This "No Work" Baked Chicken is an easy to prep dinner recipe that's full of flavor and perfect for busy weeknights!
The name of this recipe says it all! In about 10 minutes you can prepare an easy Baked Chicken recipe that is moist, tender, and seasoned with fresh herbs and a delicious maple-Dijon pan sauce! It’s a simple and healthy dinner for your busiest evenings.
Halloween candy overload?! Before we roll straight into the decadence of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, let’s get back-to-basics with a simple and delicious dinner recipe that is not only nutritious, but your kids (and your husband) will actually EAT it!
Let’s be honest: sometimes it can be tricky to come up with new and different meal ideas that are both healthy and kid-friendly.
After all, most children think that the definition of “fine dining” includes mac & cheese, hot dogs, and pizza.
Not that there’s anything wrong with those options…(heck, they all make frequent appearances in my kitchen), BUT it’s also nice to round out your dinnertime fare with some more grown-up recipes…and that’s exactly what I have for you today!
The bold flavors of fresh herbs and a rich maple-Dijon pan sauce make this baked chicken recipe fancy enough to serve to guests; however, the tender and juicy chicken requires only a few minutes of preparation time…so it’s also a great option for busy weeknights.
Just pour the sauce onto your chicken,
tuck some fresh herbs alongside, and it’s ready for the oven!
How long does it take to bake chicken breast?
It depends on the thickness of your chicken and on the temperature of the oven. I like to bake this dish in a hot oven, so I set it for 425 degrees F.
Since I’m always in a hurry, I prefer to use small, thin chicken breasts here. When baking a 5-ounce piece of meat, the chicken is usually done in about 25-30 minutes.
If you’re using larger chicken breasts, they will typically need about 35-40 minutes (or maybe even 45 minutes) to cook through. Feel free to cut your thick chicken breasts in half to speed up the baking time!
If you want to be really exact, there’s no better way to test for doneness than by using a meat thermometer. The chicken is finished when your thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
How to Make No Work Baked Chicken in 4 Easy Steps
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In a bowl, whisk together maple syrup, mustard, and soy sauce.
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Place chicken in a baking dish. Sprinkle chicken with a little bit of salt and pepper, to taste.
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Pour sauce over chicken and toss to make sure that each piece of chicken is well coated. Place sprigs of fresh herbs in the dish (tucked alongside the chicken).
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Bake then remove herbs from dish and discard. Be sure to spoon plenty of the delicious pan sauce over the chicken and garnish with additional herbs, if desired, before serving!
How should I serve the Baked Chicken?
- Try making a simple green salad and serving the chicken with a side of crusty French bread. Dip that bread in the extra pan sauce!
- Love pasta or rice? Slice the chicken and serve it over pasta or rice that has been buttered and tossed with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Spoon the extra sauce over the chicken and pasta.
- Keep it light! You can slice the baked chicken and serve it on top of salad greens, over sautéed spinach, or with cauliflower rice.
You pick — no matter when or how you serve it, this easy dinner is sure to please a crowd!
More Delicious Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
- Hawaiin Chicken (Slow Cooker + Instant Pot)
- Root Beer Barbecue Chicken
- Dump & Bake Chicken Stuffing Casserole
- Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
"No Work" Baked Chicken
This "No Work" Baked Chicken is an easy to prep dinner recipe that's full of flavor and perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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In a bowl, whisk together maple syrup, mustard, and soy sauce.
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Place chicken in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray (I used an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, but any similar size is fine). Sprinkle chicken with a little bit of salt and pepper, to taste.
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Pour sauce over chicken and toss to make sure that each piece of chicken is well coated. Place sprigs of fresh herbs in the dish (tucked alongside the chicken).
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Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Remove herbs from dish and discard. Be sure to spoon plenty of the delicious pan sauce over the chicken and garnish with additional herbs, if desired, before serving!
Recipe Notes
*I used 5 small chicken breasts that totaled 24 ounces. These small pieces of chicken were cooked through in about 25-30 minutes. If you are using larger pieces of chicken, you will need to increase the baking time to 35-40 minutes (or more).
This recipe was originally published in November, 2015. The photos were updated in June, 2018.
Oh this sounds like such a comforting and delicious dinner, Blair! I know my husband would love this. And I love how simple it is to whip up!
Thanks, Gayle!!
Omgosh, Blair, this chicken looks amazing! I really don’t like to cook all that much, but I do like to have a TON of chicken recipes on hand, and this looks so easy and simple. I seriously might make this over the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, I hope that you have a chance to try it, Sarah. You’ll love it (and leftovers are great in wraps, sandwiches, on salad, etc.). It’s a no-fail dream of a recipe! 🙂
Leftovers? What are they? I made two pans of this recipe expecting to share one with a new neighbor; however as she and I talked my husband devoured the second one by himself. I must say we both thoroughly enjoyed this dish, Maybe next time I’ll triple the recipe, lol!!
Jacqueline!! That’s AWESOME! I’m so glad that you (and your husband) loved it! Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂
This is my kind of meal! One that doesn’t require a ton of work! I can’t wait to try it!
Exactly, Jen. I just don’t have the energy for much more fuss at the end of the day!
Oh yes…this looks SUPER yummy!! Love how easily it comes together too! Absolutely amazing! Pinned! 🙂
Wow, this is lovely and looks so incredibly delicious. I cant wait to try this out.
Thanks so much, Fareeha! I’m so glad that you stopped by. I hope that you have a chance to make it!
let me just say that you make this no work bake chicken look like a work of art. that is talent! YUM! pinned
Thanks, Lindsay! It looks and tastes way fancier than it is! 🙂
This is my second time making it! It’s officially part of our dinner line up! It is such a great resource recipe, easy but with a complex and delicious flavor. We have it over rice with baked asparagus which is awesome because it bakes at the same temperature.
Oh, I’m SO glad that you love it Courtney! Stay tuned — I have another version coming soon! We enjoy it so much that I figured I should come up with a similar variation!
Will be waiting on the similar variation.
I’ve got a No Work Italian Baked Chicken here: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/no-work-italian-baked-chicken/
and a No Work Citrus and Herb Baked Chicken here: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/no-work-citrus-and-herb-baked-chicken/
I’ve made this twice and it is wonderful! Only issue I’ve had is that I do not get any extra pan sauce…the sauce is all on the chicken or it has burned. Should I increase the sauce amount or use a different baking temperature? Thank you!!
Hey, Mackenzie! I’m glad that you like the recipe. 🙂 You can certainly try lowering your oven temp to 375 (it might just take longer for the chicken to cook). I would go ahead and double or 1.5 the sauce recipe so that you have plenty! For instance, keep the amount of chicken the same, but use 1 full cup of maple syrup, 1 cup of Dijon, etc. It can’t hurt to have too much sauce…there’s no such thing! 🙂
Can I use dried Rosemary and thyme?
Hi, Vanessa! Yes, you can. I would start with a smaller amount of the dried herbs, though. Dried herbs tend to have much more concentrated flavor, so maybe 1/2 teaspoon or so of each to start, and then adjust next time if you think it needs more. 🙂
Hi Blair, will try this recipe tonight, looks real good and easy..question do we cover it while its in the oven….to keep the sauce from drying out and maybe 5 min before its done…uncover would that work…
Hi, Anna! I’m so glad that you’ll try it!
I haven’t had to cover the dish because I always seem to have plenty of sauce, and I like to allow it to thicken a bit in the oven. BUT, if you’re worried that there might not be enough sauce, or if you think it might dry out some, you can feel free to keep the dish covered for some (or most) of the cooking time. Totally up to you! 🙂
Made this chicken dish for friends and they could not get enough..you were the hit of the party!! I will make this again and again…you go girl!!!!
This was great. My kids ate it with no complaints. I loved the flavor and so did my husband. So easy. It is going into the rotation.
Awesome! So glad, Christine! Thanks for letting us know. 🙂
Can I substitute honey for maple syrup?
Yep, that should work fine! It will obviously have a different taste, but it should work okay, too.
Made this tonight! Absolutely delicious! I didnt have fresh thyme so used dried. The chicken was SO moist and the sauce was to die for! The kids even put it over their baked potatoes! This one is a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad that you and the kids loved it, Wendy! It’s one of our favorites as well. 🙂
LOVE this dish! Huge hit at our house and even better as leftovers the next day. I didn’t have enough Dijon mustard so ended up doing a combination of yellow mustard, Dijon and stone ground. It has easily become my favorite chicken dish for entertaining- quick, easy, beyond delicious. All my family and friends have the recipe now! (And i never leave reviews but this was so so good I had to!)
Hi, Bri! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m thrilled that you (and your friends) love the meal. It’s definitely one of our favorites, too!
Do you have to use the herbs?
Hi, Ruthann! No, you don’t need to use the herbs — the recipe will still work. I love the taste of the rosemary, so the finished dish will obviously taste different without it, but that’s fine if you’re not a fan of the herb flavor. 🙂
Can this be done in a slow cooker. I just need to free up my oven for other things.
Hi, Eva! You could probably cook it in the slow cooker, but it definitely will not be the same. The sauce thickens as it bakes in the oven because the casserole dish is left uncovered. If you make it in a slow cooker, the sauce will be much thinner because the lid on the slow cooker keeps the condensation and liquid inside the dish. Again, it will “work,” but it will be a different result. 🙂
I’m usually a baker. The only thing I’ve ever cooked was French toast and eggs. I wanted to try to start cooking and this recipe was the first thing I tried. It was a success. My fiancé and his brother loved it. I’m a picky eater and I even loved it. As my first time cooking, it wasn’t difficult to make at all.
Wonderful, Rachel! I’m so glad that you tried this recipe — it’s such a great meal for so little effort. 🙂
Love this recipe! It’s been in my arsenal for a couple years now and I was just revisiting. Thanks so much for this quick and easy fix! Definitely a family fav.
Wonderful! Thanks for your note, Elizabeth! 🙂
Hello! I tried this tonight. It was great! My husband LOVED it as is!!!
Made the recipe exactly as described but used dried herbs as I didn’t have fresh ones.
I served with rice and side salad.
I enjoyed it too, but might reduce the amount of maple syrup next time as it was a little too sweet towards the end of my meal. Thank you for a great and easy recipe. Will definitely make this again!
It’s also perfect for entertaining, since it make for a nice presentation.
Thanks for Sharing!
Great! Thanks, Anne!
My daughter doesn’t really like chicken she’s 18 months and she loves this recipe & my husband and I love it to this will be a go to recipe for us. Thank you so much for sharing.
Yay! I’m so glad that your daughter approves, Krystal. I love that!!!
Could this be made ahead for a large crowd?My son is getting married and I am doing the cooking for reception. Could i place the chicken and sauce in ziplocs for two days ,remove from frig to room temp and finally place in chafers on the day of event? Advice please?
Hi, Tina! I’m so glad that you might serve this dish at your son’s reception. What an honor!
Yes — you can prepare this chicken in advance, as you described. That should work fine! As with any new recipe, I would give it a try in your own kitchen on a smaller scale (using this same prep-ahead process), just to make sure that you’re happy with the end result before feeding it to the crowd. It will give you a chance to adjust any seasoning or make any slight changes, if necessary, before serving the big batch. 🙂
Enjoy, and congrats to your son!
Tina, did you try this for a crowd? How did it work out? Is the heat from the chafers enough to reheat the chicken? I’m looking for a make-ahead chicken recipe ahead as well, so would appreciate your tips. Thanks!
What kind of maple syrup did you use?
Hi, Karolina! I usually use an organic maple syrup that I buy at Costco, but any variety will work! Enjoy!
Hi Blair –
Have you made this a head of time and reheated? I am looking for a chicken dish to feed a crowd for a party and the venue allows us to reheat, but not actually cook.
Also – have you tried this in either a slow cooker or roaster oven?
Thank you for your help!
Hi, Sarah! I haven’t, but I think reheating the chicken would work fine. You obviously just want to make sure that you don’t overcook the meat and dry it out. Just enough to warm through and you should be good to go!
As far as the slow cooker goes, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it because the slow cooker adds a lot of liquid to the sauce (thanks to the condensation in the pot that drips back down into the sauce). You’ll end up with a pretty watery sauce. Instead, I prefer baking the chicken uncovered, which gives the sauce a chance to thicken up really nicely.
Enjoy!