This Honey Mustard Chicken and Potato Bake is a comforting, savory dish perfect for a cozy evening. With golden roasted chicken, crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and a creamy honey mustard sauce, it’s a perfect one-pan meal that’s easy to prepare and full of flavor.

Full Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 4 chicken marylands (1 kg)

• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

• 250g streaky bacon, thinly sliced

• 600g chat (baby) potatoes, halved

• 1 cup (250ml) single (pouring) cream

• 1/3 cup (95g) honey mustard

• 1 cup (250ml) water

• 6 sprigs thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

2. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof, ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the bacon and potatoes to the pan, cooking for 6 minutes or until golden.

4. Add the cream, honey mustard, and water, then return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid.

5. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add the thyme, and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is golden and the potatoes are cooked through.

6. Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutrients

• Calories: Approximately 600 kcal per serving

• Protein: 40g

• Fat: 35g

• Carbohydrates: 30g

• Fiber: 4g

This dish offers a combination of savory, creamy, and slightly tangy flavors, making it a perfect meal for dinner with family or guests!

The Versatility of Honey Mustard in Cooking

Honey mustard is a classic flavor combination that adds a delightful balance of sweetness and tanginess to dishes. The sweetness of honey is beautifully complemented by the sharp, tangy notes of mustard, making it a versatile ingredient for marinades, dressings, and sauces. In this recipe, honey mustard is incorporated into a creamy sauce that coats the chicken and potatoes, infusing them with a rich, slightly tangy flavor. The sauce also helps to keep the chicken moist while it cooks, ensuring that every bite is tender and full of flavor.

This simple yet flavorful sauce makes Honey Mustard Chicken and Potato Bake an easy-to-make dish that’s both satisfying and delicious. The honey mustard also pairs perfectly with the salty bacon, creating a balance of savory, creamy, and sweet notes throughout the meal.

The Chicken: Tender and Golden

In this dish, chicken marylands (or drumsticks) are used, which offer a great combination of flavor and tenderness. The skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces cook beautifully in the oven, developing a golden, crispy exterior while remaining juicy on the inside. By first searing the chicken in a hot pan, the skin becomes crispy, creating a contrast with the creamy sauce and roasted potatoes. Searing the chicken also helps lock in its natural juices, ensuring that it stays moist throughout the cooking process.

Cooking the chicken in a large, ovenproof frying pan adds a layer of convenience to the recipe. Not only does it allow for searing the chicken and potatoes in the same pan, but it also means there’s minimal cleanup after the meal is served.

The Potatoes: Crispy and Tender

The chat (baby) potatoes in this recipe are halved and roasted alongside the chicken. These small potatoes cook quickly, absorbing the flavors of the honey mustard sauce as they roast. The combination of searing the potatoes with bacon and cooking them in the sauce results in a crispy golden exterior and a soft, creamy interior. The bacon adds richness to the potatoes, enhancing their flavor and giving them an extra layer of texture.

Using baby potatoes is ideal for this dish because they cook evenly and maintain their shape throughout the cooking process, which is perfect for this one-pan meal. They complement the chicken perfectly, soaking up the creamy sauce while keeping their own distinct, satisfying texture.

The Bacon: Crispy and Savory

The streaky bacon plays an essential role in this dish by adding a savory, smoky flavor that elevates the overall taste. As the bacon crisps up in the pan, it releases its fat, which helps to cook the potatoes and create a flavorful base for the sauce. The bacon’s smoky notes contrast beautifully with the tangy honey mustard sauce, creating a balance of flavors that complement both the chicken and potatoes.

By adding the bacon early in the cooking process and allowing it to crisp up with the potatoes, you get an ideal balance of texture and flavor. The bacon becomes perfectly crisp, and the rendered fat infuses the potatoes with its rich, smoky taste.

The Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce

The cream and honey mustard form the base of the sauce, while the addition of water helps to thin it out slightly. The combination creates a rich, creamy sauce that coats the chicken and potatoes, ensuring that each bite is flavorful and satisfying. The honey mustard provides a tangy sweetness, while the cream adds a luscious, velvety texture that ties everything together.

The sauce also helps keep the chicken moist as it bakes, allowing the flavors to permeate the chicken and potatoes. When you add the thyme towards the end of the cooking process, it adds a fresh herbal note that contrasts nicely with the richness of the sauce, enhancing the overall flavor profile.

The Cooking Process: One-Pan Simplicity

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. By using a single pan for both cooking and roasting, you minimize the amount of cleanup and make the cooking process easier. Here’s how it works:

1. Sear the chicken: Start by searing the chicken in a hot pan with olive oil until the skin is golden and crispy.

2. Cook the bacon and potatoes: Add the bacon and potatoes to the same pan, allowing them to cook for a few minutes until the bacon crisps up and the potatoes begin to brown.

3. Add the sauce: Pour the honey mustard cream sauce over the chicken and potatoes, bring it to a simmer, and cover with a lid.

4. Bake: Place the entire pan in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes. This allows the chicken to cook through and the potatoes to become tender, all while the sauce thickens and coats the ingredients. After removing the lid, the chicken becomes golden brown, and the potatoes develop a delicious crispy exterior.

This method of cooking ensures that the chicken, bacon, and potatoes are all cooked to perfection, and the sauce is absorbed into each component, making every bite flavorful.

Serving the Dish

Once the Honey Mustard Chicken and Potato Bake is ready, serve it hot, with the creamy sauce generously spooned over the chicken and potatoes. This dish is hearty and satisfying on its own, but it can also be served with a side of green vegetables, such as steamed broccoli or sautéed spinach, to add color and a fresh contrast to the rich flavors of the main dish.

For a complete meal, consider pairing it with a light salad or some crusty bread to soak up any leftover sauce. The balance of savory, creamy, and slightly sweet flavors will make this dish a family favorite.

Conclusion

Honey Mustard Chicken and Potato Bake is the ultimate comfort food. This easy one-pan meal combines juicy, golden chicken, crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and a creamy, tangy honey mustard sauce for a dish that’s full of flavor and texture. The combination of savory, smoky, and slightly sweet elements makes this meal perfect for a cozy evening with family or friends. With minimal preparation and simple ingredients, this dish is both satisfying and easy to prepare, making it a great choice for weeknight dinners or special occasions.