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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.
The details
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!
Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 421 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken, thighs or breasts
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
Instructions
Stove-Top
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large oven-safe skillet with sides over high heat, and sear the chicken on 1 side. Remove the chicken to a plate. 3. Add the butter and onions and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add a 1/2 cup apple cider, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the cider has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and sage, then add the chicken back to the pot. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups cider, and wine. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken is falling apart. Watch the sauce, if it begins to thicken too much, cover the dish. 3. Serve the chicken with wild rice pilaf and bread. Drizzle with any remaining pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large Dutch Oven over high heat, and sear the chicken on 1 side.2. To the bowl of your crockpot, add the butter and onions, then place the chicken over the onions. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, apple cider, and wine. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 3. Serve the chicken with wild rice pilaf and bread. Drizzle with any remaining pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
Delicious! Thank you!
Love to hear this, thanks Katie!!
This came out really nice, thanks T!
I’ve been using your recipes for awhile and appreciate your work from over the years. Enjoy your fall <3
Hi Laura,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great weekend!🍁
Delicious – my sauce was still pretty thin at the end of cooking 30 minutes and I wanted it more gravy like-just took the chicken out and made a corn starch slurry, boiled the sauce a few minutes until thicker and added the chicken back in. Served over mashed potatoes. Flavor was great! Thanks for sharing.
Hey Stacey,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
I made this in the Instant Pot and served it with mashed sweet potatoes. I added a chopped apple. The flavor is amazing and deliciously autumnal. The sauce came out thin, so I cooked it down for a few minutes and added some additional flour to get the it to the consistency I wanted. The 0verall color came out somewhat gray instead of the pictured brown, maybe because I used Portobello mushrooms instead of white mushrooms.
Hey Djienne,
Happy Friday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try!
I redeemed HBH and myself. Made this again tonight and it turned out great. I did have to cook it on the stove top to reduce the liquid. So good though. I personally did put a small amount of apple cider vinegar to off set the sweetness.
Hey Cassandra,
I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I’m hoping to make this tomorrow. Any chance you could give guidance on using an instant pot?
Thanks!
Marianne
Hey Marianne,
I would sauté the onions first and then cook on high pressure for 18 minutes. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made this tonight and it was delish! I had the extra time and braised it for 2 hours in the oven, covered so the juices stayed inside. Thanks for the yummy dinner!
Hey Jennifer,
Fantastic!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a hit! xTieghan
I really enjoyed this and will make it again! I wish I had cooked my onions a bit longer, as they didn’t get darker in the oven. Also, I ended up with too Livy liquid even though I cooked it for a long time. I bet it would be great in the slow cooker or as a slower braise. I’ll for sure try again, as the flavors are amazing and it is the perfect fall comfort food!
Hey Amy,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed overall! xx
I was so stoked to cook this, but just came to the comments for some guidance – it is meant to come out of the oven now but as I kept watch through the window the sauce never seemed to thicken, and the chicken is definitely not covered in the same rich brown color as in the pictures – popped it back in a hotter oven for a few more minutes in hopes things will thicken up – hopeful!
Hi Iris,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so sorry it’s not looking the way you expected! I would pop it back in the oven or simmer on the stove top. I hope this helps! xx
I just made this & we loved it! I also made some changes… cooked the onions in a little olive oil and butter for a very long time. Also cooked the mushrooms separately & got all the liquid out… kept the wine and cider amount per the recipe. Used extra garlic and thyme and sage. 325 degree oven, no lid for 2 hours.
Not too watery… thickened & perfect! It looked like the photos.
Hey Jane,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you! So glad it was delish! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was divine! I made a couple of tweaks to meet my picky family needs…my kids don’t like the bits of green from the herbs or garlic so I made a bouquet of the herbs and kept the garlic whole. I also prefer cooking my mushrooms separately to retain their flavor (though this does defeat the brilliant one pot dinner plan). Ran out of white wine but had some calvados (apple brandy) so I subbed that. A note to people who comment on the onions….don’t look at a clock when caramelizing just cook and cook until they are perfect.
Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Sarah,
Wonderful! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing with your family! Have a great week! xT
The flavors here are very good! I did find mine had too much liquid (no big deal just took some out) and it was not as dark in color/rich as I was expecting. Overall though I did enjoy it!
Hey Rachael,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
So vinegary. and I had to simmer off the liquid.
Hi Cassandra,
Sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed. This dish calls for apple cider, not vinegar:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
I feel so silly. I am going to make this again tonight. I love all your recipes and I realized this was my mistake
No worries, mistakes happen! I hope it turns out better!
Ok I was super excited to try this I love caramelized onion anything. I liked it, I did change up a few things. I had a rotisserie chicken that I used instead, if you caramelize the onions like you would when you make French onion soup, they come out just great. They do take longer to cook to get that color. That’s where i used the splashes of white wine was to deglaze the pan. Then as the onions got more cooked I occasionally added the cider, let it cook down then added more. After reading the reviews on too much liquid and then making it the way I did, i feel like it actually needed more so I just added more cider. I also added more thyme. I served with some mashes potatoes which was great for the liquid and a Caesar salad. No mushrooms for us just preference
Hey Hali,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Followed directions layer out in the recipe. Mine Def wasn’t as dark but could have been just the type of apple cider. Cooked chicken for 35 min but wasn’t falling off the bone. A good dish but was just a little lacking. Thought there would be more flavor.
That. Eing said I look forward to trying my next HBH recipe
Hi Andrew,
So sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! Have a great Tuesday! xx