One Pan Apple Cider Chicken
One Pan Apple Cider Chicken is exactly the kind of cozy dinner I want on the first chilly evening of fall. Golden, smoky-seasoned chicken thighs are cooked in one skillet with tender Honeycrisp apple slices and a silky, sweet-and-tangy apple cider sauce. It tastes like a cozy weekend meal, but it's on the table in about 30 minutes.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple, sliced
- ½ cup apple cider (not vinegar)
- ½ cup chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- fresh sprigs thyme and sage, optional
- 1 and ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or pan over medium heat.
- Trim any large pieces of fat from the chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Mix the paprika, smoked paprika, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper together and sprinkle over the chicken and rub into to cover both sides.
- Once skillet is hot, add the olive oil and place the chicken in skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until internal temperature of the chicken thighs reach 175℉. Remove chicken from pan to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add the butter to the pan and turn heat to low (no need to clean we will use those browned bits for our sauce). Add the shallot, garlic and apple slices to the pan.
- Sauté for 5-6 minutes being careful to not burn the shallots and garlic. The apples will become tender but we do not want them mushy.
- In a bowl mix together the apple cider, broth, brown sugar, balsamic, and Dijon mustard. Pour mixture into pan and continue to stir to loosen up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer the sauce for a couple minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch in a tablespoon COLD water. Add this to the pan to thicken the sauce. It will be thick enough to cover the back of a spoon but not quite as thick as gravy. Stir the fresh herbs into the sauce and return the chicken to sauce and heat through spooning the sauce over the thighs.
- Serve the chicken, apples and sauce with creamy mashed potatoes or sides of choice.