Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken
A little bit tangy and a little bit sweet, this Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken will wow everyone! It cooks up juicy and flavorful, and the best part is that it’s easy to prep ahead, so you can minimize your cooking time.
Summertime Grilling Marinade for Chicken
Perfect for family BBQs, neighborhood block parties, or even made ahead of time and taken to potlucks, this Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken is always a hit.
Deceptively simple but with complex flavors, there’s plenty to love about this grilled chicken breast recipe. With the tangy heat of spicy Dijon and stone-ground mustard, the sweetness of maple syrup, and a touch of rosemary, it’s a simple recipe that delivers big and bold flavors.
The best part about these easy grilled chicken breasts is that they can be prepped ahead of time. Make the marinade the day before, and let the chicken breasts marinate overnight for maximum flavor. The chicken will then cook fast over the direct heat of the grill, adding plenty of smokey flavor.
What You Need
- Stone-ground mustard – Use good-quality stone-ground mustard or other whole grain mustard.
- Dijon mustard – Any brand of Dijon mustard will do.
- Maple syrup – Use real maple syrup in this recipe.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fresh rosemary – A few 3-4 inch long sprigs.
- Black pepper – Freshly ground.
- Kosher Salt – I use and recommend Morton Kosher salt.
- Chicken breasts – Boneless skinless chicken breasts, if thicker than 1″, slice in half horizontally.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
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- Lidded bowls – This one lets you mix and marinate in the same bowl. Make the marinade first, then add the chicken.
- Cutting board – I prefer composite boards for meat and fish, and bamboo for fruit and vegetables.
- Chef’s knife – The workhorse of your kitchen.
- Grilling utensils – Heavy duty with a longer reach, they allow you to stay further from the heat while getting the job done.
How To Make Grilled Chicken Breast
This recipe can be broken down into two main parts, with a resting period in the middle for the marinade to marinate the chicken.
- First we marinade the chicken breast. Combine the mustards, maple syrup, and vinegar in a large lidded bowl. You want something large enough to hold both the chicken and the marinade. Stir in the chopped rosemary into the mustard mixture, then add boneless chicken pieces. Let the chicken marinate up to 24 hours.
- Next we grill the chicken breast. Preheat a gas grill to about 350ºF with medium-high heat or prepare your charcoal grill for direct medium high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade and scrape off excess marinade. Grill it over direct heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until it reaches 165ºF with an instant-read thermometer. Rest the grilled chicken for 3-5 minutes then serve.
How To Make A Good Marinade
To get the best flavor into the meat, you’ve got to use punchy and flavorful ingredients. For this maple mustard chicken marinade, we’re using stone-ground grainy mustard and smooth Dijon. Both are tangy and have a bit of spice, but they’re very different and more flavorful than standard yellow mustard.
Herbs are also essential in marinades, and in this maple mustard marinade for chicken, rosemary is the star. Chop it finely by hand or use a mini chopper (or blender.)
A touch of apple cider vinegar balances out the sweetness of the maple syrup, and when combined, these flavors are all amazing.
How To Marinate Chicken
Chicken needs time to marinate; you can’t rush it. I like to start this mustard maple chicken the day before and let it marinate overnight. At the very least, make sure it has a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge in the marinade to get good flavor into the chicken. 24 hours soaking in the marinade will create unbelievably flavorful chicken!
I don’t like using plastic bags for marinades because single use plastic bags cannot be recycled. While I have zero problem washing and reusing them as much as possible, there is something about reusing a bag that had raw chicken in it that doesn’t sit well with me.
Instead, I use storage bowls with fitted lids. They double as both the mixing bowl and marinating container. You can use any storage container that has a lid, even the ones you get with takeout will do a great job. In order to keep the chicken fully covered, choose the smallest container that is large enough for the job.
Perfectly Grilled Chicken
Ever grilled chicken only to have it turn out dry and flavorless? Sadly, this happens often and probably because you’re grilling thick cuts of chicken over high, direct heat. Unfortunately high direct heat causes the outside to cooks quickly while the inside doesn’t cook nearly fast enough. Often leaving you with chicken that is both burnt and raw.
If you have trouble grilling chicken that stays moist and tender, you have a few options; and remember, chicken needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165-F to be safe to eat:
- Cook the chicken over indirect heat, then sear it over the hottest part of the grill once it reaches 165-F.
- Slice the chicken in half horizontally. Thinner chicken breast means it’ll cook faster and require less time over direct heat, and it’ll also take on more flavor from the marinade.
I recommend thin chicken breasts in this recipe – either look for small breasts or you can split or butterfly them (cut them open horizontally but keep them attached.)
Recipe Variations
My favorite thing about cooking at home is that I can adapt a recipe for my own tastes or to fit the ingredients I already have in my kitchen. Here are a few of the substitutions I have made for this recipe in my own kitchen.
- Bake it in the oven instead. No grill? No problem! Follow the instructions through step 6, but instead of grilling, pull the chicken from the marinade and place it in an oven-safe pan, a glass baking dish or a large roasting pan will do the job. Roast the chicken at 425ºF for about 15 minutes, then finish off under the broiler for a couple of minutes to create a bit of a sear.
- Grill inside with a grill pan. Similar to pan frying, you can grill chicken on the stove top using a grill pan to cook the chicken and give you those nice grill marks too.
- Trade out the chicken breast for other animal proteins. It’s an easy swap to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, but the flavors of this marinade also work really well with pork tenderloin, pork chops, and salmon. I would make no changes to the recipe to use chicken thighs. The pork can marinade up to 24 hours and should be cooked to 145ºF while I would only marinate the salmon between 30 minutes and 2 hours and cook it to 125ºF.
Serving Suggestions
Sweet and tangy, grilled maple mustard chicken is a delicious way to create bold flavors on the grill. The recipe can be easily increased for a crowd and works wonderfully for an outdoor summer get together.
While I love it with a big bowl of leafy greens like this Carolina BBQ Chicken Salad, you can also make it into sandwiches or a wrap. If you are looking for more of a sit down meal at your summer BBQ, then I must suggest pairing it with my screaming skillet green beans and orzo pasta salad.
How To Store And Reheat
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm it in a low oven or enjoy it chilled.
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Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup stone ground mustard
- 1/4 dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (3″ – 4″ each)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 pounds thin sliced (boneless skinless chicken breast)
Instructions
- In the bowl of the marinating container measure out both mustards, maple syrup, and vinegar.
- Finely chop rosemary* and add to the marinade. Stir to combine.
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken in the marinade and stir to ensure chicken is coated well.
- Refrigerate marinating chicken up to 24 hours, but no less than 30 minutes.
- Heat gas grill to about 350 degrees with medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken from the marinade, wiping excess marinade against the edge of the bowl, and grill over direct heat for 3 – 4 minutes per side.
- Check the internal temperature to ensure it has reached 165 degrees. Remove from grill and let rest 3 – 5 minutes prior to serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
This sounds delicious! I love love stone ground mustard, and I bet the rosemary is amazing in this! We are going to FINALLY get mosquito treatments in our yard this year so maybe we’ll be able to stand being outside long enough to actually grill something like this!
Caroline – The rosemary is just the punch it needs! I really hope those mosquito treatments work out. Having a great outdoor space is a game changer for grilling. If they don’t work out, you can always bake this chicken in a 425 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes.
Oh yum! I love making recipe with dijon mustard, and stone ground mustard is amazing too! This sounds delish with the maple syrup. 🙂
Thank you Danielle!
Renee,
The ingredients calls for Apple cider vinegar, but the instructions call for Red wine vinegar. I prefer Red Wine so that will be my choice. Thanks for the great recipes.
Thanks,
Jim
Good catch Jim! I used Apple Cider Vinegar, but I think red wine vinegar will work just fine. I’ll get the recipe corrected right away.