Unsure of what to do with your apple orchard haul? Look no further than this Apple Cider Glazed Chicken! This dish just screams Fall with its subtle apple flavor and gentle sweetness to the perfectly seasoned chicken to balance the savory. Sweet potatoes and apples round out the experience by giving some great texture and flavor. The skin has the perfectly slight crisp from the caramelized cider and honey, you’ll be wanting this all year long!
What Cider to use for Apple Cider Glazed Chicken?
This may seem like a kinda stupid question, but there is a difference in ciders. Treated cider is what most people are familiar with. This is cider that is pasteurized or has artificial preservatives added to extend shelf life. This process changes the sweetness, body, and flavor of the cider but overall, it’s the cider you know and love. Natural cider on the other hand is untreated. This means that natural raw cider is more tangy, and will eventually ferment. This initially adds some carbonation but given the time, it’ll turn to hard cider.
Of course, that’s just the nonalcoholic options. If you go with an alcoholic cider, not only will it tend to be sweeter but there’s a larger variety of flavors and the sort to give. At the end of the day, you can really experiment with ciders to get the best flavor for you. Personally, we went with some pasteurized cider from a local apple orchard and it led to some fantastic Apple Cider Glazed Chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions for Apple Cider Glazed Chicken
What are the best apples for Apple Cider Glazed Chicken?
You’re going to want an apple with crisp texture, and a sweet flavor. We prefer Fuji, but Honey Crisp, Gala, or Roma will also work. Fuji and Honey Crisp are a little less sweet, Roma is something in between, and Gala is tops for sweetness.
What parts of the Chicken should I use?
We used thighs, but this recipe works well with really any bone in Chicken. You could do it with boneless chicken as well, but reduce the simmering time to about 15 minutes depending on the size of the meat.
My glaze isn’t as thick and sticky as I want, what do I do?
If you want your glaze for your Apple Cider Glazed Chicken, then simply mix up a slurry of a couple tablespoons of cornstarch with a touch of water. Now stir a tablespoon of slurry at a time into your sauce while whisking until your thickness is acquired.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 2 apples, sliced
- Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
- 2/3 c. apple cider
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. Grainy mustard
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 3 rosemary sprigs, for skillet
Preparation Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a medium bowl, add potatoes, apples and chopped rosemary and season with Dan-O's Spicy. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until combined.
- In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining olive oil. Season Chicken with Spicy Dan-O's, then add chicken and sear, skin side down, until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove chicken from heat while you make the glaze.
- To the same skillet, add apple cider, honey and grainy mustard. Bring mixture to a rapid simmer and cook until mixture has reduced slightly then whisk in the butter. Return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up, and scatter the sweet potato mixture and rosemary sprigs around the chicken. Turn off the heat and transfer the entire skillet to the oven.
- Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. (If potatoes need longer to cook, transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest and continue cooking until tender.)
- Serve chicken and potatoes with pan drippings.
This recipe looks great but it doesn’t say when to add the Dan-o’s seasoning in the directions. When do you add it?
Lisa Durland
Check again but you’ll be seasoning the veggies and the chicken with it.
Hope that helps.