One skillet is all you need to make this tender and juicy apple cider chicken. The process is really easy: coat chicken thighs with a cozy, flavorful mix of warm spices and cook them in a skillet. Remove, and then prepare a super simple apple cider pan sauce with sweet apples and shallots. This is a quick, crowd-pleasing 35-minute dinner recipe you’ll want to make on repeat all autumn long!
One reader, Juliev, commented: “Delicious! I made a double batch of this for my bigger family last night and it was wonderful. The warm savory spices and mild sweetness of the sauce are so good together. Chicken and apples both came out beautifully. Definitely making again. ★★★★★“
If you love spiced apple cider and jump for joy at the thought of a quick & easy chicken dinner, you’ll flip for this generously spiced apple cider chicken dish. It’s wonderfully savory, and has a kiss of sweetness from the apple cider and brown sugar.
FALL IN LOVE!
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Chicken
- Quick and easy 1-pan meal
- Extra tender, juicy chicken
- Basically fall in a skillet 😉
- Cozy warm spices with salty, sweet, and savory flavors
- Apple cider and butter obviously make a delicious pan sauce
- Undeniably crowd pleasing, so you’ll want to make again and again
If there’s one stand-out meal you make during the fall season… one that will have everyone talking and demanding you make on repeat… it’s this. See my list of 30 delicious fall dinner recipe ideas for even more inspiration.
The best part of this dish, obviously besides its ease and the FABULOUS apple cider pan sauce, is the robust mix of spices. I adapted this dish from a Cooking Light recipe I found, and added quite a bit more spice so the flavors really stand out.
Use These Spices for the Best Flavor
- Salt & Pepper
- Ground Coriander
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Nutmeg
- Dried Thyme Leaves
If you’ve made this maple-roasted squash kale salad before, you already have most of these spices in your kitchen!
You also need chicken, a little butter and olive oil, a touch of brown sugar, apples (no need to peel), shallots, and… the star of the show… apple cider. Be sure to use apple cider, the nonalcoholic beverage, and not apple cider vinegar. You’ll be deeply disappointed with that mistake!
A little tip: Fresh apple cider typically appears in grocery stores and farm markets around late summer, but can get harder to find by the end of the year. To ensure I can make this cozy recipe all throughout the winter, I like to freeze some apple cider in an ice cube tray, then defrost a couple of frozen cider cubes whenever I want to make it. You can also use it to make this baked apple cider French toast and honeycrisp apple sangria throughout the season. Or try making your own homemade apple cider!
Success Tip: Use Chicken Thighs Instead of Chicken Breasts
If you want to make this recipe with chicken breasts instead of thighs you can, but you’ll lose some flavor. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of meat, so they taste much richer than chicken breast meat. They are also smaller than most chicken breasts, so they cook faster on the stove. If you use chicken breasts, I recommend buying the thin-sliced or tenderloin cuts.
But for best results with this recipe, I strongly recommend chicken thighs.
Start the Chicken, Then Make the Pan Sauce
Ideally, you want a pretty big skillet for this recipe, and I usually use my 12-inch cast-iron skillet. This is the same skillet I use to make creamy garlic chicken and walnut crusted chicken. If your skillet is small, you can cook the chicken in batches. You can also use a Dutch oven.
Sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides of the chicken thighs, then cook the chicken in a little oil, flipping once, until both sides are golden-brown and the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).
Remove the chicken and set aside.
Add the butter to the pan (don’t wipe it out first—you want the flavorful spices and drippings from the chicken in there for the pan sauce!), and swirl to coat. Add the apple and shallot slices and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften. Pour in the apple cider, and cook until the apples are crisp-tender, and the sauce has thickened a bit.
Finish up by adding the cooked chicken back to the pan—just for a couple minutes, to warm it back up and mix everything together.
The process is a lot like my reader-favorite cilantro lime chicken and this creamy lemon thyme chicken (one of my all-time best dishes!).
I like to garnish the dish with more thyme, plus some fresh rosemary if I have it on hand. To serve, place the chicken thighs on plates, then top each piece of chicken with a big scoop of apples and shallots, along with that delicious apple cider pan sauce.
FAQs
Coriander brings a lot of flavor to this dish, so I don’t recommend skipping it or substituting it. In an absolute pinch, you can substitute with ground caraway, or with 1/4 teaspoon each dried oregano and ground cumin.
You can, but you’ll lose some flavor. Apple cider is fresh, unfiltered, and typically unpasteurized, so it’s more like the raw, purer version of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to extend its shelf life.
Most apple varieties work for this recipe, though I’d steer clear of softer, mealier varieties like Red Delicious and McIntosh, which could cook down into mush. I tend to use one tart apple (like Granny Smith) and one sweet apple (like Honeycrisp). I use this same half tart/half sweet trick pretty much every time I bake with apples, whether I’m making apple pie or apple cinnamon bread.
My best apples for baking also applies here. 😉
What to Serve With Apple Cider Chicken
This chicken recipe pairs with many different side dishes. I like to serve it with green beans and rice, which can both be made on the stove as well. (Sometimes I have to give my oven a night off!)
But this apple cider chicken is also tasty with potatoes or sweet potatoes, a fresh green salad, dinner rolls or brown butter sage dinner rolls, asiago-crusted skillet bread, or cornbread. If you’re feeding a larger crowd and want some more substantial side dish options, try green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mushroom puff pastry tarts, or zucchini casserole.
Have leftover apples on your hands? Try apple cobbler or apple turnovers for dessert!
More Fall Dinner Recipes
Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
One skillet is all you need to cook this tender, juicy chicken with sweet apples and apple cider sauce. A blend of spices add impeccable flavor, and the apple cider sauce is made right in the same skillet! Review recipe Notes before starting.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound (454g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
- 2 cups (250g) apple slices (about 1/4-inch-thick slices, no need to peel)
- 1/3 cup (40g) chopped shallots (or yellow onion)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar)
- optional: fresh thyme and rosemary, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat. I usually use a cast iron skillet, but any skillet this size works. You can also use a Dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 teaspoon salt, the coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried thyme, and pepper. Sprinkle the spice mixture over both sides of the chicken thighs.
- Add a drizzle of oil to the hot skillet, and swirl to coat. Add the chicken thighs to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 more minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C)). Transfer chicken to a plate and cover lightly. You’ll add it back to the pan in the end of the next step.
- Add the butter to the pan (no need to wipe it out first), and gently swirl to coat as it melts. Add the brown sugar, apples, and shallots, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Pour in the apple cider and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cider sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Spoon the apple mixture over the chicken to serve. Garnish with fresh thyme and rosemary, if desired.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. The butter in the sauce will solidify, but once you reheat, it all comes back together. You can reheat on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Cast-Iron Skillet | Tongs | Instant-Read Thermometer
- What can I use instead of coriander? Ground coriander brings a lot of flavor to this dish, so I don’t recommend skipping it or substituting it. In an absolute pinch, you can just leave it out or substitute ground caraway, or 1/4 teaspoon each dried oregano and ground cumin.
- Can I use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs? You can, but you’ll lose some flavor, and they may take longer to cook. For best results, I strongly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider? You can, but you’ll lose some flavor. Apple cider is fresh, unfiltered, and typically unpasteurized, so it’s more like the raw, purer version of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to extend its shelf life.
- Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 247
- Sugar: 19.7 g
- Sodium: 523.1 mg
- Fat: 9.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Protein: 17.4 g
- Cholesterol: 95.2 mg
There is no way in the world a boneless chicken thigh cooks to 165 degrees in five minutes per side. Mine took twice that long and were still pink in the middle. I will stick to Sally’s baking recipes and avoid the entreé recipes from now on.
Hi JA, exact cooking time can vary depending on the size of your chicken thighs. An instant-read thermometer is helpful for determining when they’re done. Thanks for giving this recipe a try.
Going to make this tonight, but realized I don’t have shallots or an onion. Will going without completely change the flavors, or will it be close enough?
Hi Cassie, you can certainly give it a try without, but the onions/shallots do add quite a bit of flavor.
So excited to try this! One question, I’m going to use fileted breasts, do you think the sauce would still set up properly if I just browned the breasts and then added them back in after softened the apples to simmer until cooked through? Thanks!
Hi Sara! See recipe notes, we really recommend sticking with chicken thighs and the recipe as written for best results.
This was amazing! Perfect fall night dinner. We served it with roasted butternut squash. I will be freezing cider to make this again.
I think I’m going to try this recipe with pork chops instead of chicken . I have lots of cider left over from making the cider donuts which were fantastic!
Update: I made this with thin bone in pork chops . So delicious!
Outstanding! The flavors are full and rich with the spices and apples. I ended up adding a bit more cider and butter for more sauce. I would – and will!- absolutely make this again.
Very excited to see this recipe! It sounds and looks incredibly delicious and garlic is not part of the flavor profile. I can’t eat garlic and sometimes it’s hard to know how to substitute for it without losing the essence of the recipe. We are without power for not sure how long (Hurricane Milton) but otherwise unscathed so I won’t complain about waiting to be able to make this recipe. As soon as I can though, boom! This will be on the table!
I made this last Wednesday for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) dinner. It was a great chicken dish. At Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to dip apples in honey for a sweet new year, so the sweetness in the dish with the apples was perfect.
What’d you use instead of the butter? I’m debating adding this to our Rosh Hashanah repertoire (we have a beef with apples recipe I usually do, but a little variety doesn’t hurt).
Any chance there re make ahead instructions? Hate to be “cooking” once guests arrive. THX so much
Hi Cat, you could make the whole thing ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to reheat on the stove. The butter in the sauce will solidify, but once you reheat, it all comes back together. Otherwise, the best way is just to have all your ingredients measured out and ready to cook. Enjoy!
This was so amazing! My husband’s favorite in a long time. I’m a good cook, but this was stunning. I served it with a small baked sweet potato, green beans and sautéed summer squash. I usually add or change a recipe, but I did not! Delicious!
A very tasty dish. Other than doubling the sauce I made it exactly as printed.
This was amazing! British here and loved the process, tasted just like Autumn and I’d make it again, don’t think the family were the most keen on the flavours but it’s because those flavours aren’t used the most in this house. Took a bit of getting used to myself but it was delicious!
This recipe turned out delicious! Such a unique spice blend that I never would have used otherwise. The apples could also be a side dish on their own. I did have big chicken thighs and they were just never going to cook fully in the pan without the spices getting absolutely blackened. After browning on both sides, I baked the chicken at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes until they came up to temp. Still turned out great, just took longer.
This was REALLY delicious. I had over 2 pounds of thighs, so I doubled the recipe, and gave some to my neighbor ~ she loved it, too. Still plenty leftover.
I’ve prepared this recipe with chicken as well as pork, and both are delicious.
Question about apple cider. Cider here in Australia is alcoholic and seems fairly processed. Could I juice apples in a blender and use that as a substitute
Hi David, here is a homemade apple cider recipe you could use to make the cider needed for this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
My entire family–even the grandchildren–loved this recipe! I tripled the chicken and spices and doubled the amount of apples and cider to have enough for my family and happily to have leftovers for the next day. Absolutely delicious! I’ll make this again. It even works well for my granddaughter who is Celiac.
I’m excited to try this recipe! What type of apples do you recommend?
Hi April, see FAQ in the post for our favorite apples to use in this dish. Enjoy!
This was beyond delish. My 1, 4, and 6 year olds barely touched it (they are skeptical of cooked apples), the fools, but my husb. and I gleefully ate their leftovers. I see this as the comfort food they will request on trips home from college down the road, much older and wiser!
Possibly the weirdest combination of ingredients I’ve ever combined, but it turned out fantastic! Will definitely make it again!
This was a hit!!
My husband said this recipe is a keeper and a winner. From a man of few words this is an outstanding compliment to you, Sally. Thank you. You help me be a successful cook!
Incredibly savory and delicious!!! The chicken thighs came out sooo tender! A definite family favorite…
This is delicious and very easy to make ! Hubby loved it ! What about substituting bourbon for the cider ?
Hi Julie, we’re so glad you loved it! We haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do. Perhaps you could start by swapping half the cider for bourbon?
This was delicious. I couldn’t find apple cider at the grocery store near me, so I made my own.
I made this for dinner tonight and as we were eating, my husband said I should add this to our recipe rotation because it was so, so good. We served it up with some roasted potatoes, but I’ll try roasted sweet potatoes next time. Wonderful!
Easy and delicious!
This was a big hit tonight! A great fall recipe!! I will definitely make this again!!
Please explain what “Cooking Mode” is and how it works. Thanks.
Hi Judy, the Cooking Mode button will prevent the screen from turning off when you are in the middle of making a recipe. A handy feature for sure!
I would love to make this recipe (apple cider chicken) doubled in a crock pot. Do you have suggestions on how to do that?
Hi Julia, we recommend the stove for this. But if you try a version in the slow cooker, let us know how it turns out!
This was “bussin” as the kids say. The sauce was so good and there wasn’t nearly enough of it. I recommend tripling the sauce ingredients, I know I will be the next time I make it. Also I used instant cider from a packet and it turned out great.