Next Post
31 Recipes to Cook in October.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Apple Cider Smothered Chicken. Lightly seasoned chicken seared until golden with nutty browned butter, garlic, fresh thyme, and sage. The chicken is finished in a yummy apple cider pan sauce with caramelized buttered onions and melted Gruyère cheese. The chicken is “smothered” in sauce and then topped with crispy prosciutto and fresh thyme just before serving. It’s delicious, especially when served with a few slices of fresh bread, mashed potatoes, or a side of rice. Such a cozy one-pot dinner with delicious, comforting flavors.
I guess I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but this might just be one of my favorite recipes this fall. I’m not sure what’s going on with me, but my days have either been really great or really bad. The bad days are no fun, and I end up not using whatever recipe I’d been working on, but the good days are SO GOOD.
Every recipe coming up is a favorite. I guess I just love my fall recipes most—well, fall and, of course, all the special holiday recipes.
This is the best time of year!
I made this the other week, and I’m happy to finally share the recipe. The cider pan sauce that this chicken is smothered in is so delicious.
With caramelized onions and creamy, melty Gruyère cheese, it almost resembles French onion soup. But the slight sweetness from the cider makes it even better.
And the crispy prosciutto only makes this dish that much more delicious!
Here are the Details
Ingredients
- thinly sliced chicken breast or small chicken thighs
- all purpose flour
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
- prosciutto
- salted butter
- yellow onions
- garlic
- fresh thyme and sage
- Honeycrisp apples
- apple cider (not apple cider vinegar)
- heavy cream
- Gruyère cheese
Tools
- oven-safe skillet – highly recommend cast iron
That’s all!
Step 1: season the chicken
Before you begin cooking, season and flour the chicken. Start with salt and pepper, then mix paprika, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a scoop of flour.
If you need to be gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free flour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Take the chicken cutlets and toss them in the flour to coat them fully. The flour creates a crispy chicken with a coating that will allow the sauce to really stick to it.
Step 2: cook the prosciutto and sear the chicken
Find a big skillet. I always use cast iron. Cook the prosciutto until extra crispy, then remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Now add a sliver of butter and pan-sear the chicken until the crust is golden and the butter browns around it. Remove the chicken from the skillet. I usually put it on the same plate as the prosciutto.
Step 3: make the apple cider pan gravy
Now, add the onions. I use two thin slices, but you can use one or two, depending on your preference. I think apples and onions together are delicious.
Get the onions golden and caramelized. Then add the apple cider. Bonus points if you make your own cider or pick up a fresh batch from a local farm.
Let the cider simmer for 5 minutes, stir in the cream, and slide the chicken right in. Now add the apple wedges and let it simmer. The next step is important. Sprinkle over some Gruyère cheese and allow it to melt over the chicken and into the sauce—like French onion-style chicken!
Step 4: bake and finish
Take the skillet off the burners and put it in the oven to finish cooking and melt the cheese even more. When the cheese has melted, remove the dish from the oven.
Add the prosciutto to the top, then finish with fresh thyme. It’s going to look delish and smell even better.
Thanks to the onions, apples, and, of course, all the creamy sauce, I’ve been loving this with mashed potatoes. It’s so cozy and scrumptious on a fall night.
Also, a big fall salad like my harvest salad is the perfect final touch. If you’re looking for something on the lighter side, spaghetti squash is always a favorite of mine in the fall. It would go so well with this smothered chicken.
You can’t go wrong either way. The sauce makes just about anything you serve alongside it great. One thing that’s a must? A few slices of fresh bread are needed to mop up the extra sauce. You just have to do it! Of course, I love my beer bread, surprise, surprise!
Looking for other simple dinners? Here are my favorites:
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Baked Chipotle Cheddar Sweet Potato Chowder
One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo
Herby Buttered Balsamic Mushroom Ravioli
Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce
Lastly, if you make this Apple Cider Smothered Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Apple Cider Smothered Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 435 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds thin-cut chicken breasts
- salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 3 ounces prosciutto
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, sliced or chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, cut into wedges
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1/2-1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour, paprika, and cayenne in a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken through the flour and toss to coat.2. Arrange the prosciutto in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy all over, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet.3. In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes per side. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter and allow the butter to brown around the chicken, about 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet.3. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes or until golden. Add 2 tablespoons butter, garlic, thyme, sage, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onions have caramelized.4. Add the apple cider. Simmer for 5 minutes, pour in the cream. Add the chicken and apples to the skillet. Sprinkle over the Gruyère. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Top with crispy prosciutto and fresh herbs.5. Serve the chicken with crusty bread for mopping up all that delicious creamy sauce. YUM!
This post was originally published on September 30, 2024
Made this for dinner last night. It exceeded my expectations, so delicious! I did add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Served with mashed potatoes….oh, my…..so good. It’s a keeper!
Hey David,
Perfect! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out well for you:)
Hi Tieghan – It’s been awhile since I’ve commented on your site (for the record everything I’ve made since my last rating has been a huge hit) but wanted to tell you how fabulous this dish was! Man the flavors were so good and my husband and I just moaned our way through every bite. I wanted to make it with mashed potatoes, my favorite, but was on autopilot mode and it wasn’t until I had the rice in the pot that I remembered I wanted this over creamy mashed potatoes – next time! I completely forgot to pickup the prosciutto but it was still delicious! Leftovers tonight!
Aww, thank you so much, Donna! I appreciate you making so many recipes and love to hear that this one was enjoyed as well! Have a great day! xT
Forgot to add the rating:)
Thanks again:)
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as written and served it over white rice. Will definitely be making this again!
Hey Trisha,
Fantastic! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Made this tonite and it was amazingly delicious! Used bacon vs proscuitto as that’s what I had and got rave reviews from my dinner guests. To speed things up, I started the onions in a separate pan and cooked them caramelized while cooking the chicken in another pan. Serving with bread to dip in the sauce is a must – it’s so so good! Another HBH winner that I’ll definitely make time and time again.
Hey Ali,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! So glad it was enjoyed:) xT
Excellent, seasonal dish! We made this tonight with ingredients in the fridge, including fresh, local apple cider. This would be great with a pork loin too.
Thank you very much,
Steph
Thanks so much, Steph! So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
Winner winner chicken dinner! I made this tonight to celebrate a fresh start and a new job, the family LOVED it. (And my family is picky picky picky…each has their own “thing!”) This was delicious, not heavy, herby, flavorful, and the apples were perfection. Served with good bakery bread it was a huge hit. Teagan, you never disappoint!! ❤️
Hey Diane,
Yay!! So glad to hear this dish was a hit with your family! Thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xT
Made this tonight for our Monday Night dinner group. It was a bit labor intensive with things in and out of the pan, but the end result was delicious! I followed the recipe as written. I served it over rice with broccoli and crusty bread. Everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for another yummy dinner!
Hey Joy,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed! x
It sounds delicious! I want to make it, but not sure if the chicken is boneless and/or skinless? Thanks a bunch for another great recipe.
Thanks so much, Judy!! Yes, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
You can try using greek yogurt instead of cream to cut down on cholesterol.
Thanks for your suggestion, Kate!
We are hosting a small thanksgiving this year and I think this is the PERFECT main dish.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Abby,
Yes!! I hope you all love this dish, it will be great for a small thanksgiving main dish:) Have a great week! xT
This looks delicious!
People, if you don’t use an ingredient, just have a positive thought “I don’t use that, but I am sure that someone else who does will love this recipe” and move on. You may feel better about yourself for showing some keyboard restraint.
Thank you Tiegan for another great recipe!
Thanks so much, Mary! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Does anyone else have a hard time even seeing the recipe with the Pendleton ad? Everytime I try to scroll, the ad forces the page to jump around. The ux is horrible. How are you guys getting around it.
Too frustrating
Click on the print option & you can see the recipe w o adds
Thank you, Sue!!!!
Hi Cindy,
So sorry to hear you are having such issues with this ad. What browser are you using? Please let me know how we can help! x
I want to try this! Looks amazing 😛 Do you think I could swap cream for a low fat milk or almond milk and swap prosciutto for center cut bacon?
Hey Kathie,
Thanks so much!! Totally, I think both of those swaps would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Why do so many of your recipes use heavy cream??? Trying to limit my cholesterol and fat intake so that doesn’t work for me.
Because cream is delicious!! This recipe equates to only 2 tbs per serving- and that will have cooked down so WHY all the fuss???
You are more than welcome to substitute the heavy cream to whatever you’d prefer to accommodate your dietary needs. The end result will differ, depending on what you use, but it shouldn’t affect the overall recipe for you.
Hi Lisa,
You could always use some skim milk in place of the heavy cream. I hope this helps! xx