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This light and crispy Golden Chicken is marinated in a honey dijon sauce and seasoned with just the right amount of turmeric for a healthy, flavor-packed dinner that’s ready in only 20 minutes!
Is Turmeric Healthy?
Have you jumped on the turmeric bandwagon yet?! I became curious about the spice after seeing zillions of recipes for “Golden Milk” floating around the internet. And then when I read more about the health benefits of turmeric, I quickly picked up a jar of the spice on my next grocery run.
This stuff has amazing anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to help with rheumatoid arthritis, cancer prevention, cardiovascular protection, Alzheimer’s prevention, and a host of other benefits (source). How could I NOT add it to my diet?
While I still haven’t wrapped my head around the idea of milk with turmeric, I thought that I should ease my way into this seasoning with a simple chicken dinner. After all, turmeric is one of the ingredients used to make curry…so it MUST be good with chicken, right?! Well, it is. You can trust me on that one.
Not only is this Golden Chicken a beautiful color, but it’s an easy, quick-prep dinner that can be grilled outside on a warm summer evening or cooked in a skillet for a weeknight meal.
The honey mustard marinade is sweet, smoky, and full of bold flavor — without overpowering the meal. I was serving this supper to my kids, so it had to pass the taste test of 3 little boys!
What You Need to Make Golden Chicken
- Skinless and boneless chicken thighs or breasts
- Wholegrain and dijon mustard
- Turmeric
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to Make it in 5 Easy Steps
- Mix all the ingredients together apart from the chicken.
- Put half of the marinade in a ziplock bag and add the chicken.
- Allow to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Heat a large pan or grill and grill the chicken on each side until crispy and cooked through.
- Serve the chicken with the reserved sauce.
I hope that your family enjoys this nourishing, high-protein, delicious dinner as much as we do, it’s super easy and full of flavour. Try serving this golden chicken with salad, zucchini noodles, with rice, pasta or even simply with some crusty bread.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
- Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables
- Dump and Bake Jerk Chicken
- Chinese Chicken Salad with Cashews
- Dump and Bake Chicken Tacos
Golden Chicken
Ingredients
- ÂĽ cup olive oil
- ÂĽ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon total)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or sub with boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- Vegetable oil or canola oil, for the grill or pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, turmeric, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl, toss to coat in the marinade, and cover with plastic wrap. Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the marinade and allow the chicken to sit and come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Discard the marinade.
To Grill the Chicken (Preferred Method)
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (about 400-450°F). Brush the grill with a little bit of oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Place the chicken thighs directly on the grill grates and grill for approximately 6-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
To Bake the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the chicken thighs on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or in a greased baking dish. Bake until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, about 20 minutes.
To Cook the Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, or enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 6-7 minutes per side.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. The chicken breasts will require about 5 minutes per side for small, thin chicken breasts or up to 10-12 minutes per side for larger, thick chicken breasts. Again, you're looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- If you don't have fresh garlic cloves, use Âľ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Add more flavor to the marinade with fresh herbs such as rosemary, chives, parsley, or thyme.
- Make the chicken spicy by including hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes in the marinade.
Nutrition
I love the color of this chicken, Blair! And the flavors, wow! Any dish that’s ready in just 20 minutes was made for me!
Exactly, Gayle! It’s hard to beat a 20-minute meal! 🙂
I haven’t ventured into the idea of using turmeric yet, mainly because I feel like it’s supposed to be used in savory dishes, not sweet! Yes to this beautiful chicken (that sounds weird), I would totally use turmeric for this recipe!
Thanks, Bethany! I’m with you — savory all the way! I think this chicken is a great place to start!
Such a great marinade, Blair, and it looks fantastic on the chicken. Love that turmeric adds such interesting flavours along with it’s health benefits. You are so good at coming up with quick, easy and healthy dinners!
Thanks, Robyn! You’re right — healthy + extra flavor is a win-win! 🙂
Oooh, what a delicious combination of flavours! I really need to try this! Usually I can take or leave chicken, however, when it has a delicious marinade or coating I’m all for it!
Thanks, Kristy! No boring chicken here! 🙂
Hi Blair,
I absolutely love Golden Chicken recipe. I would also love to feature it in our website Greenthickies.com. Of course I will link back to your post here. Is it okay if I use one of your images for it? I will not post the actual recipe and its contents, only an image and the title and link directly back to your post.
Thanks a lot
Hi, Katherine! Yes, that’s fine! Feel free to use an image and link back here for the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Blair Great! Thanks for your reply 🙂
This looks so yummy! Thank you for the recipe<3 I included it in my anti-inflammatory turmeric recipes roundup post: https://kaijumaddy.com/2018/07/21/15-anti-inflammatory-turmeric-recipes/
Awesome! Thanks, MaDonna!