Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey mustard chicken legs in air fryer are great. You can use this same sauce on drumsticks, chicken thighs or breasts too. They turn out great baked in the oven or as air fryer chicken leg quarters too. Both methods and different cuts shared here.

We are going to focus on chicken with a honey mustard sauce on them today. Preferred cooking method is the air fryer but will share how long to bake along the way too. Both ways turn out tender inside but crispy skin on the outside with this killer sauce. One of our favorite easy air fryer recipes we make often.

With that you’ll just need to brush this mustard sauce on halfway thru after they have defrosted for a bit. Then it will stick nicely and not slide all the way off. That would be no good. Left as is it is it’s great but you can make air fryer honey mustard chicken with a bit of maple syrup too. Leave that out if you wanted to but it is a nice duo.

Ingredient Notes

• 2 lbs chicken legs that are fresh or thawed is what you want. Choose medium sizes with the skin on of course and I prefer organic free range for the best texture and high protein low fat content.
• The dijon mustard will give you a bit of a kick, a little spicy but not overwhelming flavor with a tad of vinegar flavor to it.
• Maple syrup and honey provides the sweetness you want but you could use one or the other. keep in mind that honey will cause it to brown more than the other though so add closer to the end so it becomes more golden brown and not too dark.
• Olive oil and seasonings will coat the outside to add flavor before starting this process. You could use avocado oil instead if you wanted.

You will want to line a baking sheet or baking dish with aluminum foil, then place a wire rack on top for best results so the hot air can rotate properly around each piece. Mix mustard sauce together in a bowl so it is ready. Spray rack with olive oil so they don’t stick and then lay on top so they don’t overlap. Check near the end until browned or until they reach internal temperature of 165 F in thickest part.

If you want to keep the legs and thighs together you can. You would need to follow the temperature and cook time for our baked chicken leg quarters though since they are larger.

with Chicken Thighs

If you wanted to make crispy chicken thighs instead you could follow the directions in this link. We first use a cast iron pan for this to get the skin crispy and browned, then transferring it to the oven to cook thru. If you want a larger piece of dark meat that works quite well, and they’re pretty cheap if you use bone-in skin on.

with Chicken Breasts

This is how long to cook chicken breast in oven at 350 so it is moist in the center but the skin is golden brown. You will want to brush this honey mustard sauce on halfway thru so it bakes on nicely but doesn’t get too deep and blackened. I use bone in for these as well as they are the cheapest and with the skin on maintains a lot of moisture too.

with Frozen Chicken

You can use it on all the pieces of the bird but we are showing you drumsticks in these photos. If you are forgetful and your meat is still hard there is a way to use it on frozen chicken legs in air fryer first and then when around 160F you would add your sauce to brown.

Tips

Make note that these baked chicken legs will turn browner if you air fry them than baked because of the syrup. Not that it changes the flavor at all but it will brown quite a bit so don’t worry if that is what you see. I have a way to tame that down if you brush it on halfway thru instead of right at the beginning. Go ahead and try both.

If you don’t want them to turn out as browned you can cook legs alone with olive oil sprayed on top for the first 10 minutes, then flip and brush mustard sauce on now, then bake for remaining 10-15 minutes.

in the Oven

For either baking chicken drumsticks at 400 in the oven or air frying them you’d use the same sauce ingredients you see here. Multigrain mustard would be the same as Dijon, depends on how it is labeled. You will need to dry meat and skin off with paper towels so this sticks well, that is a very important step for success.

in the Instant Pot

Now we have also made Instant Pot honey mustard chicken. If you do have a pressure cooker you can use this recipe as well. It comes out very tender but not crispy at all. Still good but different texture. Typically I work with boneless skinless chicken but when I want a sauce to really stick on I want all that good stuff stick on still.

on the Stove

You could make Pan Fried Chicken Legs first and then have the sauce ready to just brush on when those are done alternatively. A great choice if you like really crunchy crispy skin!

There are many quick and easy chicken recipes on our site. This air fryer or baked honey mustard chicken recipe is just one of our faves that is done in about 30 minutes. With a simple side dish or just enjoyed as is as a high protein meal that is low carb and keto friendly I assure you it will be a fave at your house too.

Can you reheat cooked chicken drumsticks?

Yes but keep in mind it will dry out more than it was fresh. The best way to add moisture is to pour more sauce over the top and then microwave for 1 minute or you can reheat chicken in air fryer too. You can mix up some more of this sauce or add 1 tbsp of chicken broth per piece. Bbq sauce works well with this to add flavor and get it tender again.