Easy Dijon Chicken Thighs

Dijon Chicken Thighs are an easy and flavorful family dinner recipe! Bone-in chicken thighs are seasoned and seared until golden and crisp.  They’re transferred to the oven, brushed with a sweet and savory honey Dijon sauce, and roasted until cooked through. 

Instead of making the same boneless chicken thigh recipe, try this flavorful, tender, and juicy bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh dish! 

These Dijon Chicken Thighs are seared in a cast iron skillet for a few minutes to crisp up the skin, then transferred to the oven to finish cooking.  Searing the chicken thighs first, retains the juices and browns up the skin, resulting in maximum flavor!

My Dijon Mustard Chicken Thighs are cooked similarly to my Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast recipe and also my Whole Roasted Chicken recipe.  All three chicken recipes pair with just about any of my side dish recipes! 

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• Ingredients
• Equipment needed
• How to make Dijon Chicken Thighs
• Expert tips
• Sides to serve with
• More chicken recipes you'll love
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Ingredients

• Chicken thighs, bone-in, and skin-on: You need to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe. You cannot substitute boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
• Kosher salt, ground black pepper & garlic powder: These seasonings will be used to flavor your chicken thighs before frying them in the cast iron skillet.
• Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is used to lightly oil the cast iron skillet. Less is more! The chicken thighs will produce a lot of oil while cooking.
• Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard has a smooth and creamy texture, is slightly spicy, and has a little bit of tang. I would not substitute yellow mustard for Dijon mustard in this recipe.
• Honey: Honey is used in this chicken thigh recipe to balance out the spice and tang in the Dijon mustard. Honey adds a hint of sweetness and will glaze the chicken thighs. I would not substitute maple syrup or any granulated sweeteners for honey in this recipe.

Equipment needed

• Cast iron skillet: I use a non-enameled, 12-inch Lodge Cast Iron skillet. The larger the skillet the better, for this recipe. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, then any oven-safe skillet will work.
• Splatter screen: A splatter screen is optional, but having one will prevent a lot of the oil from popping up while you're searing the outside of the chicken.

How to make Dijon Chicken Thighs

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with Kosher salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder.

Step 2: Pour the olive oil into the skillet and heat over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side down. Brown the chicken skin over medium heat for 5 minutes. You will know the chicken is ready when the skin easily releases from the pan.  You will only sear the skin side of the chicken.

Do not overcrowd the pan. To prevent overcrowding, brown your chicken in multiple batches if necessary. 

Step 3: Flip the chicken thighs over and immediately transfer your skillet to the preheated oven. 

All of your chicken thighs should fit into your skillet after you have browned the skin. The chicken thighs shrink slightly during browning and they can be crowded into the pan once they are ready to go into the oven.

Step 4: Roast the thighs in the oven for 10 minutes.  While the chicken is roasting, make the honey Dijon sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, and salt.

Step 5: After 10 minutes, remove the chicken thighs from the oven and brush the honey Dijon sauce onto the tops of the chicken thighs. Return the chicken thighs to the oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes. 

The chicken thighs will cook in the oven for a total of 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove the Dijon thighs from the oven.  Use a digital meat thermometer to make sure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F.  Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Continue cooking the honey mustard chicken, if the chicken has not yet reached 165°F. 

Expert tips

• Pat the outside of the chicken dry with a paper towel before seasoning the chicken.  Liberally season all sides of the chicken for maximum flavor.
• You cannot substitute boneless and skinless chicken thighs into this recipe.  Boneless skinless chicken thighs do not get crispy like skin-on chicken thighs do.  
• This recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pan before browning the skin.  This is plenty, as the thighs are very fatty and will render fat as they cook.  
• Be aware that the thighs will produce A LOT of oil when you’re searing them on the stovetop.  This oil will most likely pop and splatter.  I highly suggest wearing an apron, long-sleeves or oven mitts and using a splatter screen.  
• I direct you to use medium heat when searing the chicken skin.  If your oil starts to get too hot, use your best judgment and reduce your heat when necessary.  

Sides to serve with

Chicken will pair with just about any side dish! Whether you're making vegetables, rice, potatoes, or pasta, chicken is the perfect main dish choice.

Vegetable side dishes: I really like to serve this chicken thigh recipe with Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms, Roasted Green Beans and Carrots, Roasted Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts and Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash.

Starch side dishes: I have the best recipes for Garlic Basmati Rice, Redskin Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potato Fries!

More chicken recipes you'll love

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