‘Tis the season for apple cider…and apple cider recipes!
After making these delicious caramel apple cider cookies earlier this month, I thought it would be fun to make some sort of main dish with my favorite homemade apple cider. So after picking up some simple (and very inexpensive!) ingredients, I ended up with this amazing apple cider baked chicken recipe!
It only takes about ten minutes to prep (perfect before work in the morning), and then after marinating all day, you just pop everything in the oven. And voila! This simple and healthy dish — celebrating the goodness of baked apples, chicken, potatoes, lemons and herbs — will be ready to go.
(And did I mention that your home will smell absolutely amazing?!?)
Definitely a fantastic meal to bookmark for apple cider season!
Apple Cider Baked Chicken
- Prep Time: 240 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 315 minutes
Description
Love apples and chicken? Then you are sure to love this Apple Cider Baked Chicken recipe! Blend your easy dinner favorites with the flavor of the season.
Ingredients
1 large onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1 large lemon, sliced into thin rounds
2 cups apple cider, homemade or storebought
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6-8 chicken legs or thighs
2 large apples, each sliced into eighths
1 lb. small, red or Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
Instructions
- Place a gallon size heavy-duty zip-top bag into a large bowl. Place the onion and next 10 ingredients into the zip-top bag, combining well. Add the chicken to the marinade. Close the bag, place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan skin-side up. Pour all of the marinade, including onions and lemons over and around the pieces. Tuck the apples and potatoes around the chicken. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through to re-coat everything with the marinade.
- Arrange chicken and potatoes on a platter and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
Adapted from the U.S. Apple Association.
Ali’s Tip:
Feel free to add some mushrooms, red peppers and/or other favorite vegetables to this!
Source:
Adapted from the U.S. Apple Association.
This was excellent, I zested the lemon and juiced it because I have had bad luck with bitter taste ruining a dish if lemon with peel cook longer then about 15-20 minutes in a dish. I may add squash chunks next time!
Thanks for sharing with us, Barbara — we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
I found this recipe by the way of Once a Month Meals. There, the recipe is adapted for a crockpot ( mine was doubled to make 2 meals) and that is how I prepared this recipe. My recommendation if you decide you MUST use your crockpot, omit the lemons and the cider. It was incredibly bitter..like sour lemon bitter. The meal was not salvageable and ended up in the trash can. The potatoes probably would have been ok. I just wanted to forewarn someone before they spend a lot of time and $ on this recipe through OAMM. Stick with this original recipe here for best results..looks incredibly delish!
Thanks for sharing Jen, that’s good to know! We hope you can try this baked version and that you enjoy it! :)
All the flavors are there. My potstoes turned out perfectly, but I did use potatoes a little bigger than a golf ball. My only issue was the lemon. I think next time I will remove the rind as it left such a strongly bitter taste in my mouth and throughout the dish.
Thanks Holly, we’re glad you enjoyed this, and we’re sorry the lemon was on the bitter side!
Hi there! I featured this recipe in my fall recipe round up post today at https://physicalkitchness.com/healthy-paleo-fall-recipes/
Thank you for the inspiration!
Awesome Chrissa, thanks for the shoutout! :)
This was so tasty and easy to make too! I took out the potatoes, because those aren’t my jam, but the recipe still came out perfectly! Thanks for posting this!
Thanks, we’re glad you liked this!
I was just wondering if you had a substitute for mustard? My partner absolutely hates mustard but this recipe looks like something we’d both enjoy.
Thanks!!
Hey Grace! You guys could try horseradish or wasabi, to get the kick and similar flavor the Dijon brings. Hope that helps — let me know how it works out for you!