One skillet is all it’s essential make this tender and juicy apple cider hen. The method is very easy: coat hen thighs with a comfortable, flavorful mixture of heat spices and cook dinner them in a skillet. Take away, after which put together an excellent easy apple cider pan sauce with candy apples and shallots. It is a fast, crowd-pleasing 35-minute dinner recipe you’ll wish to make on repeat all autumn lengthy!
If you happen to love spiced apple cider and soar for pleasure on the considered a fast & simple hen dinner, you’ll flip for this generously spiced apple cider hen dish. It’s splendidly savory, and has a kiss of sweetness from the apple cider and brown sugar.
FALL IN LOVE!
Right here’s Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Hen
- Fast and straightforward 1-pan meal
- Additional tender, juicy hen
- Principally fall in a skillet 😉
- Cozy heat spices with salty, candy, and savory flavors
- Apple cider and butter clearly make a scrumptious pan sauce
- Undeniably attention-grabbing, so that you’ll wish to make time and again
If there’s one stand-out meal you make in the course of the fall season… one that may have everybody speaking and demanding you make on repeat… it’s this.
The very best a part of this dish, clearly apart from its ease and the FABULOUS apple cider pan sauce, is the strong mixture of spices. I tailored this dish from a Cooking Light recipe I discovered, and added fairly a bit extra spice so the flavors actually stand out.
Use These Spices for the Greatest Taste
- Salt & Pepper
- Floor Coriander
- Floor Cinnamon
- Floor Nutmeg
- Dried Thyme Leaves
You additionally want hen, slightly butter and olive oil, a contact of brown sugar, apples (no must peel), shallots, and… the star of the present… apple cider. You’ll want to use apple cider, the nonalcoholic beverage, and never apple cider vinegar. You’ll be deeply disillusioned with that mistake!
Slightly tip: Contemporary apple cider sometimes seems in grocery shops and farm markets round late summer season, however can get tougher to search out by the top of the 12 months. To make sure I could make this cozy recipe all all through the winter, I wish to freeze some apple cider in an ice dice tray, then defrost a few frozen cider cubes every time I wish to make it. Or attempt making your personal home made apple cider!
Success Tip: Use Hen Thighs As an alternative of Hen Breasts
If you wish to make this recipe with hen breasts as a substitute of thighs you may, however you’ll lose some taste. Hen thighs are a fattier reduce of meat, in order that they style a lot richer than hen breast meat. They’re additionally smaller than most hen breasts, in order that they cook dinner sooner on the range. If you happen to use hen breasts, I like to recommend shopping for the thin-sliced or tenderloin cuts.
However for greatest outcomes with this recipe, I strongly advocate hen thighs.
Begin the Hen, Then Make the Pan Sauce
Ideally, you need a reasonably large skillet for this recipe, and I normally use my 12-inch cast-iron skillet. In case your skillet is small, you may cook dinner the hen in batches. You may as well use a Dutch oven.
Sprinkle the spice combination on each side of the hen thighs, then cook dinner the hen in slightly oil, flipping as soon as, till each side are golden-brown and the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).
Take away the hen and put aside.
Add the butter to the pan (don’t wipe it out first—you need the flavorful spices and drippings from the hen in there for the pan sauce!), and swirl to coat. Add the apple and shallot slices and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Cook dinner, stirring often, till they begin to soften. Pour within the apple cider, and cook dinner till the apples are crisp-tender, and the sauce has thickened a bit.
End up by including the cooked hen again to the pan—only for a pair minutes, to heat it again up and blend the whole lot collectively.
The method is quite a bit like my reader-favorite cilantro lime hen and this creamy lemon thyme hen (one among my all-time greatest dishes!).
I wish to garnish the dish with extra thyme, plus some recent rosemary if I’ve it available. To serve, place the hen thighs on plates, then prime each bit of hen with a giant scoop of apples and shallots, together with that scrumptious apple cider pan sauce.
FAQs
Coriander brings numerous taste to this dish, so I don’t advocate skipping it or substituting it. In an absolute pinch, you may substitute with floor caraway, or with 1/4 teaspoon every dried oregano and floor cumin.
You’ll be able to, however you’ll lose some taste. Apple cider is recent, unfiltered, and sometimes unpasteurized, so it’s extra just like the uncooked, purer model of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to increase its shelf life.
Most apple varieties work for this recipe, although I’d keep away from softer, mealier varieties like Pink Scrumptious and McIntosh, which may cook dinner down into mush. I have a tendency to make use of one tart apple (like Granny Smith) and one candy apple (like Honeycrisp). I exploit this similar half tart/half candy trick just about each time I bake with apples, whether or not I’m making apple pie or apple cinnamon bread.
My greatest apples for baking additionally applies right here. 😉
What to Serve With Apple Cider Hen
This hen recipe pairs with many alternative aspect dishes. I wish to serve it with inexperienced beans and rice, which may each be made on the range as nicely. (Typically I’ve to offer my oven an evening off!)
However this apple cider hen can also be tasty with potatoes or candy potatoes, a recent inexperienced salad, dinner rolls or brown butter sage dinner rolls, or cornbread. If you happen to’re feeding a bigger crowd and wish some extra substantial aspect dish choices, attempt inexperienced bean casserole, candy potato casserole, or zucchini casserole.
Skillet Apple Cider Hen
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 22 minutes
Whole Time: 35 minutes
Yield: serves 4
Class: Dinner
Methodology: Cooking
Delicacies: American
Description
One skillet is all it’s essential cook dinner this tender, juicy hen with candy apples and apple cider sauce. A mix of spices add impeccable taste, and the apple cider sauce is made proper in the identical skillet! Overview recipe Notes earlier than beginning.
Directions
- Warmth a big 12-inch skillet over medium warmth. I normally use a cast iron skillet, however any skillet this measurement works. You may as well use a Dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, combine collectively 3/4 teaspoon salt, the coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried thyme, and pepper. Sprinkle the spice combination over each side of the hen thighs.
- Add a drizzle of oil to the recent skillet, and swirl to coat. Add the hen thighs to the pan. Cook dinner for five minutes, then flip and cook dinner for five extra minutes or till cooked by means of (internal temperature must be not less than 165°F (74°C)). Switch hen to a plate and canopy flippantly. You’ll add it again to the pan in the long run of the subsequent step.
- Add the butter to the pan (no must wipe it out first), and gently swirl to coat because it melts. Add the brown sugar, apples, and shallots, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook dinner, stirring often, till apples start to melt, about 5 minutes. Pour within the apple cider and cook dinner, stirring often, till the cider sauce has barely thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the hen again to the pan and cook dinner for two minutes.
- Take away from warmth. Spoon the apple combination over the hen to serve. Garnish with recent thyme and rosemary, if desired.
- Leftovers hold nicely within the fridge for a couple of days. The butter within the sauce will solidify, however when you reheat, all of it comes again collectively. You’ll be able to reheat on the range over medium warmth or within the microwave.
Notes
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Cast-Iron Skillet | Tongs | Instant-Read Thermometer
- What can I exploit as a substitute of coriander? Floor coriander brings numerous taste to this dish, so I don’t advocate skipping it or substituting it. In an absolute pinch, you may simply go away it out or substitute floor caraway, or 1/4 teaspoon every dried oregano and floor cumin.
- Can I exploit hen breasts as a substitute of hen thighs? You’ll be able to, however you’ll lose some taste, and so they could take longer to cook dinner. For greatest outcomes, I strongly advocate boneless, skinless hen thighs.
- Can I exploit apple juice as a substitute of apple cider? You’ll be able to, however you’ll lose some taste. Apple cider is recent, unfiltered, and sometimes unpasteurized, so it’s extra just like the uncooked, purer model of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to increase its shelf life.
- Recipe tailored from Cooking Light.
Diet
- Serving Measurement: 1 serving
- Energy: 247
- Sugar: 19.7 g
- Sodium: 523.1 mg
- Fats: 9.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Protein: 17.4 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 95.2 mg
Key phrases: apple cider hen