Juicy chicken smothered in a creamy honey mustard sauce – made even better with bacon! This Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon is exra juicy and has the best sauce – easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner, but elegant enough for company, too.
Easy Honey Mustard Chicken
Honey Mustard Chicken is such a classic! Well, maybe not a classic classic. But you know, everyone has their own way of making it.
One issue I have with recipes using chicken breast? They often turn out so dry. Unless you coat them in endless amounts of butter and cream, and even then you sometimes get a dry, almost-impossible-to-chew dinner. But this one here?
- is easy to make on busy weeknights
- only needs a handful of staple ingredients for super quick prep (and no fancy groceries needed!)
- can be made as healthy or as decadent as you like – add some cream for a richer sauce, use less bacon for a lower calorie meal…
- is low carb diet friendly: simply replace the honey with an equivalent amount of your favorite low carb sweetener and you’ll have a delicious low carb chicken dinner!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Mustard: I like using both whole grain and smooth Dijon mustard. Feel free to use only smooth if you don’t like the graininess.
- Honey: A mild, runny honey works best for this recipe. It should complement the dish, not overpower it.
- Oil: A mild vegetable oil works best, although olive oil can also be used.
- Chicken broth/wine: Either use ¾ cup chicken broth, or ½ cup white wine and ¼ cup chicken broth. I personally love it with wine, but I know it’s not everybody’s thing, so the recipe is perfectly delicious with just chicken broth, too.
- Rosemary: If you don’t keep fresh on hand, feel free to use ¼ teaspoon dried. Thyme can also be used in place of the rosemary – either 4 sprigs fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried.
How to make this recipe with chicken thighs
If you prefer using chicken thighs here, follow the recipe as written, making sure to sear them really well on the skin side until very crispy (about 8 minutes) and 5 more minutes on the other side.
Cooking time will be around 15 minutes for medium chicken thighs. Be sure to check the internal temperature before serving.
How to make Honey Mustard Chicken
This is a walk-through of the recipe with step photos. Skip to the printable recipe card at the bottom for exact times and temperatures.
► 1 Prep ingredients: With recipes like this one, I always like getting the prep work out of the way before I start cooking. So you’ll chop an onion, mince some garlic and chop up some smoked bacon now.
► 2 Brown chicken: Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on either side, then place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and brown well on each side (it doesn’t have to be cooked through yet, just nicely browned). Remove from the pan and cover on a plate.
sear chicken cover on plate
► 3 Cook the aromatics: Do not drain the pan here – there’s so much delicious flavor in there already! Add the bacon and cook until browned. Then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute, until starting to soften.
► 4 Deglaze the pan: Deglazing sounds fancy, but it just means you’ll pour some liquid into the pan. So add chicken broth (or white wine!) and bring it to a boil, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in both mustards (smooth and whole grain – but you can only use smooth too if you prefer).
sautéed onion/garlic/bacon deglazed and mustard added
► 5 Cook the chicken: Place the chicken back in the sauce, along with fresh rosemary sprigs. Cover the pan with a lid and gently simmer the chicken for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through – an internal temperature of 165°F is recommended for chicken.
before cooking chicken in sauce after cooking chicken in sauce
► 6 Finish sauce: Once the chicken is done, remove it to a plate and cover. Bring the sauce in the pan to a boil and simmer until it has your preferred consistency. Remove the rosemary sprigs and stir in the honey. You can also stir in a few tablespoons of cream for a richer sauce!
Recipe tips
To avoid a dinner ruined by dry chicken, I have some super easy tips for youto make the best, juiciest honey mustard coated chicken:
- Only sear the chicken at first, but don’t cook it through. This is to get the outside of the chicken nicely golden brown to add so much additional flavor to the sauce, but the chicken doesn’t dry out. Just set the browned chicken breasts aside on a plate and cover them with foil until you’ve got the sauce ready.
- Cook the seared chicken in the sauce with a lid on. The flavors of the sauce kind of infuse the chicken that way, it’s more a poaching and the meat doesn’t even stand a chance of drying out.
- Check the internal temperature of your chicken with a thermometer.Regular sized chicken breasts will be done in less than 10 minutes, but I will say that it can take up to 15 minutes for the chicken to reach a safe internal temperature IF you have very thick, large chicken breasts.
I love using a kitchen thermometer like this one to make sure my food is cooked to a safe temperature! (This is an affiliate link and I make a commission for purchases made after clicking through.)
Serving ideas
We love this recipe with all our favorite classic, comforting side dishes!
Starchy sides
- Mashed Potatoes
- Rice
- egg noodles
- Crusty Homemade French Bread
- Garlic Smashed Potatoes
- Roasted Baby Potatoes or Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Vegetable sides
Salad Sides
- tossed green salad with honey mustard salad dressing
- creamy cucumber salad
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ½ ounces thick-cut bacon diced
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
- salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons honey or more to taste
Instructions
- Brown chicken: Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Add chicken breasts and sear/brown well on each side (it doesn’t have to be cooked through yet, just nicely browned). Remove from skillet and cover on a plate.
- Sauté aromatics: Bring pan back up to medium-high heat (do not drain or wipe! That’s delicious flavor in there!) and add bacon. Cook for a minute, then stir in onion and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze pan: Pour chicken broth (OR white wine) into skillet and bring to a boil, scratching any browned bits off the bottom. Stir in both mustards and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook chicken: Add rosemary sprigs and seared chicken to skillet with sauce and cover with a lid. Gently simmer for about 6-10 minutes (exact time depends on size of chicken breasts), turning chicken once halfway through. Once internal temperature of chicken registers 165°F (74°C) at thickest part, remove chicken to a clean serving plate and cover.
- Finish sauce: Bring sauce to a boil, then cook until reduced by ½. Remove rosemary and stir in honey. Serve over chicken.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Mustard: I like using both whole grain and smooth Dijon mustard. Feel free to use only smooth if you don’t like the graininess.
- Honey: A mild, runny honey works best for this recipe. It should complement the dish, not overpower it.
- Oil: A mild vegetable oil works best, although olive oil can also be used.
- Chicken broth/wine: Either use ¾ cup chicken broth, or ½ cup white wine and ¼ cup chicken broth. I personally love it with wine, but I know it’s not everybody’s thing, so the recipe is perfectly delicious with just chicken broth, too.
- Rosemary: If you don’t keep fresh on hand, feel free to use ¼ teaspoon dried. Thyme can also be used in place of the rosemary – either 4 sprigs fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried.
Recipe tips
To avoid a dinner ruined by dry chicken, I have some super easy tips for youto make the best, juiciest honey mustard coated chicken:- Only sear the chicken at first, but don’t cook it through. This is to get the outside of the chicken nicely golden brown to add so much additional flavor to the sauce, but the chicken doesn’t dry out. Just set the browned chicken breasts aside on a plate and cover them with foil until you’ve got the sauce ready.
- Cook the seared chicken in the sauce with a lid on. The flavors of the sauce kind of infuse the chicken that way, it’s more a poaching and the meat doesn’t even stand a chance of drying out.
- Check the internal temperature of your chicken with a thermometer. Regular sized chicken breasts will be done in less than 10 minutes, but I will say that it can take up to 15 minutes for the chicken to reach a safe internal temperature (165°F or 74°C) IF you have very thick, large chicken breasts.
Nutrition
More recipe information
I first shared this recipe on 02/28/2018. Republished with new photos and better text on 04/01/2021. Shared on FoodFanatic as Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon Recipe.
Pam says
Can this dish be frozen ahead then cooked?
Pam says
I apologize. I see this question has already been answered. Thank you!
Nora says
I’m glad you found it, Pam!
Niki Gallo says
i find it problematic to have to scroll all over and waste previous time to locate the recipe. I’m presuming from your front page when it says go to recipe that the recipe will appear instead of very verbous info. Its not that I don’t appreciate it. But,I’m a good cook and only if necessary do I refer to video or detailed instructions. Your recipes are great and delicious and I use many of them. Just this one sore point.
Nora says
Hi Niki, first off: I do understand the sentiment, but unfortunately that’s the format that’s working for food blogs right now – to keep it from being annoying, I do try to stick to using only as many words as a recipe needs, and steer clear of personal stories.
Trust me, I wouldn’t mind being able to skip it, because it’s time consuming and at times cumbersome. Only taking a photo of the finished dish and only sharing the recipe card would save me a couple of hours for each recipe – and I share a lot of recipes, so I could save hours every day by only providing the finished result. But for the sake of serving every cook out there – including new and inexperienced cooks or cooks lacking confidence… I put my behind in gear and do an in-depth explanation for all of the recipes I share, because I believe in fully serving the needs of others through my work.
For experienced cooks like yourself, there is a “jump to recipe” button at the top of every single recipe. Just click it and the page will immediately scroll to the recipe card and you don’t need to waste any time to find the recipe. Hope this helps, and thank you for trusting in my recipes.
Klaudia C says
Great recipe! The bacon,mustard, honey sauce is also great drizzled on roasted veggies.
Allissa says
This was the most amazing chicken recipe I have ever made!!! And my kids loved it and that right there is an act of Congress
Veronica says
I made this tonight and OMG. It was fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, except that I salted and peppered my chicken before searing. I used three tablespoons of honey, but I will only use two next time. I served this over rice. 10/10 will make again.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Veronica!
Erin says
It was mouth watering good. My husband & I enjoyed it very much.
Shirley says
Great recipe, have cooked it a number of times now for family & friends, Very easy, and I have always followed the recipe without making any changes and every time it has turned out perfect.
ShyAnne says
This is one of my new favorite recipes!! So easy and healthy! I’ve sent this link and recommended it to so many of my friends! Thanks for sharing!!
Makenzie says
I may be alone here but what in the world does it mean to reduce the sauce by 1? How do I know when that is?
Nora Rusev says
Makenzie, so sorry about that! I recently changed the card for this recipe and this was a very unfortunate typo. Thanks for bringing it to my attention – I fixed it! It’s supposed to say “reduce by 1/2”, which means to simmer until it has thickened enough so only half of the original amount is left. Hope that helps!
Sandra says
I made this chicken tonight for dinner, but I added some fresh sage from my herb garden, some heavy cream, and to make it one pot I added a few baby potatoes, some carrots, a few asparagus spears just getting older in the fridge, it was sublime! No dried out chicken, and the gravy was so good, and best of all I made it Keto! Thank you for sharing your recipe! It will be on our rotation, for sure.
Leah says
It was delicious and easy
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Leah!
Liz says
Do you use boneless skinless chicken breasts?
Nora Rusev says
Liz, yes! That’s what I used.
Shirley says
Could this recipe be used for a whole chicken and marinade in the fridge the day before then cook all day in a slow cooker?
Nora Rusev says
Shirley, I have been thinking about this for a while, but I really don’t know. If you’re looking for a great crock pot chicken recipe, I have one here: Crockpot Whole Chicken – but it’s seasoned like a rotisserie chicken. Sorry I’m not of more help!
Andrea says
My family loved this recipe!
Nora says
I’m so glad they did, Andrea! Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate your time.
Jamie says
What does it pair well with?
Nora says
We love it with potatoes, especially with mashed potatoes! It’s also delicious with sweet potatoes. Vegetables like green beans or Brussels sprouts are great sides, too.
Carol says
Thank you for the recipe. I doubled it tonight for 8 people that I was hosting at my house. Everyone raved how good it was. Chicken was very moist. Perfect meal and will definitely made this again.
Nora says
I’m so glad to hear this, Carol. And thanks for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate your time.
cynthia says
can this recipe be made ahead and frozen?
Nora says
Hi Cynthia, I think it would definitely work, but I wouldn’t froze it cooked – the chicken would get very dry. Instead, I would just combine all ingredients for the sauce and place it in a large freezer bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook, defrost in the fridge standing upright overnight. Either simmer the chicken and sauce in a skillet with a lid until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160°F OR place in a slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW OR in an electric pressure cooker on high pressure for 8-10 minutes.
Cindy says
Is the bacon precooked before you add it?
Nora says
Hi Cindy, I used smoked bacon, but I didn’t pre-cook it otherwise. Hope that helps!
Jenny@dragonflyhomerecipes says
This chicken meal looks absolutely delicious! I appreciate the tips about browning the chicken breasts first–I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken, and I agree that chicken breast can sometimes be dry. Thank you for sharing!