Creamy Apple Cider Chicken
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Golden sautéed chicken and apples come together in a creamy cider sauce that’s rich, savory, and just a little sweet.
Inspired by the classic French dish chicken fricassee, this cozy fall dish pairs golden sautéed chicken with apples in a creamy cider sauce. Apple cider gives the sauce a hint of sweetness, while a splash of cider vinegar adds brightness and balances the richness of the cream. Serve with a simple green vegetable, like roasted Brussels sprouts, along with rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. A dry white wine pairs really nicely, too.
“What a delicious dish to serve on a cool fall evening! Everyone enjoyed the flavors in this easy meal.”
What You’ll Need To Make Creamy Apple Cider Chicken
- Chicken Breasts or Tenderloins: I recommend using two large chicken breasts and slicing them in half horizontally to make four even portions that cook quickly in one batch. Avoid the thin-sliced chicken breasts sold at the supermarket; they’re too thin for this recipe. Chicken tenderloins are an easy alternative if you’d rather skip the slicing.
- All-Purpose Flour: A light coating helps the chicken brown and also gives the sauce a bit of body.
- Butter & Vegetable Oil: Using both gives you the flavor of butter with a little more insurance against burning as you sauté the chicken and apples.
- Apples: Choose a firm, tart-sweet apple that will hold its shape when sautéed. Honey crisp, Fuji, or Gala are great options.
- Yellow Onion: Adds depth of flavor and sweetness to the sauce as it cooks.
- Fresh Thyme & Chives: Thyme adds an earthy, savory note as the sauce cooks, while chives add a fresh, mild onion flavor just before serving.
- Apple Cider, Chicken Broth & Heavy Cream: Equal parts of all three form the sauce. The cider brings apple flavor and a touch of sweetness, the broth keeps it savory, and the cream makes it rich and silky.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds a tangy brightness that cuts through the richness of the cream mixture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Creamy Apple Cider Chicken
Step 1: Prep the chicken. Slice each chicken breast horizontally through the middle to make four thinner, evenly sized pieces. Season all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge each piece lightly in flour, shaking off the excess. You want just a thin coating, which will help the chicken brown and give the sauce a little body.
Step 3: Sauté the apples. Cook the apple slices in a skillet until lightly browned and just tender, then transfer them to a plate. Don’t take them too far; they should still hold their shape when they’re returned to the sauce at the end.
Step 4: Brown the chicken. Sauté the chicken until golden on both sides. It doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point since it will finish cooking in the sauce. Transfer it to a plate.
Step 5: Make the sauce. Cook the onion and thyme until the onion softens, then add the cider and broth, scraping up the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture reduce before adding the cream; this concentrates the flavor and gives you a richer sauce.
Step 6: Finish the dish. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the cider vinegar and return the apples to the pan just long enough to warm through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then sprinkle with fresh chives and serve.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Apple Cider Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large), or chicken tenderloins (see note)
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Gala apples, cored and cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) thick slices (do not peel)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or ¾ teaspoon dried)
- ¾ cup apple cider
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to form four flat fillets. (Skip this step if using chicken tenderloins; instead, using the palm of your hand, gently flatten the tenderloins so that they are an even ½-inch/1-cm thickness.)
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat, shaking to remove excess; transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples to the pan and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a second plate; set aside.
- Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter with the remaining tablespoon oil in the now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned but not quite cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Set the partially cooked chicken on another plate and set aside.
- Add the onion, thyme, a heaping ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until the onion is softened and browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the cider and broth to the skillet, increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by approximately half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices back to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar and apples. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Spoon the sauce and apples over the chicken, sprinkle with the chives, and serve.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
Made this dish once exactly as the recipe says and it was delicious! If I were to make it with boneless-skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts, would I need to make any changes? Thank you!
Hi Lesley, glad you enjoyed it! I really think this recipe is best with chicken breasts but if you’d like to use thighs, the only thing that will change is the cooking time; the thighs will take a little bit longer to cook. Please LMK how it turns out if you make it with thighs!
Hi Jen
I did make this using boneless/skinless chicken thighs which is what I had on hand. Followed the recipe, pounded the chicken less than 1/2″ and increasing the cooking time during browning to about 3 minutes and again when adding the chicken back in. It came out fantastic. Husband and family loved it. Only thing I would change is adding just a little more vinegar but that is a personal preference. I didn’t have chives. Come spring I will have to plant a big tub of these.
My daughter said this is one of her top three all-time favourite meals.
My husband and daughter really liked this dish (I don’t eat meat) and I found it very easy to make with your detailed an precise instructions. My grocery store didn’t have chives, so I garnished with chopped Italian parsley instead, but otherwise followed the recipe as written.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m making this for the second time tonight. I could eat the sauce and nothing else.
I had to go out of town and I left this recipe with my 15 yr old–He made it! He has made it two more times–it is delicious and he is so proud–easy and delicious and a unique marriage of flavors–not the usual chicken dinner–
Jen this is simply divine. My husband who is a gourmand and wonderful cook says this dish could grace the finest Michelin starred restaurants.
This is unbelievably delicious! I was immediately drawn to it because I had some apples left from our trip to the orchard, and it did not disappoint! I would give it way more than five stars if I could! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I cannot exaggerate how truly spectacular this is. I added mushrooms just because I needed to get rid of them, but the sauce! Oh, my, the sauce. Thank you for this! I will not be using my cream for this rather than ice cream.
So glad I tried this one. I followed the recipe exactly, using chicken tenders, and served it with brown basmati rice and French style green beans. Also had some homemade cranberry sauce (because…apples and cranberries!). Loved the combination of apples with the chicken, and the sauce was delicious. The recipe was easy to follow and came together perfectly.
This is most likely the BEST chicken recipe I have ever made! When a table full of friends all exclaim, “OMG! This is perfection!” you know this recipe is IT. Follow the directions exactly as written. Use all the ingredients as written. It will become one your most exceptional meals ever. All my friends asked for the recipe.
For dessert I made Jenn’s classic carrot cake. Another “wow!”
I think I have friends for life after last night’s meal. 🙂