Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders
by Chungah
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These grilled honey mustard chicken tenders are juicy and moist with the easiest, flavor-packed marinade. Marinate ahead of time or overnight!
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why you’ll love these grilled honey mustard chicken tenders
- Time-saving, make-ahead dish. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time, marinating the chicken 2 hours in advance or overnight for the easiest prep ever. Your future self will be thanking you!
- Sweet and sticky glaze. The chicken tenders will come out juicy, tender and incredibly flavorful every single time with the most amazing (and super easy) sticky honey mustard glaze you’ll want on anything and everything.
- Versatile and flexible. This recipe will work with any part of the chicken – breasts, thighs or tenderloins – whether it’s on the grill, on the stovetop or in the oven (more on that below).
tips and tricks for success
- An outdoor grill is not necessary. Too cold to grill outside? A cast iron grill pan can be used to get those favorited grill marks and charred flavor. These can also be baked at 400°F for 15-20 minutes (reaching an internal temperature of 165°F), brushing with the reserved marinade during the last few minutes of cook time.
- Use chicken breasts. If tenderloins are not readily available at your local supermarket, chicken breasts can be used instead, cut into large strips about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage or basil) are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
what to serve with chicken tenders
Tools For This Recipe
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders: Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken tenderloins (or chicken tenders) are long narrow strips of meat that can be found attached loosely underneath the breast against the rib bones. Chicken tenderloins are far more lean and tender than chicken breasts.
If chicken tenderloins are not readily available, substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cutting them into thin large strips, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick.
Substitute thyme (dried or fresh!) or any other herb of your choosing. And because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, the correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary = 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.
Absolutely! The chicken can be marinated overnight and placed in the fridge.
No grill, no problem! A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coarse ground Dijon mustard
- ½ shallot, diced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together Dijon, shallot, honey, olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside 1/2 of the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and Dijon mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Brush chicken with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 8 minutes.
- Brush with reserved Dijon mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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I’m going to use this on pork tenderloin!
Sounds delish, Julie!
Do you remove the white “tendon” that is in all tenderloins before marinating?
This was AMAZING! I had a bunch of fresh rosemary that I wanted to use and it was perfect for this recipe. The marinade was our favorite yet ( I left it overnight) and made the chicken so tender and flavorful. This will definitely be added into our rotation! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Loved it -must like Rosemary to really enjoy this recipe
Delicious! This will go into our dinner rotation. The whole family loved it.
My kids and I simply loved it , thank you ❤️
Could you freeze the chicken in the marinade to use later? Has anyone done this?
Going to try this weekend!
Absolutely delicious! Extremely flavorful and easy to make. The chicken tenders were marinated for 6 hours. Thank you for the great recipe.
Is there a substitute for rosemary (I really dislike the taste and smell of it). Perhaps Italian seasoning? Or can I omit altogether? I love anything with dijon on it.
So good! My family loved it.
Can it be made ahead and frozen?
I have been looking for a marinade that isn’t salty and light flavor. The chicken tenders were delicious and cooked on the grill. I marinated for 2 1/2 hours and it was enough time to get the flavor. I’d make again for sure.
Excellent! I made this recipe using chicken thighs and it was a hit! A welcome change from the chicken I usually make (bbq or teriyaki). Thank you!
Fantastic!! Best chicken I’ve ever made on the grill!! I used 2 tsp of dried Rosemary because I didn’t have any fresh on hand.
Has anyone subbed dried rosemary for fresh? I’m wondering how much dried to use. Thanks!
Best chicken marinade I have ever tried! Love it!
Looks good. But can the chicken be cooked in an air fryer? Or maybe cooked in the oven? Thanks. SueD
I have a Lodge stovetop reversible grill that I use when I don’t feel like firing up the BBQ.
Very easy to prepare and alive with flavor!
Delicious! Can these be made with breasts instead of tenderloins?
The ingredients looked great. I would love to make it except that I live in a condo where outdoor grilling is prohibited. Could you modify the directions to allow cooking indoors, either with an oven or Forman Grill?
Caitlin H says yes! “This was really tasty. I don’t have a grill, so I baked at 425 for 15 minutes, then brushed with the reserved marinade and baked one more minute.”