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Apple cider chicken thighs bring all the best fall flavors to your plate! Juicy chicken, caramelized apples, and a rich cider sauce for the ultimate cozy dinner.
Why You’ll Fall for This Dish
- Sweet & Savory: The tender apples and savory seasoning create a perfect flavor balance.
- One-Skillet Wonder: Everything cooks together for easy prep and cleanup.
- Full of Fall Flavor: Warm spices, tender chicken, and a cider pan sauce that tastes like the season.
- Easy to Pair: Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Apple Cider Chicken Thigh Ingredients
- Apples: Skip soft apples like McIntosh or Red Delicious. Choose crisp ones like Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Gala.
- Apple Cider: Use fresh cider for the best flavor. Apple juice works in a pinch, but not apple cider vinegar. I like grabbing mine at the farmer’s market.
How to Make Apple Cider Chicken Thighs
This apple cider chicken thigh recipe comes together fast! Browning the chicken first ensures a crispy, golden exterior, and using fresh apples and cider makes the flavors shine.
- Prepare the Chicken: Thoroughly pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
- Season Chicken: Combine salt, black pepper, dried thyme, dried sage, ground allspice, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl, then coat the chicken in the seasoning blend.
- Cook the Chicken: Add the seasoned chicken thighs, top-side down, to a heated skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and cook for 5-7 minutes more, until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Brown the Apples: Melt the butter in the skillet and cook the apple slices for 2 minutes, until they are lightly browned, then flip them to cook the other side for an additional 2 minutes.
- Start the Sauce: Add apple cider, chicken broth, and Dijon mustard to the skillet, then bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cook for about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Finish the Sauce: Combine cornstarch with water in a small bowl before whisking it into the sauce. Once thickened, add the chicken thighs back to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until they’re heated through.
Spoon the sauce and apples over the chicken, then garnish with fresh thyme or parsley and serve.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
Chicken Thighs: Bone-in, skin-on thighs work; you will just need to cook them longer. Sear skin-side down for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
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Apple Cider Chicken Thighs
Juicy chicken thighs simmered in apple cider with crisp apples and warm spices. This cozy fall dinner is full of flavor.
Equipment
- 1 14-inch skillet preferably cast iron
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs about 6-8 thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt additional to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper additional to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 large apples sliced into ¼-inch thick slices, peeling optional
- 1 ¾ cups fresh apple cider
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch for slurry
- 2 tablespoons water for slurry
- fresh thyme or parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried sage, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder in a large bowl.
- Thoroughly dry 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs by patting them with paper towels before adding them to the bowl with the spices. Toss until evenly coated in the rub.
- Heat a large 14-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet.
- Add the seasoned chicken thighs top-side down to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to the skillet. Once melted, add 2 large apples and spread them into an even layer. Cook for 2 minutes, until the apples are lightly browned before flipping them to cook the other side for another 2 minutes.
- Add 1 ¾ cups fresh apple cider, ¼ cup chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl before whisking it into the sauce. Once thickened, add the chicken thighs back to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until the chicken is heated through.
- Spoon the sauce and the apples over the chicken before garnishing with fresh thyme or parsley and serving.
Notes
- Storage (Refrigerator): Keep leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Reheating: Warm in the microwave (20–30 sec bursts) or in a skillet over medium heat (3–4 min) until hot.
- Make Ahead: Season chicken up to 24 hours ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Nutrition
Calories: 316kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 30gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 572mgPotassium: 529mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 141IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
