This apple cider braised chicken recipe has chicken thighs, apples, and kale in a sauce made with apple cider, Dijon mustard, and cider vinegar. The apples and kale serve as the side dish, so it's an easy one pan meal! Ready in about an hour.
This apple cider braised chicken recipe is full of fall ingredients, showcasing apples in all sorts of ways—the fruit itself, the juice, and apple cider vinegar—in a savory dish.
The sauce is a perfect balance of sweet and savory, tangy and acidic, with the bold flavors of mustard and vinegar being toned down by apple cider and sage. Braising chicken in vinegar is an age-old technique, if you like that idea, you'll love chicken escabeche.
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Ingredients you'll need
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Try to find 6-8 thighs that are relatively close to the same size and not too big. You'll crisp them up in two batches, but they all have to fit into the pan at the same time to finish cooking. I love this saucy skillet method, I use the same braising technique to make chicken tagine with apricots.
- Kale: Just the good old curly kale. No need to pay more for the fancier Tuscan variety. (Unless you want to.)
- Apples: Use sweet red apples such as Fuji or Gala, save the tart ones for an apple fennel salad. US Apple has great resources if you want to compare varieties.
- Apple cider: Just plain apple cider, make sure it's not flavored with cinnamon or other spices. I like the natural, unfiltered ones for this because it adds a bit more flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar: Again, I like the unfiltered cider vinegar that still has the mother in it. More tang and flavor.
- Dijon mustard: We are using ยผ cup of Dijon! Bam! That's a lot of flavor. And I suggest you get a really zippy one, too.
- Fresh sage: Does anything taste more like fall than sage? I love the fresh stuff, but if you must, you can substitute dried sage, but only use 1 teaspoon because dried herbs are more concentrated.
- Shallots and garlic: Shallots are milder than onions and their flavor blends perfectly with the mustard and apple flavors.
- Chicken stock, salt, freshly ground black pepper: This makes up the rest of our delicious sauce.
*Ingredients with measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Mustard and vinegar have much to offer!
Mustard and vinegar are two of my favorite ingredients to cook with. Yes, cook with. (I've got 4 kinds of mustard in the fridge and 6 kinds of vinegar in the cupboard.) Keep a variety around and try using them to amp up your sauces. Don't just save them for condiments and salad dressing!
How to make apple cider braised chicken
Adapted from NYT Cooking.
Step 1: Get the chicken thighs crispy
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper. Place a deep, ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.
Working in two batches, place chicken thighs skin side down for about 8 minutes until golden brown. Flip over and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Remove and set aside on a plate.
Step 2: Prep apples, kale and herbs
While the chicken thighs are browning, use a good chef's knife to slice the shallots thinly. Chop the sage finely. Then slice the apples into thin little wedges, if you have a mandoline, it makes it easier to get even slices.
Remove the kale from the stems and tear into large pieces, there's no need to chop it because it will cook down.
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How to remove kale from the stem
Fold the kale leaves toward each other like a greeting card. Grasp the stem with one hand and grasp the leaves with the other and pull both hands away from each other. The kale leaves will come away from the stem easily and quickly.
Step 3: Make the apple cider braising sauce
Add shallots and garlic to the remaining rendered chicken fat in the pan, stirring frequently and scraping up browned bits until shallots are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 4 minutes.
Whisk in the dijon mustard, vinegar, apple cider, chicken stock, and sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and reduce slightly.
Step 4: Add apples and kale to the sauce
Add the kale to the dijon sauce and keep turning it over in the pan until it is wilted. This will seem like SO. MUCH. KALE. But it wilts down considerably, don't worry!
Add the apples to the pan and stir to combine.
Step 5: Add the chicken thighs to the apple cider sauce and braise in the oven
Nestle the browned chicken thighs back into the pan and braise in the oven for about 25 minutes.
FAQ
No, not really. Apple juice is much sweeter than apple cider. The sweetness of apple juice would overwhelm the chicken and all the other ingredients. If you can't find apple cider, you could substitute apple juice in half the amount, and make up the remaining liquid with chicken stock.
Yes you can. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, drumsticks, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts can all be used. These cuts will have different cooking times, so adjust accordingly.
More braised chicken recipes
Debra's Details: Apple cider braised chicken is easy and full of fall flavors!
- Uses apples 3 ways: Fresh apples, apple cider, and apple cider vinegar all infuse the chicken with delicious flavor without being overly sweet.
- Hearty kale cooks down to a tender consistency and provides a built-in side dish.
- Sage in the apple cider sauce brings all the fall feels.
- Chicken thighs get a crispy skin for added texture and crunch.
- Dijon mustard thickens the braising sauce and adds tanginess to balance the fruitiness of the apples.
- It's a one pan meal that's gluten free and dairy free!
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Recipe
Apple Cider Braised Chicken Thighs with Dijon & Kale
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 small red apples such as fuji or gala
- 1 large bunch kale about 8 ounces once stems are removed
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¾ cup apple cider
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 3 shallots thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a deep ovenproof skillet or casserole dish over medium high heat.
- Working in two batches, place chicken thighs skin side down until golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip over and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Set chicken aside on a plate. Carefully drain off the hot fat from the pan before starting the second batch. Set chicken aside on a plate.
- While the chicken thighs are browning, slice the shallots thinly and mince the garlic. Slice the apples into thin little wedges. Remove kale from stems and tear into large pieces.
- When the second batch of chicken thighs are done, leave the fat in the pan. Add the shallots and garlic to the remaining rendered fat, stirring frequently and scraping up the browned bits of chicken until shallots are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- Add the mustard, vinegar, apple cider, chicken stock, and sage to the pan and whisk to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow the sauce to reduce slightly, season with salt to taste.
- Add the kale to the sauce and keep turning it over in the pan until it is wilted, then add the apple slices and stir to combine.
- Place the chicken thighs back in the pan and bake uncovered in the oven for 25 minutes.
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Notes
- To remove kale leaves from stems: Fold the leaves toward each other and grasp with one hand, then grasp stem with the other hand. Pull both hands away from each other, the leaves will come off easily.
- The amount of kale is correct: When you add the kale to the pan, it will seem like SO. MUCH. KALE. But don't worry, it wilts considerably. Just keep going!
- Use a deep skillet: I used my Lodge enameled cast iron casserole for this recipe. It has high sides, so that keeps the spatter from browning the chicken to a minimum. You can also make this in a good ovenproof skillet, I've made this type of dish in my GreenPan skillet, too. (Disclosure: I am a member of the Lodge Blogger Network and this casserole dish was provided to me free of charge.)
- A mandoline is a handy tool for even slices: If you don't like attempting thin slices with a chef's knife, a kitchen mandoline might be just the thing you need. I have the OXO Good Grips Chef's Mandoline Slicer and I love it because it stands up on its own, has a wide range of adjustable widths, and a really good safety guard.
- Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container for up to two days. I don't recommend freezing, as the apples will break down and not have the same texture.
- Reheat: This dish reheats well, although the chicken may not be as crispy. Put it in an ovenproof baking dish and pop it into the oven at 300°F until the apple cider braising sauce is bubbling and the chicken thighs are heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Linda Snider says
I really liked this recipe. I think maybe I needed to add more apples, as not enough of that flavor came through. I also used chicken broth instead of stock. I donโt know if that made a difference. I loved the kale much more than I expected to!
Debra says
Hi Linda,
Yes, kale is so tasty and underrated! Glad you liked it!
Debra
Kira Anson says
Oh my! Outstanding!
Debra says
Thanks Kira! Glad you liked the recipe!
Thanks for reading,
Debra
Hughes says
Nice recipe! But the recipe asks for 1 cup of chicken stock but does state when to add it.
Debra says
Hi there!
Add the chicken stock when you add the vinegar, apple cider, mustard and sage. Thank you for catching this omission! I have now updated the recipe so you should be good to go!
Let me know if you try the recipe and thanks for reading!
Debra