Honey Mustard Chicken stays juicy with savory glaze or seasoning—an easy anchor for dinner with simple sides.
Slow-Simmered Honey-Mustard Chicken for Easy Weeknight Comfort
A hands-off slow-cooker meal where browned chicken thighs and a honey-Dijon broth turn into a glossy, savory sauce that clings to tender vegetables.
This is the kind of dinner Ember Pot was built for: low fuss, big flavor. Bone-in or boneless chicken thighs stay juicy in the slow cooker while a mix of honey, Dijon and whole-grain mustard forms a sweet-tangy glaze—bright mustard seeds and a hit of garlic cut through the honey so each bite feels balanced rather than cloying. Browning the thighs briefly in olive oil before they go into the pot gives the finished dish a deeper, caramelized note and a beautiful golden color.
Carrots, celery, halved baby potatoes and yellow onion tuck around the chicken and slowly soak up the seasoned chicken broth, thyme and bay leaf, turning soft but not mushy after four hours. As everything simmers, the broth concentrates into a savory base that picks up the honey-mustard flavors and a little umami from the Worcestershire sauce, so spooning it over the chicken and veg makes every forkful glossy and comforting.
A small cornstarch slurry stirred into the cooking liquid at the end is an easy trick to turn that braising broth into a silky sauce that clings to meat and potatoes—no extra pan work required. This recipe is perfect for meal prep or a hands-off weeknight: it keeps well in the fridge, reheats beautifully, and serves equally well over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.
Cam Torres’s slow-simmer approach does the heavy lifting here: about 20 minutes of active prep, then roughly four hours in the slow cooker for six generous servings. Trim and pat the thighs dry, brown them briefly, and let the Ember Pot-style simmer do the rest—simple, comforting, and reliably satisfying.
Ingredients
How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken
- Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels; season both sides with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs 2–3 minutes per side until golden (they do not need to be cooked through); transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the sliced carrots, celery, halved baby potatoes and chopped onion to the slow cooker, tucking the vegetables around and under the chicken.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the chicken broth, honey, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
- Pour the honey‑mustard mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (or HIGH for 2.5–3 hours) until the chicken is tender and potatoes are fork‑tender.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf; transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred or slice into bite-sized pieces, then return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- If you prefer a thicker stew, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water to make a slurry, stir it into the slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH for 10–15 minutes until the broth has thickened slightly.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed, discard any thyme stems, then ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Recipe Card
Honey Mustard Chicken
Honey Mustard Chicken stays juicy with savory glaze or seasoning—an easy anchor for dinner with simple sides.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 4 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels; season both sides with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs 2–3 minutes per side until golden (they do not need to be cooked through); transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the sliced carrots, celery, halved baby potatoes and chopped onion to the slow cooker, tucking the vegetables around and under the chicken.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the chicken broth, honey, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
- Pour the honey‑mustard mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (or HIGH for 2.5–3 hours) until the chicken is tender and potatoes are fork‑tender.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf; transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred or slice into bite-sized pieces, then return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- If you prefer a thicker stew, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water to make a slurry, stir it into the slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH for 10–15 minutes until the broth has thickened slightly.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed, discard any thyme stems, then ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 47
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Sodium
- 750
- Fiber
- 5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 24
- Protein
- 36
- Fat
- 32
- Cholesterol
- 170
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 640
- Sugar
- 20