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Baked Crunchy Maple Dijon Chicken – a family favorite loved by everyone! Simple cornflake-crusted chicken baked up on a sheet pan until crispy and delicious. The crumb coating is part of the secret. But it’s the maple Dijon sauce that really surprises everyone in the most delicious way. Sweet maple with the perfect combination of creamy Dijon mustard, spices, and sea salt. A yummy weeknight dinner to serve up to family and friends this season.
Growing up, my dad would make his potato chip chicken for dinner once or twice a week. And Mom would often do a simple roasted chicken with a maple Dijon herb sauce.
We’d always have rice on the side. And if it was Sunday night, Mom might add some homemade bread. Maybe some broccoli too, but I’m going to be honest I don’t remember a lot of green things on the table as a kid. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up with 5 brothers. You eat a lot of chicken and taco dinners.
Which I’m not really complaining about, I love a chicken and rice dish, and tacos are my favorite.
Now that I cook, I love recreating some of the dinners we’d eat growing up, only I like to add more flavor. This chicken is a combination of Dad’s potato chip chicken, Mom’s maple Dijon chicken, and then, everyone’s favorite, hot honey chicken.
The breading comes from my dad, the sauce from my mom, and I stole the base recipe from the hot honey chicken.
It turned out so wonderful. It’s the maple Dijon sauce, it’s SO GOOD, I can’t wait for you to try it!
Here are the simple details
Step 1: the coating is key
Cornflakes are the star, they give the chicken that perfect crunch. I’ve tested other cereals, but everyone in the family agrees cornflakes have the best taste and crunch.
I use Nature’s Path, Organic Corn Flakes Cereal, which is naturally gluten-free and non-GMO. I order them online, but if you’re looking for something in-store, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are both good options.
Or you know, a box of Kellogs works in a pinch too.
Step 2: crunch the cornflakes
You can do this by hand, but I do prefer to use a food processor or a blend to get a really fine crumb. Then I always season the crumbs with paprika (smoked is especially yummy), onion powder, and garlic powder.
Then add parmesan cheese. It may sound odd, but the cheese adds a salty flavor that melts over the chicken becoming crispy as it bakes. It helps to create a chicken that’s very savory, not sweet.
Step 3: dredge the chicken
I dredge the chicken through beaten eggs, then through the crumbs. For a thicker coating, I’ll take the chicken and dip it back through the eggs, and the crumbs for a second time. This takes slightly longer, but the thicker coating is always delish.
Next, olive oil on the chicken to help it crisp up. Then just bake.
Step 4: the sauce
This is the real star of the recipe. It’s going to knock your socks off. We’re so obsessed with it.
Mix pure maple syrup (no added sugars or flavors), with a creamy Dijon mustard. Then add hot sauce and a mix of spices.
Just like a hot honey sauce, this is sweet, but more spicy than anything else. The maple balances it perfectly, and the Dijon adds the yummiest flavor.
Once the sauce is on the chicken, I add fresh thyme and sea salt.
This will be so great with a side of rice or roasted sweet potatoes. Very cozy and nice for fall!
Looking for more recipes? Here are a few to try:
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Fried Buffalo Goat Cheese Balls
Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch
Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Baked Crunchy Maple Dijon Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked Crunchy Maple Dijon Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 544 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 cups cornflakes (use gluten free, if needed)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- fresh thyme or parsley, for serving
Maple Dijon Sauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a food processor, combine the cornflakes, parmesan, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can crush the crumbs in a ziplock bag by stepping on them. Dump the crumbs into a shallow bowl.3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the chicken, and toss well to coat.3. Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, covering fully. Place on the prepared baking sheet. For a thicker coating, dip the chicken back through the eggs, then through the crumbs a second time. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp all around.4. To make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm together the maple syrup, Dijon, hot sauce, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, plus a pinch of salt. Stir in the thyme. 5. Drizzle the warm sauce over the chicken. Top with herbs. If the sauce thickens, warm for 5 seconds in the microwave. Enjoy!
Hi Tieghan,
I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow and just wanted to double check something. I noticed that hot sauce is listed twice in the ingredients – does hot sauce go in the egg wash or just in the maple dijon sauce? Many thanks 🙂
Hi Courtney,
Sorry about that! Yes, you can add the 2T of hot sauce in with the egg wash. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
The sauce was very good, however the breading for the chicken was just bland and not crunchy. I made a finer ground for the cornflakes so that might have been the issue? I was picturing more of a crunch and it didn’t have any.
Hi Alexis,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I think the finer grounds of the cornflakes made this less crunchy than what you were expecting. xx
Your new Jupiter shop doesn’t update serving sizes when you alter them and print. Just FYI! I cook for a lot of people, and without fail, it never updates the serving size on the recipes when I print them after altering the number of people and feeding. The recipe is, however, updated, for the ingredients themselves. But not the number of people it serves. Something to look into.
Hi Chloe,
Thanks so much for pointing this out and sharing, we will look into this! So sorry for any issues and frustration here. Have a great weekend! xx
I am so sorry but this was NOT good and not one of the 4 of us liked it. Surprising to me because I’ve made and we have all loved every single other HBH recipe I’ve tried (over 30). Not sure what went wrong. The cornflakes just didn’t taste right- and it needed more salt (I used a pinch but maybe not a big enough pinch). Tasted kind of like cardboard and wasn’t the right kind of crunch. The sauce was great. Oh well! Can’t win them all!
Hi Sally,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
This is excellent and very easy to make! I made baked sweet potato wedges and broccoli to go with it which was perfect! I think next I might put it on a roll with Cole slaw! Lots of ways to love this chicken!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you’re having an awesome weekend! 🙂 xT
This is INSANELY delicious. Thank you for making me feel competent in the kitchen with your recipes that are so easy to follow.
Hi! Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
Easy to make and absolutely delicious! The sauce is to die for!
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
You know this is the best thing that I have used corn flakes for!
Love the sauce! Wouldn’t swap or change anything in this recipe.
It has been tossed in the rotation of dinners.
Going to try the Hot honey one next!
Hey Mary Ann! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
I love this recipe! Chicken is moist and delicious and is great leftover as a sandwich with the sauce. I love the baking instead of sautéing or frying. But I am also wondering about the extra 2 Tablespoons of hot sauce in the recipe. Two others have asked but have not received an answer. The video of the chicken being dipped in the egg looks like plain egg. Is it just a typo or is the hot sauce added to the egg?
Thank you so so much Jan! xT