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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Delicious tender chicken! I am not a fan of cooked fruit so probably won’t make this again, but the flavors were fabulous and the chicken/sauce was super tasty! I couldn’t find apple cider so had to sub in fresh apple juice.
I had a bit of trouble with this recipe. I didn’t cook the apples long enough — they didn’t get browned at all, only softened. And I think the chicken breasts were still too thick even after they were halved because I cooked them longer and they still felt underdone. Overall, my end result was really pale looking and nowhere near as tantalizing as the recipe photo. The texture of undercooked apple is oddly similar to that of undercooked chicken 🤪 so that was fun.
My mistakes aside, the flavors of this recipe are outstanding… like Michelin star good. I felt really proud of making this and I will definitely try this again and make sure to pay attention to the areas where I made mistakes the first time around.
Personal comment – sometimes it helps to read it through a few times, questioning, looking, and trying to not have to be in a hurry. (I am NOT saying that you were.)
I knew I wanted to add a 16 oz. pkg 1/4rd button+ mushrooms. (If they are simply sliced they seem to reduce to be too small, and not really visible. I also didn’t want to use too many onions or much thyme (tummy issues, plus I like the pureness without.) I ALSO do not cook with black pepper. I just do not like it. So I cook with Hungarian paprika instead. It also gives a lovely color. I figure that people can use pepper as they would like. Salt, however, is a chemical needed in cooking. I may go on the underside of the amount, but am generally careful. So, all of that together, it worked slick! Are you going to try it again?
Excellent, easy, and feels like a special meal. I’m always looking for easy recipes because the truth is, I’m tired of cooking but restaurants have become too expensive. Thanks for a recipe we all enjoyed that didn’t feel like a ton of work. I’ll definitely make this again.
I made this last night and we were wowed by the complexity of flavors. This one’s a keeper…just like all the other recipes I’ve made from your site!
Made this excellent dish for company, delicious
Thank you for. Great and inspiring site
What a fabulous dish this is. It’s become one of my favorites. Full of lovely flavor. I follow your recipe exactly. No tweaking and it’s perfect every time. I’ve sent this recipe to all my children, one here in the US, two in London England and one in Italy and they all love it. Brava Jenn
My son took his first bite and said “wow!” This was delicious – followed the recipe exactly as written and loved it! Definitely adding to our rotation.
Delicious!!! Substituted GF flour and coconut cream for the heavy cream. Sooo good. Can’t wait to make it again!
Just made this recipe tonight. It was excellent! I used Lactaid 2% milk and thickened it like you suggested with cornstarch and water. Very good and I had most of the ingredients on hand. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was a HUGE hit with my family done exactly as written. Such a winner; they are begging for it again. I’d love to do it again tonight but have bone-in chicken thighs – any recommendations for how to make that change? Longer searing at the onset and cooking in the sauce a bit longer until up to temp? Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!
Hi Jillian, So happy the family enjoyed it! I really think this recipe is best with chicken breasts but if you’d like to use bone-in thighs, as you said, the only thing that will change is the cooking time. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Jillian,
Have you cooked this with thighs? Personally, I would use skin-on thighs (probably bone-in, too). I would coat them in a flour/salt/paprika covering, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Skin side up. Then I would keep those warm and go from there…do you get what I mean? You can always cook the chicken completely in the oven, make the sauce separately (and I always use less onion, no black pepper (I don’t cook with it) (I use paprika, instead). So you have chicken. Noodles. Apple mushroom sauce. (Double the sauce – including apples and mushrooms!) Put each on the table separately – let people serve themselves. Leftovers get combined, too yummy!