Have you ever had those moments in life where something just clicked? They don’t come too often for me, but when they do they are profound. This jalapeño dijon chicken recipe was one of those moments. For so many years of my life I was the chicken breast and broccoli guy. So boring, so bland and so unoriginal. It wasn’t until I taught myself how to cook that I realized there were other foods.
Jalapeño Dijon Chicken
While I may be a good cook now, back then I was timid and scared. Instead of me trying to cook a steak, pork, vegetables or anything outside of my comfort zone, I stuck to what I knew. Chicken.
It just so happened I was trying to save a little money and saw that chicken that still had the bones in and skin on was a lot cheaper. I gave it a go, got to googling and realized that bone in skin on chicken thighs were like poultry gold on the internet. I had to try them and make them good.
You can make chicken thighs as simple as salt and pepper to create these jalapeño dijon chicken thighs and grill them in the summer or bake them any other time. And just to make sure you are prepared, here are some of my favorite side dishes to serve with this chicken.
Obviously those sides are just recommendations since I have over 400 recipes to choose from. Make one of those or browse through the recipe index to suite your needs.
Either way, you will love this recipe so make sure you share it with people you love.
Jalapeño Dijon Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thighs
- 4 jalapeños diced, seeds optional
- 2 garlic cloves pressed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons raw organic honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lemon
Instructions
Grill
- Combine all of your ingredients, EXCEPT YOUR LEMON, in a bowl or dish to marinate your chicken
- Marinate for at least a few hours but 24 hours in the refrigerator is ideal
- Once you're ready to cook, preheat your grill to a medium/medium high heat or about 400-450 degrees fahrenheit
- Once your grill is ready, place your chicken thighs on the grill and cook between 7-10 minutes per side
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken is cooked and at least 175 degrees fahrenheit
- Once done place all your chicken thighs in aluminum foil, squeeze all your lemon juice over the chicken, and close the aluminum foil and let it steam with the lemon juice for about 10-15 minutes
- Serve and enjoy
Oven
- Combine all of your ingredients, EXCEPT YOUR LEMON, in a bowl or dish to marinate your chicken
- Marinate for at least a few hours but 24 hours in the refrigerator is ideal
- Once you're ready to cook, preheat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit
- Remove your chicken thighs from the marinade and place them on a parchment paper or aluminum lined baking sheet (optional: place the chicken on a cookie sheet or cooling rack on top of the baking sheet)
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Plate and drizzle fresh lemon juice over all the chicken.
15,000 Fan Giveaway
I do not Chicken can do like this, will do this weekend~~
Easy, delicious, juicy chicken. I was afraid of the “heat,” so I used two jalapenos and scaled back the salt to 1/2 tsp. Used a Foreman grill. A keeper recipe. Thanks!
Awesome! The chicken stayed nice and juicey and the flavor mix was perfect! Thank you!
We love this recipe. So happy for spring and BBQ season, best when cooked over a charcoal grill! Looking forward to this on our camping trip this week
Still playing around with flavor combos in my head–hubby hates lemon–what do you think about swapping lemon and rosemary for lime and cilantro? Any adjustments to make that work?
Oh that would be great, try it
I finally gave this recipe a try a couple of months ago. Wow! It’s been in the weekly lineup ever since. I hope it never gets old because it’s so amazingly delicious!
It’s definitely one of the best recipes I have created. Glad you enjoyed it so much
So very very delicious and easy!!! Thank you for this awesome recipe :) I have made this twice now. Although I look forward to trying it on the BBQ, I had to bake it. I marinated skinless bone-in thighs overnight, as suggested, and baked it with the bits of garlic, jalapeno and herbs sprinkled over it. My company loved it too!! My new fave!!
Glad everybody liked it… bone-in thighs are the best !
Made Thursday in case we ate at home Friday. Well, it’s Monday, (Memorial Day, God Bless their souls) and this chicken was sooooo good. Will make a bigger batch next time! Thanks!
Thank you sooo much :)
This was some of the best chicken I’ve eaten in my life! LOVE this recipe!
Thanks so much!
Hi! These sound amazing, but I’m doing the Whole 30. Could you suggest a substitution for the honey, or should I just leave it out? Thanks
I have a question… i dont get fresh jalapenos where I am.. can I use diced bottled jalepenos or will that ruin the taste?
NO! Definitely grab some canned jalapenos- that’s fine :)
I have to say I have made this recipe 20 times, and it just might be my husbands favorite weeknight meal.
I have BBQ’ed the chicken, roasted it in the oven and even sautéed it, and it always comes out amazing! I have even shredded it and mixed it with scrambled eggs… amazing. try it. You cannot mess this up, and it is stupid delicious.
We follow you on IG. we are totally your fans. sorry… is that weird?
Anyway.. thanks for sharing the recipe.
OHHHH EMMM GEEEE!!!! Friggin delicious beyond words!!! Made so much that I’ve been having it different ways for the past 2 days! SOOOOOOOO gooooood! I definitely concur with the comment about the support group. I’m so addicted!
Making this for the third time tonight, it’s so good! The marinade could almost be used as a spicy salad dressing if it was perhaps thinned out a bit more with some olive oil and lemon juice. It’s so delicious I just want to use it on everything! Thanks George, I love your work.
Your so welcome, I love your comments
OMG!! The absolute BOMB!! Tried it out with someone doing a high glycemic diet and a teenager….both went back for seconds! It was a precursor for Fourth of July. Huge BBQ with 42 thighs..15 people…all but 6 were GONE!! We got a good char on them on bbq then finished in oven as they tend to flame too much on grill…perfect. Thank you. This is now permanent go to recipe.
That is awesome, I want some next time you make that many :)
Making this now…so awesome!
Enjoy
Are you freaking kidding me with this recipe?! It. Was. AMAZING! I think I ate three pieces. If it was a person, I would marry it. We used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because I have this whole issue with chicken on the bone, and cut the jalapenos to two because I am a wuss…are you seeing a trend? But seriously, I can’t say that I have ever made chicken this tasty. We are having the leftovers for lunch and my husband has declared you a genius.
Woohoo high five your husband for me
Are you serious with this recipe?!?! I just ate like three pieces of chicken. Ridiculously amazing doesn’t do it justice. If it was a person, I’d marry it. Used boneless, skinless thighs and cut jalapeños to two because I’m a wuss. Marinate overnight…chicken heaven!!
Woohoo, that is the reaction I like to hear
My husband bought the wrong chicken thighs AND burned the sh** out of it on the grill, but even that couldn’t ruin it. It was absolutely DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for bringing back my love for chicken. :-)
Woohoo Katie that is awesome, sorry it burned
HOLY MOLY. This is so delicious! I bet the leftovers will make one heck of a chicken salad, too. Thanks for this great recipe!
They sure do, enjoy :)
Dude, I loved this recipe!!! I want to make this every night!! Keep up the good work!
I love it too, glad I can share my flavors
This recipe was so bloody good!!!!
I didn’t bother marinating as I was in a rush, but made a bit extra sauce separately to re-coat the chicken with for the last 5min of grilling.
Love love love. Might actually make me fatter
So glad you loved it
Fairly certain you have found a creative way if making chicken laced with methamphetamine. This is the 3rd time I made this in a matter of weeks. I’m addicted. Is there a support group?
Haha funniest comment EVER
I am IN LOVE with this recipe! The flavor is AHHH-MAZING and the leftovers (when I’m lucky enough to have any) can be chopped up and wrapped in lettuce with some salsa for one of the best chicken tacos EVER! Thank you <3
Woohoo that sounds yummy
I’m making this chicken this afternoon to take with me to an outdoor concert in Scottsdale. I didn’t have Jalapeno peppers, so I’m substituting Hatch chiles instead…will probably be a more mild taste, which might not be such a bad thing, as we have enough real heat in an AZ summer, if you know what I mean! The marinade looked awesome as I added it to the chicken. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
The chicken is marinating in a vacuumed sealed Foodsaver bag at the moment. They will be on the grill tomorrow…I can’t wait. Forgot to wear gloves while chopping the jalapenõs! Ouchy. I will follow up with the results! :-)
I can’t wait to hear
I will look into it right now
I’m planning on using chicken breaststroke n baking them, any suggestions for temperature and how long? Thank you :)
I would do 350 and start with 25-30 minutes and then start checking and adjusting from there
Maybe use a bag to marinade all ingredients…i feel this method works best in these types of recipes.
Best chicken ever! Used breasts cut in 1/2 in slices and pan grilled them! Marinated for a couple of hours; added lemon zest and juice to the marinade right before cooking. Used only 1/2 a jalapeño, seeds and all. Super recipe!
Thank you Pam :)
Oh.my.gosh. Soooo good! I threw everything in the food processor as other comments suggested and let marinate on chicken breasts in fridge for a few hours. Threw them on the grill and BAM – best chicken ever! This will be our new go to marinade. My husband was in spicy poultry heaven. I made your blackberry banana muffins today too. The kids, hubs, and I may have devoured the whole double batch already. So glad I found your site! Keep up the delicious work! :)
Marie, I am so glad you found my website and take the time to leave such awesome comments. I hope you love many more recipes :)
This recipe is incredible! We have eaten it for the past 3 nights and I am sad that it’s all gone. Can’t wait to make it again.
Guess tonight is a good night to start lol
Made this a few nights ago using thigh fillets (I’m lazy and don’t like chicken skin or bones). I didn’t realize that my husband had used the last of our Dijon so I substituted with spicy brown. Absolutely yummy! Will give it a go next week with Dijon. Thanks!
Woohoo. So glad you enjoyed Rosey
These are money! I don’t have a grill, so I pan seared them. Still soooo good.
Awesome Zach. This is my go to chicken recipe. So glad you enjoyed
This is probably the best Paleo recipe I have had so far. I am smoking a pork butt for a bbq this weekend and this will also be on the grill. Great stuff!
Awesome Clay, I love this chicken recipe, so simple and amazing
I made this recipe with chicken breast and baked in the oven and it was SO GOOD! Your recipes NEVER disappoint and I just want to truly thank you for everything!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much :)
OH MY GOODNESS!!! Very delicious!! Me and the husband couldn’t stop talking about how good they were. Used all ingredients except the lemon at the end. Only because I did not do any chopping. I just threw it all in the food processor and made it until a pesto sauce. Then let the thighs marinade with the sauce for a few hours. Very delicious!! I think the next time I’m going to save some of the sauce and use it as dipping sauce. Great flavors and the right amount of hotness. I definitely will be making this really really soon. Thanks!!!
So awesome Shelly. So glad it was a hit :)
So quick question… recipe sounds awesome but I don’t have a grill. If I wanted to do this in the oven – what temp and time would you suggest?
If you use the chicken thighs, I would say 450 for about 25-30 minutes
I grilled mine using my gas oven grill element and grilling pan, about 7 minutes per side for skinless and boneless thighs. Hope that helps :)
I made this recipe a few months ago and it was absolutely delicious! Betcha it would be good with pork, too. Chops, tenderloin…yummmm!
Oh that sounds amazing Beverly, let me know how that comes out if you do it
Looking forward to this one! I noticed you’ve crossed off the olive oil. So yea or nay on the o.o.?
Use it. I didn’t do that the link broke. It’s still an ingredient
I’m a savory girl so mustard and jalapenos are at the top of my freaking list. This recipe was killer. Even though I only had breasts, even though I had to bake it, even though I only marinated for 90 minutes… It. Was. The. Best. Ever.
Next time thighs will be hitting the grill. I promise.
Thank you.
I am so glad you enjoyed, thanks for stopping by and letting me know :)
This was pretty awesome. I did it in the oven so the time was different and I bought a whole chicken and quartered it. Well the butcher did :) but it was really good and I will try it again with different cuts of chicken.
Awesome. So glad you enjoyed
This was the BEST chicken we’ve ever had. Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome Vicky, I am so glad you enjoyed
This was AMAZING! I’ve made it twice.. both times I kept the seeds in and instead of dicing, I put it in a food processor which I think helps blend everything better and have it soak in the chicken better. I also used chicken tenders and put them on a skewer to BBQ… SO FLIPPING GOOD! Oh, and it’s amazing without the honey :) Will definitely make again.. some people didn’t believe I made it and thought I bought it at a store :)
Oh that sounds amazing. I will have to try some on skewers soon Keep up the awesome work
Loved it :)
Awesome
Tonight will be your strawberry almond stuffed breasts :P
Made this dish tonight. Delish! Next time, we’re thinking about going with an even spicier pepper! :P See how we did: http://wholefoodhalfass.com/post/21359343397/whole-30-day-10-april-18-dinner-jalapeno-dijon
Looks amazing. Maybe you can try some habaneros next time for spice
Hi there! This recipe looks amazing and simple. Going to try it in a few min. I was wondering though if you could add a “print” feature within the recipe so I can print straight from the recipe’s page?
Thanks for all of your knowledge and great recipes!
There is a print feature, at the bottom of the post where all the social media widgets are, there is one called print friendly, if I remember correctly it is the 4th one in from the left
This was amazing. I LOVE it. We loved it. I’m eating it for all meals of the day. So good. Next time I will cut back on the salt, but overall-SO GOOD.
Thanks :)
You are most welcome, thanks for stopping by
I have made this several times but I make mine in the crockpot. Still turns out amazing!
I am so good to hear that, I love this recipe. Keep up the awesome cooking :)
Can you please tell me how you made it in the crockpot? Thanks!
I didn’t make it in the crock pot but you could just put all the chicken in and cook on low for 4-5 hours
Tried this one out today…had to use a grill pan and high heat instead of the grill because its still winter in Michigan. But the marinade was awesome and really made for some of the best chicken i have BBQ’d in a while…another winner. I paired it with the broccoli and sesame dressing.
Awesome, I am so glad you enjoyed. I hope you keep liking them all. Stay warm
This looks so good! I pretty much love anything spicy so this is right up my alley. Will have to give this one a try over the weekend!
Oh please do, can’t wait to see how you like it
I just made this tonight – and let me say, insanely good, crazy good, big thumbs up. I couldn’t grill outside, so I set up the grill pan with coconut oi on medium high, followed the recipe and at the end let the chicken simmer with the heat off with the lemon juice, (foil covering), for the last ten minutes. Frickin awesome!!!
George…you’re making me hungry! These look great!
Thats the point lol
Thats the point lol
Oh George, so sorry to hear about the identity theft! Hope you get things straightened out before they cause too much damage. I don’t know how you do all you do, and still create such yummy food! Thanks for sharing. :-)
Thank you so much Patty. I got it taken care of and I just do my best. Check your dessert stalker
Will this work on a George Foreman grill? I don’t have a real one. :(
Sure will
Just made this last night….it is AWESOME!!!
Woohoo so glad you enjoyed
Looks good, adding it to the menu for next week!
This was awesome! I made mine with chicken breasts and skipped the jalapeno seeds :)
I’ve got chicken thighs defrosted in the fridge just waiting for this marinade! And, it’s going to be 56 degrees in Colorado Springs today so perfect for grilling!
Awww well I really hope you like it