Skip to main content

Weekend Recipe: Apple Cider Chicken

Support Provided By
Photo courtesy of Cook's Country
Photo courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

If Isaac Newton had been a chef, he would have discovered gravity by dropping an apple straight into the pan for this chicken dish. This Cook's Country recipe ensures a lot of apple flavor -- a combination of apple cider, apple brandy, and fresh apples are all used. Now that's a winning equation!

Apple Cider Chicken
Serves 4

Either white or dark meat (or a combination) will work. To ensure even cooking, halve breasts crosswise and separate leg quarters into thighs and drumsticks before cooking. Plain brandy, cognac, or Calvados (a French apple brandy) can be used in place of the apple brandy.

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 large Golden Delicious, Cortland, or Jonagold apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple brandy
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, skin-side down, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Flip and brown on second side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Cook onion in chicken fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, and flour and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and flour is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add apple, cider, and 3 tablespoons brandy and bring to boil.

Nestle chicken, skin-side up, into sauce and roast until white meat registers 160 degrees (or dark meat registers 175 degrees), about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Stir vinegar and remaining brandy into sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table.

Support Provided By
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.