A friend from church shared this comforting dish with me and it tastes incredible. It only requires 4 ingredients to get that perfect sticky glaze!

This oven baked 4-ingredient Amish sweet mustard chicken bake is the kind of comforting dish that shows up at every church supper around here. A dear friend from church passed this recipe to me years ago, written on a stained index card, and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s wonderfully simple—just chicken and a sweet mustard glaze that bakes up sticky, brown, and bubbling in the pan. With only four ingredients and no fussy steps, it’s the sort of recipe you can tuck into your weeknight rotation but still be proud to serve to company.

This chicken is lovely with simple country sides that soak up that sweet mustard sauce. Serve it over fluffy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or plain white rice so every bit of the sticky glaze has somewhere to go. A side of green beans, steamed broccoli, or a crisp lettuce salad balances the sweetness nicely. Warm dinner rolls or a slice of soft white bread are perfect for swiping through the pan juices at the end.

Servings: 4

2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, then lightly grease the foil.

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and arrange them in a single layer on the prepared pan. Tuck the pieces close together but not overlapping so they cook evenly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yellow mustard, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar until smooth and well blended. The mixture should be thick but pourable, like a loose honey mustard.

Spoon or pour the sweet mustard mixture evenly over the chicken, turning the pieces once or twice with tongs to coat all sides. Spread them back into a single layer, meatiest sides facing up, with plenty of sauce on top.

Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, carefully remove the pan and spoon some of the bubbling sauce from the bottom of the pan back over the chicken pieces to help build that sticky glaze.

Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C) and the sauce around it is thickened, glossy, and deep golden-brown at the edges.

If you’d like the tops extra caramelized, move the pan to the upper third of the oven for the last 3 to 5 minutes of baking, watching closely so the sugar in the glaze doesn’t burn.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken a bit more as it cools. Spoon some of the rich brown sauce over each piece before serving.

For a slightly sharper old-fashioned flavor, you can swap half of the yellow mustard for Dijon or brown mustard, keeping the total mustard amount the same. If your family prefers a milder sweetness, reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 cup; for a more pronounced sticky glaze, you can increase it to a generous 1/2 cup, but keep in mind the sauce will brown faster. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks also work well—just add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time and make sure the juices run clear. To feed a crowd at a potluck, double the recipe and use a large foil-lined roasting pan, stirring and basting the chicken once halfway through baking. Leftovers reheat nicely in a covered dish at 325°F until warmed through, and the sauce is wonderful spooned over reheated chicken or even over a baked potato the next day.