*
- 1 ½ cups bread crumbs, homemade or panko
- spray olive oil or other natural oil in a spray form
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and fit a rack on a large sheet pan (I use an 11×17" pan).
Make Marinade:
- In a large gallon-sized baggie or bowl, mix together the olive oil, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons dry mustard, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and the salt.
- Add the chicken pieces, seal and turn over to coat the chicken. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.**
Make Coating & Bake:
- Combine the bread crumbs and remaining 2 tablespoons dry mustard in a shallow bowl, pie tin, or gallon baggie.
- Remove each piece of chicken, letting marinade drain off a bit, and roll in the prepared crumbs, making sure they are evenly coated. Place chicken on the prepared rack and repeat with remaining pieces.
- When all pieces are coated, spoon any remaining coating on top of the chicken pieces and the spray lightly with olive oil or other spray oil.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until juices run clear.
Make Maple Mustard Sauce:
- While chicken is baking, mix the remaining 3 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Serve alongside chicken to pour over each piece.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Chicken Recipes To Try
- Soy Sriracha Marinated Chicken (to grill or bake)
- Rotisserie Style Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken
- One Dish Spiced Lemon Skillet Chicken with Kale and Garbanzo Beans
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in 2009.
This sounds SOOOOOO wonderful!!!!! Thank you for sharing it – I just printed it out!!! Mary S.
I hope you like this as much as we do, Mary!
Even though I used the rack on the cookie sheet, the bottoms of the chicken thighs I used were still mushy….why is that do you think?
I don’t know, Sarah – maybe cook them on the lowest oven rack next time? If the tops don’t get brown enough, you can always broil for a few minutes to brown.
Hello! :). It’s me again; just wanted to ask what do you suggest to serve with this? Also asking for a dessert suggestion? :). Thank you!
Hi, Jan! I think you will love this, it’s one of our favorites, though I need to update it with a better photo. We usually serve rice, a warm vegetable and a salad with this. Roasted potatoes would also be good in place of rice. Oh man, dessert? Anything!! Though I usually pick something chocolate (unless it’s lemon…or berry..or, oh whatever!). 🙂
Thank you!!! 😀