There's nothing like the sweet and tangy flavor profile of honey and mustard.
Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken combines simple ingredients: chicken, mustard, honey, and some fresh rosemary. This light and lean chicken dish uses ingredients most of us have on hand, and it hits a home run for every player on your team. Because it’s low in calories but high in protein, there’s no doubt you’ll turn to this easy meal after a difficult day. There’s nothing like the sweet and tangy flavor profile of honey and mustard. Undoubtedly, the marriage of this unlikely duo will wake up your taste buds and leave you wanting more.
Wonderful Honey Mustard
Whoever decided to sweeten the bitingly-hot taste of mustard with the smooth sweetness of honey was most certainly a genius. Unsurprisingly, the first recipe for honey mustard sauce was published in the fourth century. The Romans used this recipe to glaze wild boar. In view of this combination‘s ancient history, it’s not surprising to learn that a chef named Dan Ryan popularized the classic flavor combination as a salad dressing in the 1970s. It took off immediately in the U.S., and it became the base for our light and lean chicken dish.
A Juicy Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
Above all, the slow cooker definitely has your back when it comes to preparing juicy chicken with honey and mustard. We adore this light and lean chicken dish, appreciating its low-calorie yet protein-rich goodness. As a result of rosemary’s chic status in restaurants everywhere, the days of parsley garnishing our plates are over.
If rosemary doesn’t grow as a shrub in your neighborhood or doesn’t even make it into your weekly shop, never fear! Equally great (or close to) are the dried or powdered forms of rosemary. A tablespoon of dried rosemary works well here. However, concentrated rosemary in its powdered form can quickly overpower a dish with its strong flavor. Use a teaspoon and a half if that’s all you have, or just forego it. The mustard and honey are enough to deliver great taste. Throw all the ingredients together in the slow cooker and bring on the magic! Everyone will love its lightly sweet and incredible taste.
Choose Bone-In Skinless Thighs
We chose bone-in, skinless chicken thighs for four reasons. For starters, chicken skin is full of bad fat, so we remove it to make the dish healthier. Secondly, leaving the bone in helps to impart all the good nutrients and savory flavor bone marrow offers. Thirdly, keeping the bone in means less processing, leading to reason number four: Less processing equals less expense. Winner winner, chicken dinner!
Alternatively, you can also use an Instant Pot to make this Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken dish. We include instructions below, in case you’re interested.
Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 rosemary sprigs fresh
- 4 chicken thighs bone in, skinless chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rosemary fresh, finely chopped
Instructions
- Place one rosemary sprig under each chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, mix the honey, mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary. Pour the mixture on the chicken, making sure that they are all coated.
- Cover and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @skinnyms on Instagram or hashtag it #skinnyms
Check out our Facebook page and follow us on Pinterest for tasty recipes, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 22, 2015.
What are the little round bead-like things pictured in the sauce?
We used whole-grain Dijon mustard. 🙂
If I sub chicken breasts on bone how long should I cook it? How long should I cook boneless breasts? Thanks
Anne, Try reducing to 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 on high. Be sure to check for doneness prior to serving.
If we have thighs with bone in, how long do you suggest we cook it?
Thank you!!
Meagan, The same amount of time should be fine. 🙂
Why no skin? With honey and,d oil, surely this is not to save calories. Skin scds a little more flavour, as does bone.
Ian, It’s fine to leave the skin on for added flavor while cooking, but for a healthier dish it’s best to remove the skin before eating. 🙂
Did anyone who made the dish have a comment on how it turned out?
This recipe was delicious. I chose the 4 hours on high. I followed it exactly, but I had five thighs. my intuition and nose said to peek in the crockpot at the 3:20 hour mark because it smelled done. It was too done. I know all crockpots are a little different, but if I would’ve let this go for longer, it would’ve been the inedible. Maybe my thighs were smaller than the recipes? Suggestion would be to add the weight of meat. Nowadays, depending on the farm, and how the animals are raised, you can get entirely different sizes. Overall delicious though and I’ll make it again!
Do you have Instant Pot time modifications for boneless chicken breasts? TIA
Deb, Please find our timer sheet here.
Really delicious! I’ve made this many times now and have only made tiny changes, such as pulling the rosemary off the stem and finely chopping I mix this in with the honey mustard mixture. I throw in some cubed sweet potatoes & red onions into the crock pot to make it a meal. So good and super easy!
My kids LOVE this. It’s one of the few meat meals I can get my 2 year old to eat.
I make it with boneless chicken thighs, a bit less rosemary than it calls for and add a few shakes of garlic powder
Thanks!
Maggie, It’s always a WIN when the kids love a recipe. Thanks so much for the feedback.