Home » Protein » Chicken

Cider Braised Chicken

This post may contain affiliate links to product I truly believe in and love.

These cider chicken thighs savory, tart, tender and crispy. It’s baked in a delicious leek and apple cider sauce Perfect served with brown basmati rice or mashed potatoes. If you want an impressive but super easy meal then this one is for you.  All you need is one pot and it’s ready in 35 minutes or less!

 Perfect served with brown basmati rice or mashed potatoes. If you want an impressive but super easy meal then this one is for you.  A perfect easy one pot meal! Ready in 35 minutes or less! 

braised cider chicken on plate

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Join our newsletter and stay up to date on all the newest recipes guaranteed to add a burst of flavor to your inbox.

Chicken is my favorite. There’s so many ways to transform plain boring chicken into something that not only tastes good but looks amazing too! Take this chicken in cider juice for instance.  Instead of cooking chicken with regular onions try using leeks instead.

braised cider chicken on plate

Leeks are related to garlic, onions, scallions and shallots.  They resemble scallions, a plant related to the onion, with flat overlapping leaves forming an elongated cylindrical bulb that together with the leaf bases are eaten as a vegetable.  They can bring out pretty bold flavors in your food.  Leeks can take a simple basic recipe to a whole other level, like my broccoli, mushroom, and leek chicken alfredo.  

picture of leeks

I got this chicken in cider recipe from a cookbook. At first, I was a bit skeptical about this recipe. I wasn’t sure about onion sauce but I trusted the recipe since the reviews are excellent.

Boy was I glad I made it. This chicken is AMAZING! The cider leek sauce is delicious too!

I not only ate one but three chicken thighs. Almost 4, but I had to stop myself.

braised cider chicken on plate with leek sauce

This chicken and leeks recipe contains ingredients you probably already have. So you can probably make this now. Oh yeah, you may have to make a run to the store for the leeks though.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • salt for taste
  • pepper for taste
  • 2 leeks,cleaned and thinly sliced
  • 1 tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider juice
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • 6 sprigs of thyme

braised cider chicken on plate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Add the thyme and then the chicken to your skillet skin side down. Cook about 4 minutes on each side. Make sure to cook in batches. When chicken is done set to the side.

In the same skillet add the leeks, flour, and apple cider vinegar and apple cider, scraping brown bits up from the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil then add the chicken stock. Add chicken back to the skillet. Cover the skillet and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the oven. Then place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet on the top shelf and broil until the chicken starts to crisp. This may take 1 or 2 minutes. Leave the oven door open to keep an eye on it because the chicken can burn quickly.

Meanwhile, simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Add the unsalted butter to the skillet and stir until melted. Add more salt and pepper for taste. Place chicken on a serving platter and spoon the leek sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve. This dish is great with basmati brown rice or mashed potatoes. 

Slightly adapted from  The Quick Six Fix  Cookbook .

Cider Braised Chicken Thighs In Leek Cider Sauce

April Boller Wright
Savory, tart, and tender crispy chicken thighs are braised then baked in a leek cider sauce.This dish is lovely served with brown basmati rice or mashed potatoes. A perfect easy Autumn dinner! Ready in 35 minutes or less!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Chicken
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • salt for taste
  • pepper for taste
  • 2 leeks cleaned well and thinly sliced
  • 1 tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider juice optional not a part of the cookbook recipe but I added it to the recipe
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • 8 sprigs of thyme (optional not a part of the cookbook recipe but I added it to the recipe

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot add the thyme and then the chicken to your skillet skin side down. Cook about 4 minutes on each side. Make sure to cook in batches. Set to the side.
  • In the same skillet add the leeks, flour, and apple cider vinegar and apple cider, scraping brown bits up from the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil then add the chicken stock. Add chicken back to the skillet. Cover the skillet and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the oven. Then place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet on the top shelf and broil until the chicken starts to crisp. This may take 1 or 2 minutes. Leave the oven door open to keep an eye on it because the chicken can burn quickly.
  • Meanwhile, simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Add the unsalted butter to the skillet and stir until melted. Add more salt and pepper for taste. Place chicken on a serving platter and spoon the leek sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve. This dish goes perfectly with basmati brown rice or mashed potatoes.
Keyword chicken in cider, cider and chicken, cider chicken
Like this? Leave a comment below!Let us know how it was!

IF YOU LIKE THIS CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

SOUR CREAM MASHED POTATOES

EASY TERIYAKI BAKED CHICKEN LEGS

BUTTERMILK BRINED FRIED CHICKEN

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments

  1. I love cooking with chicken thighs. They are so flavourful and juicy. I don’t know what it is about leeks…but I LOVE cutting them up. Not sure if it is the crunch…but whatever it is…they are my favourite things to chop by hand in the kitchen. This recipe sounds delicious.

    1. Haha. I thought I was the only one that felt that way. I like cutting them for the crunch too and I love how the look once they are cut. Thank you!

  2. This dish is absolutely stunning. I absolutely love using chicken thighs – the flavor is so, so wonderful. And your addition of thyme is perfection! I’m going to add this to my short-list of must make recipes for an upcoming weekly meal plan!

    1. Yes! Love chicken thighs too. I didn’t think I would like this recipe. The picture in the cookbook screamed,”make me”. I’m glad I made it because it’s delicious. Unique but very simple to make! Thanks!!