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One Pot Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions. Slow-cooked chicken in apple cider with fresh herbs, sweet caramelized onions, and mushrooms. If you’re looking for a cozy fall meal to make, start with this saucy braised chicken. All made in one pot, simple to put together, and totally delicious. Serve with warm bread and a side of wild rice and say hello to cozy fall nights.
Fall starts on Thursday, but per usual our fall here in the mountains has fully set in. Most of you know that we’ve had some chillier days and our leaves are beginning to show pretty shades of yellow and orange.
I love every bit of it and am trying my best to soak in the season. For us, here in the mountains, it will be gone in the blink of an eye. Our fall is fast and furious, warm days, chilly nights, and always beautiful.
I’m embracing the shorter days and colder nights with cozy dinners. Every year like clockwork, I make some sort of braised chicken. But this one is special and hands down my favorite of the bunch. It’s the onions combined with sweet, spiced apple cider. The pair together really do make for a wonderful saucy chicken.
The story is pretty simple.
I based the recipe pretty closely off my cider braised short ribs. We absolutely loved that short rib recipe last year. I made it multiple times throughout the fall and winter. But it’s still September and the days just don’t require short rib dinners yet.
I wanted something a little lighter and a little quicker cooking for weeknights.
Of course, the thought to swap-in chicken came to mind pretty quickly and sounded delicious. I changed up a few things, adding mushrooms into the mix, and using a quicker cooking method.
It’s truly wonderful and so simple to make.
Start with the chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts. My family is pickier and will not eat the skin. Though I’m sure it would add a lot of flavor to the dish!
Dredge the chicken through some flour, then give it a sear in a big, oven-safe pan. I only sear one side of the chicken since we just need one side crispy for the oven.
Pull the chicken out, add some butter, then toss on the onions. Start to slowly cook the onions down. I like to add a splash of apple cider to help the onions cook down a little quicker.
When the onions have reached a light gold color, toss in the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and sage. I let the mushrooms cook for a minute, then pour over the remaining cider and wine. If you don’t drink wine, chicken broth is a great substitute.
I usually add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, then transfer the whole dish to the oven to braise low and slow.
Now I cooked this at 400 for a quicker time, but you can definitely reduce the heat to 325° and cook for 1-2 hours for a real low and slow braise. Either works great, it just depends on how much time you have.
I’ve been serving this with a side of homemade beer bread and wild rice pilaf – so good!
You must make the beer bread, it’s delicious with the savory-sweet cider pan sauce.
This is a wonderful Monday night dinner that’s easy enough for any night of the week. It’s certainly sure to become a family favorite. I can’t wait for Creighton to try this, I know he will love it.
Looking for other slow-cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
Healthier 30 Minute Beer Braised Chicken
Autumn Braised Chicken Escabèche with Roasted Apples and Grapes
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Lastly, if you make this Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
What would you recommend if my entire household doesn’t like mushrooms?! Leave them out? Or is there something else I could swap them with?
Also curious about this! We made this tonight and just left the mushrooms out but then had wayyy too much runny sauce, of course, with nothing to soak it up. I didn’t really mind because it was so yummy I was literally eating the sauce like a soup out of the pan but would love an idea for a mushroom substitute. Next time I might just do half as much apple cider/chicken stock to compensate.
Hi Katie,
Thanks for trying this dish!! You can always allow the sauce to simmer longer to get a bit thicker to your liking:)
Hi there,
You can skip them or use another veggie that your family enjoys like zucchini or cauliflower. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you! xx
Yum! Another winner, thanks Tieghan! I made the stove top version and it was delicious! Served over mashed potatoes with crusty bread. 🙂
Hi Amber,
Happy Monday!! I truly appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xx
What do you recommend for those who cannot have mushrooms?
I am going to try this recipe today and replace the mushrooms with artichoke hearts (I will squeeze all the water out before adding) as my family does not like mushrooms!! There’s so much spice in this I think it will be just fine!
Awesome! I hope you love this dish, Paula!
Hi Nicole,
Another veggie you enjoy like zucchini would be delicious! I hope you love this dish! xT
Would you be able to sub a dry hard apple cider for the wine?
Hi Leia,
Sure, that would work for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can this be made with boneless, skinless chicken or should it be bone-in?
Hey Leah,
Boneless, skinless is great! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Made exactly as is and once again like many of your recipes the sauce didn’t cook down. What am I doing wrong? Should I add more flour? Or cornstarch? This is happening with many of your recipes…
Yeah, I also ended up with sauce that was too thin at the end
Hi Lara,
Thanks for trying the recipe. This isn’t a thick sauce, but you could simply just need to allow it to simmer longer or at a higher heat:) xx
What can i use to substitute the apple cider? We have apple allergy in the house 🙂
Hi Carina,
I would probably skip this recipe:) Here are some other chicken dishes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthier-30-minute-beer-braised-chicken/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/browned-sage-butter-chicken-piccata-with-mushroom-pasta/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/slow-cooker-coq-au-vin/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/thyme-roasted-chicken/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I used the crockpot for this recipe and I don’t think it was the best idea. The liquid was not able to evaporate and thicken, the onions did not caramelize and it turned out soupy and bland. HBH is my go-to food blog and I absolutely love the punch of flavor in most recipes, but this one, unfortunately, fell short. I gave it two stars because I think if I had used a true braising method, this would have been incredible. So, I wanted to just warn people about the crockpot method, it needs some adjustments for flavor, less liquid, and some other magic should happen to make the onions caramelize.
I agree. I made the CrockPot version of this recipe last night and it was a disappointment. I believe too much liquid caused the washed out flavor and the unappetizing look. Hope to see a version 2 of this recipe. For flexibility in the kitchen and easy of use, there is nothing better than a good CrockPot recipe.
So sorry to hear this Lynda! Thanks for trying the recipe, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with!
Hi Erica,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Let me know if you try it again on the stove top! xx
It would be helpful if you can link the beer bread recipe. Having a hard time finding it…
Nevemind. I found it.
Hi Michelle,
Here is the link for the beer bread:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/5-ingredient-beer-bread/
I hope you love it! xx
Such an absurd amount of tedious pre-amble ?
Lol sorry you feel this way, maybe just choose a different recipe to make:) Happy Sunday! xx
No need for the rude comments. It’s called a blog.
That’s why there’s a “Jump to Recipe” button.
Be happier ?.
It’s typical American. At least the recipe doesn’t involve a pre-made supermarket mix like most of their sites.
I dont get why cider AND wine
Can you use apple juice instead of cider?
Hi Kristy,
Sure, that would be okay for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This fall recipe looks so cozy for a weekend stay in and cook night!! I usually don’t keep a lot of different fresh herbs on hand so could you please state in the recipe what the amount would be to use dried herbs?? (And future recipes too? It’s so helpful!) Thank you! Will be trying this one soon!
Hi Lola,
A general rule of thumb: for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
The printable recipe doesn’t have the details/instructions for oven braising this dish. Could you add this to the printable recipe? Much easier to have all the options within the printable rather than cut and paste. Looks good, think I will try it.
Hi Dee,
The print version has both the stove top and crockpot versions. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Hi! Can I substitute apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider? Thanks!
Hi Jenna,
No, I would not recommend that, please stick with the apple cider. Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I would not. It would completely change the dish’s flavor, not to mention making it so acidic it’d be inedible.
I made this last night for dinner guests and it was a huge hit! I served it over a bed of basmati rice with a side of broccolini. The flavors were outstanding and everyone enjoyed! Thank you HBH for another delicious recipe!
Hi Michelle,
Wonderful!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xT