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One Pot Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions. Slow-cooked chicken in apple cider with fresh herbs, sweet caramelized onions, and mushrooms. If you’re looking for a cozy fall meal to make, start with this saucy braised chicken. All made in one pot, simple to put together, and totally delicious. Serve with warm bread and a side of wild rice and say hello to cozy fall nights.
Fall starts on Thursday, but per usual our fall here in the mountains has fully set in. Most of you know that we’ve had some chillier days and our leaves are beginning to show pretty shades of yellow and orange.
I love every bit of it and am trying my best to soak in the season. For us, here in the mountains, it will be gone in the blink of an eye. Our fall is fast and furious, warm days, chilly nights, and always beautiful.
I’m embracing the shorter days and colder nights with cozy dinners. Every year like clockwork, I make some sort of braised chicken. But this one is special and hands down my favorite of the bunch. It’s the onions combined with sweet, spiced apple cider. The pair together really do make for a wonderful saucy chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Salted butter
- Yellow onions
- Apple cider
- Sliced mushrooms
- Garlic
- Chopped fresh thyme
- Chicken broth or dry white wine
The story is pretty simple.
I based the recipe pretty closely off my cider braised short ribs. We absolutely loved that short rib recipe last year. I made it multiple times throughout the fall and winter. But it’s still September and the days just don’t require short rib dinners yet.
I wanted something a little lighter and a little quicker cooking for weeknights.
Of course, the thought to swap-in chicken came to mind pretty quickly and sounded delicious. I changed up a few things, adding mushrooms into the mix, and using a quicker cooking method.
It’s truly wonderful and so simple to make.
The details
Start with the chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts. My family is pickier and will not eat the skin. Though I’m sure it would add a lot of flavor to the dish!
Dredge the chicken through some flour, then give it a sear in a big, oven-safe pan. I only sear one side of the chicken since we just need one side crispy for the oven.
Pull the chicken out, add some butter, then toss on the onions. Start to slowly cook the onions down. I like to add a splash of apple cider to help the onions cook down a little quicker.
When the onions have reached a light gold color, toss in the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and sage. I let the mushrooms cook for a minute, then pour over the remaining cider and wine. If you don’t drink wine, chicken broth is a great substitute.
I usually add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, then transfer the whole dish to the oven to braise low and slow.
Now I cooked this at 400 for a quicker time, but you can definitely reduce the heat to 325° and cook for 1-2 hours for a real low and slow braise. Either works great, it just depends on how much time you have.
I’ve been serving this with a side of homemade beer bread and wild rice pilaf – so good!
You must make the beer bread, it’s delicious with the savory-sweet cider pan sauce.
This is a wonderful Monday night dinner that’s easy enough for any night of the week. It’s certainly sure to become a family favorite. I can’t wait for Creighton to try this, I know he will love it.
Looking for other slow-cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
Healthier 30 Minute Beer Braised Chicken
Autumn Braised Chicken Escabèche with Roasted Apples and Grapes
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Lastly, if you make this Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions, 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!
Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 421 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken, thighs or breasts
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
Instructions
Stove-Top
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large oven-safe skillet with sides over high heat, and sear the chicken on 1 side. Remove the chicken to a plate. 3. Add the butter and onions and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add a 1/2 cup apple cider, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the cider has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and sage, then add the chicken back to the pot. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups cider, and wine. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken is falling apart. Watch the sauce, if it begins to thicken too much, cover the dish. 3. Serve the chicken with wild rice pilaf and bread. Drizzle with any remaining pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large Dutch Oven over high heat, and sear the chicken on 1 side.2. To the bowl of your crockpot, add the butter and onions, then place the chicken over the onions. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, apple cider, and wine. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 3. Serve the chicken with wild rice pilaf and bread. Drizzle with any remaining pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on September 19, 2022
Hi would this be able to be frozen and reheated?
Hi Victoria,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you have any other questions!
This sounds delicious! Can I make this whole recipe in a dutch oven? If so should I follow the stovetop cook time or let it sit longer like the crock pot cook time?
Thanks Ashley! I would let it cook longer in the oven, a few hours would be nice. I hope you love this recipe!
DELICIOUS! I followed the stove top directions with no changes made. Chicken was moist, the caramelized onions added a perfect flavor and the apple cider balanced it out beautifully. Served it with mashed potatoes and an apple almond side salad.
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks for trying this recipe and letting me know it went well!
Can I use bone beef broth instead of chicken broth?
Hey Ash,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Made this tonight and followed the recipe but added a tablespoon of mustard to when sautéing the onions. It added a nice zest to the recipe!
Hey Jaeca,
Thanks for making this recipe! Love hearing it turned out just right. Have the best week!
This is delicious. I used a 12 inch black iron skillet and three large yellow onions filled the pan.
Hi Diane,
Happy Friday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!
Tieghan, this was DELICIOUS! I made the recipe exactly as directed with boneless skinless chicken thighs and my family devoured it . So easy , the onions take on the sweetness of the apple cider , and the depth of flavor was amazing – and the chicken did not dry out ! Thank you !
Hey Cindy,
Awesome! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! x
OMG! I made this last night. It would have come out much better if I had read the ingredients correctly – I used apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider. Haha! I will give this another try. My mother in law loved it but I thought it had too much vinegar. Duh!
Hey Kim,
Amazing! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you giving it a try!
Have a great week!
In your stove top instructions you show a total of two cups of cider/wine but in your ingredients you only list 1 cup cider/wine. How much is actually required?
Hi Alex,
The recipe calls for 2 cups cider and 1 cup of wine. For the stove top, you will use 1/2 cup of cider in step 3 and then the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cider plus all of the wine at the end of step 3. I hope this helps!
I didn’t catch that this had a long bake time -I did it in the instant pot – it turned out well! Only used 2 big onions. Nice flavors.
Hi Vika,
Yay!! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great day! xx
I added an extra 2 cups chicken broth and poured the rice in with it. I also added celery, spinach, carrots. It’s a good recipe.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Do you use the hard apple cider or just apple juice type?
Hi Julie,
I just use the apple juice type:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi Tieghan! Could I throw baby potatoes in this like in your cider braised pot roast recipe?
Hi Andrea,
Totally, that will work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!!!
Went for the slow cooking advice and after approximately 2h 30′ four of us absolutely devoured 2 pounds (and a bit more) of thighs and breasts that were moist, super tender, in this gorgeous sauce.
All made me promise to cook it again. Soon. Only changed the wild rice to a more neutral and fresh Lime and Cilantro Basmati (just didn’t have the wild rice available).
Thanks
Hey Gad,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xx
Delicious and easy. Served with noodles instead of wild rice. Go heavier on the flour if you want a thicker sauce. Perfect for a chilly fall evening.
Hi Kathy,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xx
Could I substitute pork for chicken?
Hey Hanna,
Totally, that would work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
I’m really disappointed. I never write comments, but I think this is a must since apparently I’m not the only one that has done it. In your list of ingredients it’s best to write *not apple cider vinegar next to apple cider. Also, wondering if you used wine in your recipe for the picture because my sauce turned out white and I’m not sure if apple cider would turn it brown like yours.
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear you used vinegar, you definitely would have had much different results using the cider and it does help to caramelize and darken the dish:) Again, so sorry! xx