Don’t hate me, but I’m not a huge fan of chicken. I’m a lover of the red meat, or the other white meat. So, when I do eat chicken, it better be hella good…like this stuff. You gotta love Honey Mustard Chicken thighs!! Aaannnd…you get to top it off with an amazing Creamy Mustard Sauce.
This all happened because of 3 wonderful things in the world colliding:
- We had a play date with great friends.
- I had chicken thighs in my fridge.
- Pinterest.
Honey and Mustard didn’t hurt the cause, either. I have since made two other honey mustard chicken recipes. Yup, I might be obsessed. Lucky you!
So, the playdate was great (as usual). (My) sweet baby Dean gets to harass love on her handsome 3 year old. It’s so cute! And fortunately, for me, they loved lunch. I get extra excited when kids approve of my cooking. Then you know it’s really good!
I served the chicken atop some fresh greens. This is the best way for me to make sure I am including them in my diet. At least one meal a day has a huge plate full of greens.
To brighten up my plate (and my palette), we whipped (and nae-nae’d)…just kidding…so sorry… Any who. We whipped up a quick Avocado, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad. It was topped with our favorite oil and vinegar, s & p and some fresh dill. Fresh to ‘def for sure. It was most tasty.
And then, I had to add my favorite side. Sweet Potatoes!!! My memaw taught me the trick of baking them whenever you have the oven on (for other meals). She then wraps them in foil and freezes them. I pretty much have a baked sweet potato at my disposal whenever I feel the need for it. You wouldn’t believe how much easier my life is now. Haha. But seriously. I was trying to figure out what other side to cook, and I hadn’t been to the store in almost a week. Then I remembered “Sweet Potatoes!!”, and I was saved. It didn’t take but just a minute to figure out what I wanted to do with them. Think…Sweet Potato Pie Mash. Yummo!!
For every 1/2 c of pre-baked sweet potato, you will add:
- 1 T pecan butter (heaping)
- 1 T date paste (heaping)
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- dash of salt
- dash of nutmeg
- dash of vanilla
- 6 chicken thighs
- ½ c organic dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
- ¼ c chicken broth
- 3 T raw honey
- 2 t fresh thyme
- 2 t refined coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Rub 3 T of dijon mustard on chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the remaining dijon mustard, honey, chicken broth, thyme, and s&p to taste.
- Prepare a skillet (oven proof) with the coconut oil over medium high heat. Place the chicken skin side down in the hot pan. Sear until browned (about 4 minutes), then flip and sear for another 2 minutes. (I like to do prep work for my Creamy Mustard Sauce during this time).
- Pour the honey mustard mixture over the chicken and place the skillet in the oven. Continue to cook for another 20-25 minutes or until it has reached an internal temperature of 175F.
- While the chicken is finishing in the oven, finish preparing the Creamy Mustard Sauce.
- Drizzle with the Creamy Mustard Sauce and enjoy!!
- 2 T bacon grease (or oil of choice)
- ½ medium yellow onion, chopped finely
- 1 shallot bulb, minced
- 2 T Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- ½ c white wine
- 1 c coconut cream
- 2 t fresh thyme
- 2 t organic dijon mustard (to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- Melt the bacon grease in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and shallots, and cook until tender. It should take about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes.
- Whisk constantly as you slowly pour in the white wine. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by about half.
- While it's reducing combine the coconut cream, thyme, mustard, and s&p.
- When the reduction is complete, you are then ready to slowly add the cream mixture to the pan. Make sure you whisk continuously.
- Simmer this for about 10-12 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Make sure to do a taste test and adjust seasonings.
Above all, I am grateful that I found this recipe that day. Without it, I’m sure the play date would have been a horrible failure.
This recipe inspiration is courtesy of Justine over at Cooking and Beer. Love the concept. She suggests a beer pairing with each entree that she posts. There are only a few adjustments that I had to do in order to make this recipe gluten free. The orginal recipe is located here.
Who are you going to impress with this recipe? Your new girlfriend who just so happens to be gluten free!? How sweet of you!
Leave a Reply