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One of my goals this fall is to create and discover a LOT more easy one skillet and one pan meals. Too often we end up going out to eat or having a frozen pizza for dinner because the thought of cooking a whole meal just feels like too much. I’m hoping to we can manage to eat BETTER dinners while not feeling like we’re in the kitchen forever cooking.
First stop: this One Skillet Apple Cider Chicken! It’s what Autumn dinner dreams are made of and I’m SO EXCITED for you to try it!!
I had 2 main goals for this recipe: 1) to keep it simple and one skillet (as previously mentioned) and 2) for it to be a big ole ode to AUTUMN! I’m happy to report that I achieved both marvelously.
Originally, I really wanted to use butternut squash in this recipe BUT I kind of hate making you cut into a squash and only use half (or less) of it. I’m sure you could figure out something to do with the rest but still. Instead, I opted for ONE sweet potato to keep things extra simple. THAT being said, I did test this recipe with a butternut squash and if you want to use that instead, you can swap it out and the recipe stays the same! Definitely something I recommend trying out.
Another swap that I tried with rosemary instead of thyme. It’s such a simple change but makes a HUGE difference in the flavor profile of this dish. While I LOVE both of these herbs, I ended up going with thyme for the recipe. But if you’re more of a rosemary fan, that would work GREAT in place of the thyme. OR, you could even do half and half! (I tested out all combinations and can attest that they’re all delicious!).
How to Make Apple Cider Chicken
Alrighty, let’s see how easy it is to make this One Skillet Apple Cider Chicken!
I like to start by getting all of the ingredients ready first. Once you start making this, it goes fairly quickly.
First we’re going to brown and (mostly) cook our chicken in the skillet. You can swap the chicken thighs out for chicken breasts if you would like but just note that it will change the cook time a bit. When in doubt, ALWAYS temperature check your chicken (in fact, just always do that!).
I make sure that the chicken is nice and browned on each side (anywhere between 4-8 minutes per side depending on the size of your chicken thighs) and cooked to a temperature of about 150 and then put it on a plate tented with aluminum foil. Chicken is fully done at 165 but will finish cooking at it sits in the foil while you cook the rest of the dish.
Once the chicken is done and resting in foil, we’ll start the sweet potato and let it cook for a few minutes before adding in the apples, onion, and spices. Then the cider and dijon go in and it all cooks until the veggies and apples are fork tender.
Then the chicken goes back in the skillet for a short bit and it’s DONE!
SO easy and SOOOO GOOD!
See How to Make this One Skillet Apple Cider Chicken:
One Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds of chicken thighs, about 4 thighs (bone in and skin on)*
- 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
- ¾ cup of apple cider
- 2 apples, I used 1 granny smith and 1 gala apple**
- 2 teaspoons Fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon of dried, can swap for rosemary if desired
- 1 medium sweet onion, cut into half inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks about ½ inch thick
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, i used whole grain dijon
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons of water, or more apple cider
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the chicken thighs and brown for 5-7 minutes per side depending on the size of your chicken. Remove from skillet and place on a plate covered with foil. The chicken will cook a bit more while it rests.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add in the sweet potato chunks. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the apples and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add in onion thyme, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and cook for an additonal few minutes.
- Mix in the apple cider and mustard making sure to mix it well and cover everything in the pan with the cider. Making little wells in the skillet, add the chicken back in, cover, and cook for an additional few minutes.
- Remove chicken and add in the cornstarch slurry. Mix thoroughly and let sit for a couple minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Divide into 4 servings, topping the chicken and veggies with the sauce, and ENJOY!!
This recipe was very good. I used an Ambrosia apple instead of a Gala apple. So much flavor. I will be making this dish again.
Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider? The store didn’t have cider, but had apple juice.
I love that you added Dijon Mustard to this recipe! It sounds so delicious. Cannot wait to make this at home. Thank you for sharing!