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Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions

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Braising is a wonderful cooking method to create flavorful one-pot meals with little effort. Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions is perfect for fall and takes about 60 minutes to get on the table. Pan seared chicken thighs are combined with apple cider, fresh apples and onions to bake in the oven for an easy dinner recipe.

Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions in a purple Le Creuset braising pan with fresh sage on marble pastry board BoulderLocavore.com

I think there is a happy meeting place between delicious recipes and easy, quick preparation for busy nights or frankly when you aren’t in the mood to slave in the kitchen. Braising is a wonderful way to harvest the flavors of some select ingredients with a bit of sautéing and cooking in the oven to produce savory, succulent cuts of meat brimming with great flavors. The other advantage of braising is the process produces a sauce and even a side dish depending on what is cooked with the protein, cutting the effort down even further.

What is Braising?

If you haven’t done braising it’s a simple one pot method of sautéing meat and usually some vegetables or aromatics, then combining with liquids and bake in the oven. Generally the recipes don’t require loads of ingredients; braising relies on distinct flavors to create a memorable dish. Another favorite braising  recipe that is a great example of this is Vermouth-Braised Lemon Chicken Legs. It includes fingerling potatoes so the entire meal is almost done when the pan comes out of the oven. Another favorite for lemon-lovers is Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs!Cider-braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions in French braising pan - BoulderLocavore.com

I love cooking with seasonal ingredients and the varieties of apples popping up is really exciting! A favorite of mine are Honeycrisp apples and I love making fresh applesauce or slow cooker apple butter with them to eat with everything. Apples traditionally are paired with pork however I wanted to cook them with my favorite piece of chicken: the thigh. The thigh is the most flavorful meat (along with the drumstick) and being dark meat it also is a juicier piece of the chicken.

Cider-braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions - BoulderLocavore.com

Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions. This simple fall-inspired recipes combines chicken thighs, yellow onion, fresh apple slices with spiced apple cider, apple brandy, broth and stoneground mustard for a luscious, flavorful recipe. Served with a side grain and the pan sauce will remind you why fall is a favorite season of all who enjoy cooking!

 

How to Make Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions:

Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions in a purple Le Creuset braising pan with fresh sage on marble pastry board BoulderLocavore.com
5 from 7 votes
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Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions

This simple, rustic fall dish is easy to prepare and sings with apple flavors. Braising keeps the chicken thigh moist and tender and produces a savory broth to serve with the cooked onion and apples. Ready, start to finish, in a bit over an hour. Serves 4-6.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 487 kcal
Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Thighs (bone in, skin on), rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
  • Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 large Yellow Onion , peeled, halved and cut into 1/4 –inch slices
  • 4 Garlic Cloves , diced
  • ½ cup Apple Brandy
  • ½ cup Spiced Apple Cider (regular apple cider may be substituted)
  • 1/2 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1 tablespoon Stoneground Mustard
  • 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 ½ pounds Apples , peeled, cored and rough chopped into large pieces

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken thighs.
  2. In a 3 ½ quart braiser or large heavy skillet with lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it is shimmering, place the chicken thighs skin-side (top) down into the skillet. Flip over after 5 minutes using a spatula to gently release any skin that might be sticking to the pan.
  3. Cook for more 5 minutes and remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
  4. Drain all the fat from the pan except 1 tablespoon. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion slices and garlic. Sauté until onions are limp; approximately 5 minutes.
  5. Raise heat back to medium-high and add the apple brandy, apple cider and chicken stock (be careful of any hot splattering of the liquid). Scrape the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula to release any pan drippings into the liquid. Boil for 1 minute.
  6. Add the mustard and heavy cream; stir to fully combine. Add the apples. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, cover and place into the preheated oven.
  7. Cook for 35 minutes. The final temperature should register 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
  8. Serve the chicken thighs on a bed of the onions and apples, drizzled in some of the pan sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions
Amount Per Serving
Calories 487 Calories from Fat 306
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 52%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 165mg 55%
Sodium 157mg 7%
Potassium 390mg 11%
Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Sugars 2g
Protein 25g 50%
Vitamin A 6.2%
Vitamin C 2.6%
Calcium 2.8%
Iron 6.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This delicious recipe was originally published in October 2015 and has been updated in 2017.

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  9. Hi Toni,

    Cider braised chicken thighs with apples and an onion is a delicious recipe. I had prepared this for the first time two selective eaters and they liked it. 🙂

    Reply

  11. I have a jug of apple cider in my fridge right now, and I think this is the perfect way to put some of it to use. It sounds like the perfect fall weather dinner!

    Reply

  15. I have a lot of apples from apple picking and thinking I can make this recipe but maybe alter it a little to suit the picky eaters around here. Love this idea! Yummy!

    Reply

    • Hi Jackie. If your concern is the alcohol, that evaporates during cooking just leaving the flavor of the apple brandy which is unique. You could try regular brandy though if you prefer to exclude liquor from the recipe just use more apple cider instead of the apple brandy. Does that help?

      Reply

  22. I love chicken and I love apples and always wanted to combine them. I can do it with pork, but never thought about how to do it with chicken. This is AWESOME! I’m going to make this next week – thank you!

    Reply

  27. I never braised chicken before but I bet that the meat comes out so tender and flavorful. This is just the type of recipe I’d like to serve my family during the Fall season.

    Reply

  28. I haven’t made braised chickens in ages. I love fall flavors so this chicken dish with cider and apples sounds perfect for me.

    Reply

  33. My favorite cut of the chicken is thighs as well. It’s just so tender and juicy. This is a recipe I will have to try. It looks easy enough.

    Reply

  38. I have heard of braising but I was never sure how to do it. You explained it pretty good. I know my husband would love this recipe, so maybe I will get brave enough to try it.

    Reply

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