Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs

I’m trying to get as much mileage as I can from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger before it’s due back at the library so I’ve been tagging all sorts of recipes throughout the book. This is one we tried late last week for an easy dinner. I wouldn’t call it a “quick” recipe because the baking time is 45-50 minutes but it takes less than 5 minutes to prep the chicken and get it in the oven so it’s still a good weeknight option for us. The only change I made to the recipe was to use Dijon mustard because we didn’t have a grainy mustard in the fridge. The mustard mixture forms a crust on the chicken as it bakes, and it adds a ton of flavor considering it has so few ingredients. We both enjoyed the tangy mustard combined with the sweet maple syrup and I know this recipe will go into our dinner rotation! That said, it doesn’t photograph terribly well so don’t hold the photos against the recipe 🙂

Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs
from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, by Ellie Krieger

8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds), skins removed
1/3 cup grainy French mustard
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the mustard, garlic, marjoram and maple syrup in a bowl. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the mustard mixture evenly on the top of each chicken thigh, covering as much of the surface as possible. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Bake until mustard mixture has formed a crust and is slightly hardened, and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced in the center, about 45 to 50 minutes.