1-Pan Apple Cider Hen (Fast & Straightforward)
One skillet is all you should make this tender and juicy apple cider hen. The method is very easy: coat hen thighs with a comfy, flavorful mixture of heat spices and cook dinner them in a skillet. Take away, after which put together a brilliant easy apple cider pan sauce with candy apples and shallots. This can be a fast, crowd-pleasing 35-minute dinner recipe you’ll need to make on repeat all autumn lengthy!
In the event you love spiced apple cider and soar for pleasure on the considered a fast & simple hen dinner, you’ll flip for this generously spiced apple cider hen dish. It’s splendidly savory, and has a kiss of sweetness from the apple cider and brown sugar.
FALL IN LOVE!
Right here’s Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Hen
- Fast and straightforward 1-pan meal
- Further tender, juicy hen
- Principally fall in a skillet 😉
- Cozy heat spices with salty, candy, and savory flavors
- Apple cider and butter clearly make a scrumptious pan sauce
- Undeniably eye-catching, so that you’ll need to make repeatedly
If there’s one stand-out meal you make in the course of the fall season… one that can have everybody speaking and demanding you make on repeat… it’s this.
The very best a part of this dish, clearly moreover its ease and the FABULOUS apple cider pan sauce, is the sturdy mixture of spices. I tailored this dish from a Cooking Light recipe I discovered, and added fairly a bit extra spice so the flavors actually stand out.
Use These Spices for the Finest Taste
- Salt & Pepper
- Floor Coriander
- Floor Cinnamon
- Floor Nutmeg
- Dried Thyme Leaves
You additionally want hen, a bit butter and olive oil, a contact of brown sugar, apples (no must peel), shallots, and… the star of the present… apple cider. Remember to use apple cider, the nonalcoholic beverage, and never apple cider vinegar. You’ll be deeply upset with that mistake!
A little bit tip: Recent apple cider sometimes seems in grocery shops and farm markets round late summer time, however can get tougher to search out by the tip of the yr. To make sure I could make this cozy recipe all all through the winter, I prefer to freeze some apple cider in an ice dice tray, then defrost a few frozen cider cubes every time I need to make it. Or strive making your individual home made apple cider!
Success Tip: Use Hen Thighs As an alternative of Hen Breasts
If you wish to make this recipe with hen breasts as a substitute of thighs you’ll be able to, however you’ll lose some taste. Hen thighs are a fattier minimize of meat, in order that they style a lot richer than hen breast meat. They’re additionally smaller than most hen breasts, in order that they cook dinner quicker on the range. In the event you use hen breasts, I like to recommend shopping for the thin-sliced or tenderloin cuts.
However for greatest outcomes with this recipe, I strongly advocate hen thighs.
Begin the Hen, Then Make the Pan Sauce
Ideally, you need a reasonably large skillet for this recipe, and I often use my 12-inch cast-iron skillet. In case your skillet is small, you’ll be able to cook dinner the hen in batches. You can even use a Dutch oven.
Sprinkle the spice combination on each side of the hen thighs, then cook dinner the hen in a bit oil, flipping as soon as, till each side are golden-brown and the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).
Take away the hen and put aside.
Add the butter to the pan (don’t wipe it out first—you need the flavorful spices and drippings from the hen in there for the pan sauce!), and swirl to coat. Add the apple and shallot slices and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, till they begin to soften. Pour within the apple cider, and cook dinner till the apples are crisp-tender, and the sauce has thickened a bit.
End up by including the cooked hen again to the pan—only for a pair minutes, to heat it again up and blend every thing collectively.
The method is so much like my reader-favorite cilantro lime hen and this creamy lemon thyme hen (one in every of my all-time greatest dishes!).
I prefer to garnish the dish with extra thyme, plus some contemporary rosemary if I’ve it available. To serve, place the hen thighs on plates, then prime each bit of hen with an enormous scoop of apples and shallots, together with that scrumptious apple cider pan sauce.
FAQs
Coriander brings a whole lot of taste to this dish, so I don’t advocate skipping it or substituting it. In an absolute pinch, you’ll be able to substitute with floor caraway, or with 1/4 teaspoon every dried oregano and floor cumin.
You possibly can, however you’ll lose some taste. Apple cider is contemporary, unfiltered, and sometimes unpasteurized, so it’s extra just like the uncooked, purer model of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to increase its shelf life.
Most apple varieties work for this recipe, although I’d avoid softer, mealier varieties like Pink Scrumptious and McIntosh, which may cook dinner down into mush. I have a tendency to make use of one tart apple (like Granny Smith) and one candy apple (like Honeycrisp). I exploit this similar half tart/half candy trick just about each time I bake with apples, whether or not I’m making apple pie or apple cinnamon bread.
My greatest apples for baking additionally applies right here. 😉
What to Serve With Apple Cider Hen
This hen recipe pairs with many various facet dishes. I prefer to serve it with inexperienced beans and rice, which might each be made on the range as nicely. (Generally I’ve to provide my oven an evening off!)
However this apple cider hen can be tasty with potatoes or candy potatoes, a contemporary inexperienced salad, dinner rolls or brown butter sage dinner rolls, or cornbread. In the event you’re feeding a bigger crowd and need some extra substantial facet dish choices, strive inexperienced bean casserole, candy potato casserole, or zucchini casserole.
Skillet Apple Cider Hen
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 22 minutes
Complete Time: 35 minutes
Yield: serves 4
Class: Dinner
Methodology: Cooking
Delicacies: American
Description
One skillet is all you should cook dinner this tender, juicy hen with candy apples and apple cider sauce. A mix of spices add impeccable taste, and the apple cider sauce is made proper in the identical skillet! Assessment recipe Notes earlier than beginning.
Directions
- Warmth a big 12-inch skillet over medium warmth. I often use a cast iron skillet, however any skillet this measurement works. You can even use a Dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, combine collectively 3/4 teaspoon salt, the coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried thyme, and pepper. Sprinkle the spice combination over each side of the hen thighs.
- Add a drizzle of oil to the new skillet, and swirl to coat. Add the hen thighs to the pan. Prepare dinner for five minutes, then flip and cook dinner for five extra minutes or till cooked via (internal temperature needs to be at the least 165°F (74°C)). Switch hen to a plate and canopy flippantly. You’ll add it again to the pan in the long run of the subsequent step.
- Add the butter to the pan (no must wipe it out first), and gently swirl to coat because it melts. Add the brown sugar, apples, and shallots, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, till apples start to melt, about 5 minutes. Pour within the apple cider and cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till the cider sauce has barely thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the hen again to the pan and cook dinner for two minutes.
- Take away from warmth. Spoon the apple combination over the hen to serve. Garnish with contemporary thyme and rosemary, if desired.
- Leftovers maintain nicely within the fridge for a number of days. The butter within the sauce will solidify, however when you reheat, all of it comes again collectively. You possibly can reheat on the range over medium warmth or within the microwave.
Notes
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Cast-Iron Skillet | Tongs | Instant-Read Thermometer
- What can I exploit as a substitute of coriander? Floor coriander brings a whole lot of taste to this dish, so I don’t advocate skipping it or substituting it. In an absolute pinch, you'll be able to simply go away it out or substitute floor caraway, or 1/4 teaspoon every dried oregano and floor cumin.
- Can I exploit hen breasts as a substitute of hen thighs? You possibly can, however you’ll lose some taste, they usually could take longer to cook dinner. For greatest outcomes, I strongly advocate boneless, skinless hen thighs.
- Can I exploit apple juice as a substitute of apple cider? You possibly can, however you’ll lose some taste. Apple cider is contemporary, unfiltered, and sometimes unpasteurized, so it’s extra just like the uncooked, purer model of juiced apples. Apple juice has had the pulp and sediment filtered out, and is pasteurized to increase its shelf life.
- Recipe tailored from Cooking Light.
Vitamin
- Serving Measurement: 1 serving
- Energy: 247
- Sugar: 19.7 g
- Sodium: 523.1 mg
- Fats: 9.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Protein: 17.4 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 95.2 mg
Key phrases: apple cider hen
