Maple Mustard Chicken & Brown Butter Herb Stuffing Sheet Pan
This cozy Maple Mustard Chicken & Stuffing Sheet Pan Dinner is a fall-inspired, family-friendly weeknight recipe made with seasoned chicken thighs, apples, onions, and a brown butter herb stuffing. Everything bakes on one pan for an easy, flavorful, busy-mom dinner that feels like Thanksgiving—without the work.
Creator: Leslie Stokes
There are some recipes that come together so effortlessly, you almost feel like the universe handed you a gift. That’s exactly how this Maple Mustard Chicken & Stuffing Sheet Pan feels. It’s one of those dinners that tastes like you tried—but didn’t actually have to try. Which, if you’re anything like me, is the ultimate kitchen win.
And if you’ve been here for a while, you already know I have a deep love for anything cozy, warm, and seasonal… but also anything that makes dinner happen quickly while the chaos of life is happening around me. This meal checks every single box: fast, comforting, balanced, and the kind of recipe you’ll crave again the next night.
This one feels like a slower fall Sunday, even if you’re eating it in between homework checks and rushing kids to activities. It’s Thanksgiving energy… minus the five hours of dishes.
The Inspiration Behind This Recipe
Every year when the weather starts to cool, I immediately want dinners that feel nostalgic. Soft onions, baked apples, warm spices, golden chicken—anything that smells like my house should have leaves falling outside the window. But I don’t have time for complicated weekday meals, and I know you don’t either.
So I wanted something that delivered all the fall coziness without the time commitment. Instead of roasting a whole chicken and baking stuffing separately, why not put everything on one pan and let the oven do the work?
The maple-mustard glaze is actually something I’ve been doubling lately (highly recommend), because it’s the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, and it caramelizes beautifully on chicken thighs. Once I tried it with apples and onions, it turned into a must-repeat dinner in our house.
Add in that Brown Butter & Herb stuffing—completely effortless but full of homemade flavor—and suddenly you have a sheet pan dinner that tastes like a holiday meal.
Why This Recipe Works So Well
This meal is literally the trifecta of busy-season cooking:
One pan for easy cleanup
You get juicy chicken, roasted apples and onions, and perfect crispy-edged stuffing all on the same sheet pan. Less cleanup means more time for everything else (or more time for absolutely nothing, which is honestly the dream).
All the cozy flavors with zero fuss
Garlic, paprika, maple, Dijon, apples… it’s warm, sweet, savory, and aromatic in the best way.
High-protein + filling
The chicken, eggs in the stuffing, and even the veggies make this surprisingly balanced.
Family-friendly
It tastes familiar. Kids love it. Adults love it. And it looks beautiful on a plate.
Feels special without being hard
This is the meal I would make for friends coming over, for a Sunday dinner, or when I want something a little elevated but don’t want to spend more than 15 minutes prepping.
Let’s Talk About the Maple-Mustard Glaze
This glaze deserves its own section.
It’s only a handful of ingredients—Dijon, maple, olive oil, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper—but when it bakes onto the chicken and fruit, it becomes this glossy, slightly sticky, caramelized layer that tastes like fall.
Doubling it was the best thing I ever did. The extra glaze you save for after cooking gives the dish the perfect finishing touch and makes the whole meal taste more intentional, more layered, and honestly… more delicious.
The Apples + Onions Combo
If you’ve never roasted apples with chicken, let this be your sign. They soften, they caramelize, and they absorb some of the maple and Dijon as they bake. The onions melt into that sweetness and become this tender, flavor-soaked bed that pairs perfectly with the stuffing and the chicken.
Little bites of soft apple with crispy-edged stuffing? It’s chef’s kiss.
The Stuffing — The Star You Don’t Have to Work For
The Brown Butter & Herb stuffing mix does so much of the heavy lifting for you. It smells like homemade stuffing without actually having to cube bread, toast it, season it, etc.
When you prepare it with the sautéed onion, celery, chicken broth, half and half, eggs, and melted butter, it becomes rich and soft inside while still getting crunchy on the outside. Spoon little mounds onto the sheet pan and you get these golden edges that your family will literally fight over.
I’ve made a lot of sheet pan meals, but adding stuffing just takes this into a whole new category of comfort.
How to Make the Meal Prep–Friendly Version
This recipe reheats like a dream. Here’s how I pack it:
Slice chicken or leave whole (thighs stay juicy).
Add a scoop of stuffing to the corner of the container.
Add roasted apples and onions.
Pack green beans separately so they stay crisp.
Add a tiny container of the reserved maple-mustard glaze for reheating.
Everything stays flavorful for up to 3 days, and reheating the stuffing with a splash of broth brings it right back to life.
Variations + Swaps
You can totally customize this recipe depending on what you have:
Protein Options
Chicken breasts (reduce cook time by ~5 minutes)
Turkey tenderloins
Pork chops
Plant-based chicken if you want a meatless version
Vegetable Add-Ins
Butternut squash
Sweet potato wedges
Carrots
Brussels sprouts
Just keep everything roughly the same size so it cooks evenly.
Stuffing Shortcuts
You can make the stuffing ahead of time
OR
Bake the stuffing entirely separate if you want it extra crispy.
Glaze Enhancements
Add:
A squeeze of lemon
A pinch of cinnamon
Crushed red pepper
A splash of apple cider
Cooking Tips for Best Results
1. Use parchment paper
It saves your pan and helps the glaze caramelize instead of burning.
2. Don’t spread the stuffing—mound it
This gives you the golden crunchy bits everyone loves.
3. Use thighs for juiciness
Breasts work, but thighs shine here.
4. Broil the last minute
This makes everything golden and gives you that irresistible finishing color.
5. Don’t skip the post-bake glaze drizzle
It ties everything together and makes the flavors pop.
Storage & Reheating
Maple Mustard Chicken & Brown Butter Herb Stuffing Sheet Pan
Ingredients
For the Chicken & Sheet Pan
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard double from original
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 1 Honeycrisp apple thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
For the Stuffing:
- Prepare according to the box:
- 1 box Kinder’s Brown Butter & Herb Stuffing 6 oz
- 1 cup minced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup half & half
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp melted butter
For the Green Beans:
- 2 cups fresh green beans
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt + pepper
Optional Garnish
- Fresh thyme
- Extra drizzle of warm maple mustard glaze reserved
Let's Make It
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the glaze: In a small bowl, mix Dijon, maple syrup, olive oil, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- → Set aside half to drizzle on after baking.
- Assemble the sheet pan: Place chicken thighs on one side of the pan. Add the sliced apples and onions around them. Brush generously with half of the maple-mustard glaze.
- Make the stuffing: In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, celery, onion, chicken broth, half & half, eggs, and melted butter. Mix until just moistened.
- Spoon the stuffing around the pan in small mounds for crispy edges.
- Bake uncovered for 30–35 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165°F and stuffing is golden and crisp.
- Broil 1–2 minutes if you want extra color.
- Cook the green beans: While the sheet pan bakes, sauté green beans in olive oil with salt and pepper for 5–6 minutes until bright and tender-crisp.
- Finish: Drizzle the warm reserved glaze over the chicken and garnish with fresh thyme.
- Serve with green beans.
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Information (Per Serving, 4 servings)
(Includes chicken, glaze, apples/onions, and prepared stuffing. Green beans add ~35 calories, 2g protein.)
Calories: 612
Protein: 34 g
Carbs: 48 g
Fat: 28 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 12 g
