Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples and Greens

By Lidey Heuck

Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples and Greens
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(1,652)
Notes
Read community notes

In this hearty one-pot dinner, chicken thighs are browned, then braised in chicken broth flavored with mustard, sage, garlic and a triple dose of apple: apple cider, cider vinegar and apple slices. The addition of a few handfuls of greens makes this a complete meal, in need of nothing else but a nice of hunk of bread to soak up the broth and perhaps a glass of dry white wine.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1½ to 2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 to 6)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
  • 1cup thinly sliced shallots (2 to 3 medium shallots)
  • 2tablespoons roughly chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • ¾cup fresh apple cider
  • 2tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
  • 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • ¾ to 1cup chicken broth, preferably low-sodium
  • 1bunch curly kale (10 to 12 ounces), stemmed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1crisp red apple, such as Fuji, cored and thinly sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

663 calories; 42 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 40 grams protein; 1150 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Cook the chicken thighs skin-side down, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

  3. Step 3

    Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot, turn the heat to medium-low, then add the shallots and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.

  4. Step 4

    Add the cider, cider vinegar, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the cider has reduced slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, skin-side up. Pour just enough broth around (not on!) the chicken to cover the sides of the thighs but not cover the skin on top.

  5. Step 5

    Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Partly cover and gently simmer until the thighs are cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or sheet pan (if you’d like to broil the chicken in the next step), raise the heat to medium, and add the kale and apple to the pot. Cook, tossing often, until all the kale is wilted, the apples are just softened and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. While the greens cook, if you’d like to crisp the skin on the chicken, pop it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Taste for seasoning, and stir in 1 or 2 more teaspoons cider vinegar to taste. Divide the chicken and kale mixture among shallow bowls; serve with crusty bread to mop up broth.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,652 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Jillybean

WHat could I use instead of kale. My husband doesn't even what to SEE the word kale!! ha ha

Leslie Parsley

I'm with your hubby on this fad food of the 2018-2019s. I'm going to make this otherwise delicious sounding dish using spinach, mustard greens, or turnip greens. And, imvho, there's nothing preventing one from using leaks, broccoli (cut up in small pieces), peas, asparagus, or whatever green veggie appeals to you.

Willemsnd

Use red cabbage, not the same color but it goes very well with apples.

TK

This recipe pleased adults as well as the kids! Really pleasing flavor and tastes almost buttery - without the added calories of using actual butter. Used spinach instead of kale and undercooked the apples so they had a little texture to them. Served with rice and hunks of fresh baguette from the bakery. Amazing!

Patricia Garcia

You could use baby spinach, instead of kale

cg

I did not have kale. I followed the recipe except I served the chicken, cooked apples, sauce on top of a bed of raw arugula. The chicken and sauce are delicious & flavourful.

colleen

Followed directions and added a sprinkle of blue cheese to the apple-kale mixture before serving. Yum.

marnie

Followed recipe exactly. Put chicken under broiler to crisp up. Delicious as is. People sure have opinions about kale! IMO it absorbs the broth nicely and comes out tender and silky with a little bite to contrast the sweetness of the cider and apple.

paula shatkin

Im going to use chard. I feel the same as your husband!

kathyb

This was delish with roasted sweet potatoes.

Allen

I am among the growing legion of kale-haters. I might use red chard in this recipe, as the texture will hold up, and the color will work well with the apples.

Lindasue

What about adding some sliced fingerling potatoes?

jr

Loved it but next time I’d double even triple the kale. It wilts to nothing. Was great though.

zac

I recommend serving with creamy polenta!

Reenee

Would thinly sliced brussels sprouts work in place of the kale? No shade on kale, just have a ton of sprouts I’d like to use up!

Sarah

5/5 this recipe was perfect. We followed it except used apricot nectar juice when cider wasn’t seasonally available - it was so good! It’s an easy recipe and smartly instructs you to use only enough broth to keep the chicken skin exposed during simmer, then broil the chicken separately to crisp the skin further. Will be making this for a dinner party in the future.

Sara

It's probably due to the inconsistency of my glass flat-top apartment stove? But the chicken was NOT cooked by the end of the 25 mins. I ended up popping it under the broiler for much longer than 2-3 mins, flipping it over every few mins until it was cooked. This is a yummy recipe otherwise! Just be sure to use your meat thermometer.

Rebecca

Loved this dish! I wanted the chicken more dry and crisp, so I finished it by baking while I finished the sauce on the stove top. The flavors are very well balanced, it really delivers a sophisticated experience for very little work.

Cat

Amazing! I love how NYT recipes have lists of ingredients that make me scratch my head sometimes, and then when I put all the individual ingredients together, the flavor is unlike anything I imagined it would be. This is one of those recipes. I used boneless and skinless thighs, Swiss chard instead of kale, dried sage instead of fresh, added parsley, served with rice… still fantastic all around. Will definitely make again.

Jocelyn T.

I also swapped chard for the kale. I used rainbow chard, sliced up the stems, and sautéed with the aromatics, giving them a slight head start over the shallots. More nutrition, less waste, and the rainbow stems looked beautiful in the finished dish! I also hadn’t realized I was out of Dijon mustard, so I used some whole grain mustard I had on hand — still absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to make it again with the right mustard.

goofenhaus

Cooked as per the recipe, although we had two apples so used both. It’s terrific. Next time I will add a little bit more mustard, but that’s about it.

Foothills Barbara

Delicious flavors, but the chicken didn't brown well. Could have run it under broiler, but seemed as though it would be overcooked then. I added chard and senposai in lieu of the kale. I had shallots, garlic, and sage - all complementary. Had homemade strong chicken broth - very flavorful.

julie z

I forgot to buy fresh apple cider so just made without it, and it was still delicious. (Used collard greens and added a little apple-cider bacon from the local butcher)

Kim from MT

This is incredibly tasty and fairly easy, yet great for company because it can simmer until you are ready and only 1 pot! I don't care if Kale is trendy, it works well and it so much healthier than the crap I grew up with in the 70's. But use your chard or mustard greens if you are particular.

cnpeterso

Delicious

Max

I made this a second time with chicken breast and then threw some corn starch into the cider sauce to make it more like a gravy. I was very pleased with the result.

Kathy

So how about made exactly to recipe and loved it? Ok ok, one little eentsie weensie change. I used this recipe to make apple cider from scratch for the first time. House smelled scrumptious for days.. That was the best part.

Kathy

Made this with pork chops! Delish

Gary

This was fantastic! I used the skinless, boneless thighs I had on hand, and also cut the mustard by half to accommodate the preference of a family member. Otherwise I followed the recipe and was thrilled the result. Will definitely make this again!

holly

Is there any substitutes for mustard? I have an allergy sadly and it is used in so many recipes!

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