This Easy Honey Mustard Chicken recipe will become a favorite weeknight dinner in no time. What’s not to love about juicy baked chicken breast smothered in creamy honey mustard sauce, and sprinkled with shredded cheese and bacon bits?
Serve with rice, pasta, veggies, or a side salad for a simple and complete meal that everyone will love. And if you are looking for more baked chicken recipes, you can also try our Sheet Pan Chili Lime Chicken, Cornflake Chicken, or these Southwest Chicken Breasts.
Easy Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe
When I say this honey mustard chicken recipe couldn’t be easier, I mean it. It’s one of those perfect dump-and-bake recipes that takes essentially zero prep time. Serve as is for a quick and easy weeknight meal, or dress it up with roasted potatoes and your favorite veggies for a special occasion.
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Honey mustard sauce typically contains honey, dijon mustard, mayo, vinegar and basic spices. While you can feel free to make your own, I usually purchase the Honey Mustard sauce and spend some of that saved prep time making extra delicious homemade bacon bits, all while the chicken is in the oven!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can feel free to use chicken thighs, too.
- Honey Mustard Sauce – my favorite is Sweet Baby Rays Honey Mustard Sauce. You can find it in the BBQ sauce section of most grocery stores.
- Monterey Jack Cheese – It’s easiest to buy pre-shredded cheese, but you can shred your own. Pepperjack cheese would work great, too.
- Bacon – I like to use thick-cut for bacon bits, but any style will do.
- Green Onions – if anyone in your family is picky about onions, just keep these in a bowl on the side.
How to Make Easy Honey Mustard Chicken
- Tenderize the chicken breasts. Set the chicken breasts in a baking dish. Use the bottom of a mason jar or sturdy cup to “whack” the chicken breasts a few times on the thickest part of the breast to tenderize the chicken.
- Assemble. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the honey mustard sauce evenly over each chicken breast, then sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the mustard sauce.
- Bake. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees and the juices of the chicken run clear.
- Make the bacon bits. While the chicken is in the oven, slice bacon into 1/2″ strips. In a saucepan on medium high heat, add the bacon strips and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crispy. Scoop the bacon bits out of the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula, and drain on a paper towel until cool. Set aside.
- Let the chicken rest. When the chicken is done baking, remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes to let the juices evenly distribute.
- Serve. Sprinkle the thinly sliced green onions and bacon bits over the chicken, and Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Honey mustard chicken thighs. Make this recipe exactly the same, just substitute 2-3 thighs for each large chicken breast.
- Honey mustard chicken salad. This would make a delicious addition to just about any green salad, and a perfect use for any leftovers. Just cool the chicken breasts completely and dice or slice into bite-sized pieces. Serve on top of your salad, and enjoy!
- Honey mustard chicken tenders. If you or your kids prefer chicken tenders, you can either purchase them pre-cut, or cut full breasts into “tenders” sized pieces. To do so, simply slice your chicken breast lengthwise into about ½” strips.
Frequently Asked Questions
A glass baking dish, such as a Pyrex, works great. You will want to be sure that your chicken breasts are close together in the baking dish, but not so overly crowded that they are sitting on top of each other. It’s also a good idea to brush the bottom of your baking dish lightly with olive oil before you add in your chicken.
Another option is to line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper. Just be sure to watch those juices as you pull the tray out of the oven.
This all depends on the size of your chicken breasts, what else you are baking with the chicken, and the type and temperature of your oven. For a conventional oven, set to 350 degrees, a 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast by itself should take about 25-30 minutes to bake.
Your chicken breasts are done once they reach 165 degrees F at the thickest spot. Make sure your thermometer is away from any bones in order to get an accurate reading.
If you don’t want to make homemade bacon bits, you can use pre-made bacon. We love the ones from Costco in the big bag. To crisp up pre-made bacon bits, put a towel on a paper plate, add the bacon bits and heat for 30 seconds or so. You will be able to hear them sizzle just a bit. Add them to your baked chicken as usual. Boom, super easy bacon hack.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: if you want to make this ahead of time as a freezer meal, hold off on adding the bacon bits on the top. Cover and store it in a disposable baking dish or similar for up to 2 months. To thaw, just transfer to the fridge for about 24 hours. Bake as directed.
- To reheat: either microwave or reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2/3 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Mustard Sauce
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 3 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from its packaging, then pat dry with paper towels. Place it in a freezer bag, seal, and use the bottom of a mason jar or sturdy cup to "whack" them a few times on the thickest part of the breast to tenderize.
- Remove chicken from the bag, season with salt and pepper on both sides, and place in a baking dish. Spread the honey mustard sauce evenly over each chicken breast, then sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the mustard sauce.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees and the juices of the chicken run clear.
- While the chicken is in the oven, slice bacon into 1/2" strips. In a saucepan on medium high heat, add the bacon strips and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crispy. Scoop the bacon bits out of the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula, and drain on a paper towel until cool. Set aside.
- When the chicken is done baking, remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes to let the juices evenly distribute.
- Sprinkle the bacon bits and thinly sliced green onions over the chicken, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This Baked Honey Mustard Chicken recipe is likely to become your new favorite go-to chicken recipe. You will absolutely love this juicy baked chicken breast smothered in creamy honey mustard sauce, and sprinkled with shredded cheese and homemade bacon bits.
