Anna Louise Honey mustard chicken is one of those recipes that asks very little and gives back a great deal. A handful of ingredients, twenty minutes of preparation, and forty-five minutes in the oven produce chicken that is sticky, deeply golden, sweet and sharp in exactly the right proportions, and so fragrant that the kitchen smells extraordinary from the moment the tin goes in.
Mary Berry’s honey mustard chicken recipe is the version that works every time — whole grain mustard and Dijon together for complexity, honey for sweetness and stickiness, garlic and fresh thyme for depth, and a little apple cider vinegar to sharpen everything and prevent the sweetness from becoming cloying.
The secret is cooking the chicken on the bone in the sauce so it bastes itself continuously throughout the cooking time, developing a caramelised, slightly sticky coating that is irresistible.
What Makes This Recipe Work
Two types of mustard. Dijon gives smoothness and heat. Whole grain mustard gives texture and a more complex, less sharp mustard character. Together they give a sauce that is more interesting than either alone.
Apple cider vinegar. A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar balances the honey perfectly — preventing the sauce from being simply sweet and giving it a bright, slightly fruity sharpness that makes it more complex.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken. The skin renders and caramelises during the long bake, becoming sticky and golden. The bones keep the meat moist and flavourful. Boneless skinless chicken breast dries out in the same time it takes the sauce to develop its stickiness.
Basting halfway through. Spooning the pan juices back over the chicken halfway through the baking time doubles down on the caramelisation and gives an even more intensely glazed, stickier result.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Honey Mustard Chicken
- 8 chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on, bone in
- 4 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 tbsp good quality runny honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
- Roast potatoes or new potatoes
- Steamed green beans or tenderstem broccoli
- A simple green salad
How to Make Mary Berry Honey Mustard Chicken — Step by Step
Step 1 — Make the Honey Mustard Sauce
Combine the whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, crushed garlic, thyme leaves, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir until completely combined — the sauce will be thick and glossy.
Step 2 — Coat the Chicken
Add the chicken pieces to the bowl. Toss to coat thoroughly in the honey mustard sauce — make sure every surface of every piece is coated. For the best flavour, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least one hour — or overnight if you have time.
Step 3 — Arrange and Bake
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Arrange the coated chicken pieces in a single layer in a large, shallow roasting tin — skin-side up. Pour any remaining sauce from the bowl over the chicken.
Roast for 20 minutes.
Step 4 — Baste and Continue Roasting
After 20 minutes, remove the tin from the oven. Spoon the pan juices generously over each piece of chicken. The juices in the tin will have reduced and concentrated — basting now adds maximum flavour and stickiness to the skin.
Return to the oven for a further 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, the skin is deeply golden and sticky, and the sauce in the tin is thick and slightly caramelised.
To check the chicken is cooked — insert a skewer into the thickest part of a thigh. The juices should run completely clear with no trace of pink.
Step 5 — Rest and Serve
Leave the chicken to rest in the tin for five minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute and the sticky glaze to set slightly. Serve with the pan juices spooned generously over each piece.
My Top Tips
Marinate for at least an hour — overnight is better. Even a brief marinade makes a noticeable difference to how deeply the flavour penetrates the chicken. Overnight marinating produces chicken that tastes of honey mustard all the way to the bone.
Use both whole grain and Dijon mustard. Using only one type gives a flatter, less interesting sauce. The combination of smooth heat from Dijon and textured complexity from whole grain gives a much more nuanced result.
Baste halfway through baking. This is the step that separates a properly sticky honey mustard chicken from one that is merely glazed. The pan juices after twenty minutes are already concentrated and intensely flavoured — spooning them back over the chicken builds multiple layers of caramelised glaze.
Use bone-in, skin-on chicken. The skin is what caramelises and becomes sticky. Bones keep the meat moist through the full baking time. Boneless skinless chicken becomes dry before the glaze has had time to develop properly.
Do not crowd the tin. The chicken pieces need space around them for the heat to circulate and the skin to crisp. A crowded tin produces steamed, pale chicken. Single layer, with space between each piece.
Scrape and serve the pan juices. The caramelised sauce left in the tin after baking is extraordinarily good. Scrape every bit of it over the chicken when serving.
Serving Suggestions
With roast potatoes — the sticky honey mustard chicken and crispy potatoes is a combination that requires nothing else. With steamed green beans or broccoli for freshness. With new potatoes and a simple green salad for a lighter version. With rice to absorb the sauce.
How to Store
In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 15 minutes until piping hot and the skin has re-crisped slightly.
In the freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
Mary Berry Honey Mustard Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Mix whole grain mustard, Dijon, honey, vinegar, garlic, thyme, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season generously.
- Add chicken — toss to coat thoroughly. Marinate minimum 1 hour, overnight in fridge for best flavour.
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Arrange chicken skin-side up in a single layer in a large roasting tin. Pour remaining sauce over.
- Roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Baste each piece generously with pan juices.
- Return to oven for 20–25 more minutes until cooked through, deeply golden, and sticky. Juices should run clear when skewer is inserted into thickest part.
- Rest 5 minutes. Serve with pan juices spooned over.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breast?
You can but the skin and bone are what make this recipe work so well. Boneless skinless breast dries out significantly before the sauce has had time to caramelise properly. If using breast, reduce the cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes total and baste at 12 minutes.
Can I add vegetables to the roasting tin?
Yes — baby new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, or whole shallots added to the tin with the chicken cook in the honey mustard sauce and become extraordinarily good. Baby new potatoes take the same time as the chicken. Add cherry tomatoes in the final fifteen minutes only.
Can I make this with chicken wings?
Yes — honey mustard chicken wings are excellent. Use the same sauce and bake at the same temperature for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once and basting halfway.
Can I make a sauce from the pan juices?
Yes — pour the pan juices into a small saucepan after cooking. Add a splash of chicken stock and a little cream. Simmer briefly until slightly reduced. Serve alongside as a sauce.
Why is my honey mustard sauce burning before the chicken is cooked?
The honey is caramelising too quickly due to too-high heat. Reduce the oven to 190°C and cover the tin loosely with foil for the first fifteen minutes, then remove the foil for the final basting and browning.
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