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.
The easy sauce is so full of flavor, it’s perfect to serve over rice or mashed potatoes. For more easy chicken recipes, see my Crispy Oven Fried Chicken or my Instant Pot Lemon 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 Honey Mustard Chicken? Definitely not in camp impossible to chew 😉
This Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon
- 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!
This is the perfect recipe to make when you want something really nice to eat… But without slaving over the stove for hours.
I’m a collector of easy meals like this one, ones I can throw together without thinking too much, but my family will thank me a thousand times over for feeding them something so delicious.
And by that I mean they’ll eat it without complaining, ha!
Some of my absolute go-to recipes are my Instant Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops, my Balsamic Glazed Caprese Chicken and my Baked Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon.
And this delicious Honey Mustard Chicken, of course!
How to Make this Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon:
Read on for the detailed steps, or scroll down for how to make this recipe with chicken thighs, our favorite side dishes, more tips to make this recipe foolproof and the printable recipe card.
► 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.
► 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 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).
► 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.
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.)
► 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!
P.S: For even more flavour on a special occasion, deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of dry white wine before adding the chicken stock – so good!!
Tips for Foolproof Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken:
To avoid a dinner ruined by dry chicken, I have some super easy tips for you to 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.)
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.
Cooking time will be around 15 minutes for medium chicken thighs. Be sure to check the internal temperature before serving.
What to Serve with Honey Mustard Chicken:
We love this recipe with all our favorite classic, comforting side dishes!
Starchy Sides
Vegetable Sides
- sautéed green beans
- roasted asparagus
- sautéed zucchini
- steamed greens
- steamed broccoli
Salad Sides
- tossed green salad with honey mustard salad dressing
- creamy cucumber salad
Any other sides you love with this chicken? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear!
More Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:
And if you liked these recipes, there’s plenty more to make dinnertime easier for you! Be sure to join my FREE recipe circle here to get easy recipes by email.
P.S: If you tried this recipe, why not leave me a comment below to let me know how you liked it? I LOVE interacting with you and hearing about your experience with my recipe. Also, by adding a comment and star rating you’re helping Savory Nothings grow and get even better for you!
Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!Recommended Equipment:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 boneless (skinless chicken breasts)
- 1 1/2 ounces smoked bacon (roughly chopped)
- 1 small yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Brown the Chicken: Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. 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.
- Sauté the Aromatics: Bring the pan back up to medium-high heat (do not drain or wipe the pan! That’s delicious flavor in there!) and add the bacon. Cook for a minute, then stir in the onion and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour the chicken broth into the pan and bring to a boil, scratching the browned bits off the bottom. Stir in both mustards and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the Chicken: Add both the rosemary sprigs and the chicken to the pan with the sauce and cover with a lid. Gently simmer for about 6-8 minutes (if you have very thick chicken pieces, it might take longer), turning the chicken once halfway through. Once the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, remove it from the pan onto a clean serving platter and cover.
- Finish the Sauce: Bring the sauce to a boil, then cook until reduced by 1/2. Remove the rosemary and stir in the honey. Serve over the chicken.
Nutrition
More recipe information:
I first shared this recipe on FoodFanatic as Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon Recipe.
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!
[email protected] 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!