Description
Apple cider chicken with butternut squash brings together tender chicken, sweet roasted squash, and tangy cider in one comforting dish that your whole family will want on the table. Simple ingredients come together quickly, giving you a weeknight dinner that feels special without keeping you in the kitchen for hours.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 2 medium apples, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Liquids and Seasonings:
- 1.5 cups apple cider
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Instructions
- Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into your large skillet and let it heat over medium temperature for about 1 minute until it shimmers.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper across your 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, then lay them skin side down in the hot skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes until the skin turns golden and crispy.
- Flip each thigh and sear the other side for another 4-5 minutes until browned, then transfer them to a plate.
- Add your 3 minced garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme to the same skillet and stir constantly for 1 minute until the kitchen smells fragrant.
- Pour in 1 1/2 cups of apple cider while scraping your wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan to loosen all those browned bits stuck there.
- Stir in your 2 cups of diced butternut squash and 2 sliced medium apples until everything is evenly combined.
- Place your chicken thighs back into the skillet with their skin facing up, then cover with a lid.
- Reduce your heat to medium-low and let everything simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until your chicken is cooked through and the squash feels tender when pierced with a fork.
- Taste your dish and add more salt and pepper as your palate directs before bringing it to the table.
Notes
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs work best here because the skin gets crispy while the meat stays juicy and doesn’t dry out like breast meat can.
- When scraping up the browned bits from the pan after searing, that caramelized layer adds deep flavor to your sauce, so don’t skip this step.
- If butternut squash prep feels tedious, grab pre-cubed squash from the grocery store to save yourself time without affecting the dish’s quality.
- For a dairy-free or paleo adaptation, this recipe already fits since it relies on the cider and natural juices to create the sauce, so no substitutions are necessary.
- Tart apples like Granny Smith work better than sweet ones because they balance the richness of the chicken and won’t turn mushy during cooking.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Simmered Chicken
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg