This cozy apple cider-glazed chicken dinner is the kind of recipe you'll want to keep on repeat all fall and winter. Juicy chicken thighs are seared until golden, then simmered with sweet cider, crisp apples, and caramelized fennel in a tangy maple-Dijon glaze.
The result? Tender chicken with a sauce you'll want to scoop up with bread or spoon over roasted potatoes. It's hearty enough for a Sunday dinner, but easy enough for a weeknight.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Cozy and seasonal - Perfect for fall and winter with apples, cider, and maple.
- Flavour-packed glaze - Sweet, tangy, and savoury all at once.
- Versatile - Elegant enough for guests, simple enough for weeknights.
- One-pan cooking - Easy prep and less cleanup.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fennel
- Apples
- Garlic
- Apple cider (non-alcoholic)
- Chicken stock
- Apple cider vinegar
- Maple syrup
- Dijon mustard
- Thyme leaves
- Butter
See the recipe card below for exact quantities
Instructions
Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Season the Chicken
Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
Sear the Chicken
Heat olive oil in a 6-qt Rondeu or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin side down and sear until golden and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.
Cook the Fennel and Apples
Reduce heat to medium. Add fennel wedges and garlic to the pan and sauté until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add apple wedges and cook 1-2 minutes per side until lightly golden.
Make the Cider Glaze
Pour in cider, chicken stock, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, and thyme. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.
Return the fennel, garlic and chicken (skin-side up) into the pan.
Simmer
Cover and simmer on the stovetop for 10 minutes.
Roast
Transfer the uncovered pan to the oven. Roast until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 175°F (at the thickest part of the thighs) and the sauce is bubbling and slightly reduced, about 25 minutes.
Thicken the Sauce
If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and simmer the liquid on the stovetop until slightly thickened.
Finish and Serve
Move the chicken to the side of the pot and stir the butter into the sauce.
Garnish with reserved fennel fronds, and serve with sauce spooned over top the chicken.
Tips, Substitutions & Serving Suggestions
- Chicken swaps: You can use bone-in chicken breasts or drumsticks, but adjust cook time accordingly.
- No fennel? Try onions or leeks for a similar sweetness.
- Apples: Honeycrisp and Gala are great, but Pink Lady or Fuji also work.
- Serving ideas: Pair with creamy mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce. A crisp green salad makes a fresh side.
Other Chicken Thigh Recipes to Love:
- Sticky Rum Glazed Chicken Thighs (Grill or Stove)
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs with Chimichurri
- Sweet-Heat Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Piri Piri Chicken Thighs
📖 Recipe
Apple Cider Glazed Chicken with Apples and Fennel
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 small fennel bulbs cored and cut into wedges (reserve fronds for garnish)
- 2 Honeycrisp or Gala apples cored and cut into thick wedges
- 3 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 ½ cups fresh apple cider (non-alcoholic) not vinegar
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set oven to 375°F.
- Season the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a 6-qt Rondeu or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin side down and sear until golden and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.
- Cook the fennel and apples. Reduce heat to medium. Add fennel wedges and garlic to the pan and sauté until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add apple wedges and cook 1-2 minutes per side until lightly golden.
- Make the cider glaze. Pour in cider, chicken stock, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, and thyme. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits. Return the fennel, garlic and chicken (skin-side up) into the pan.
- Simmer. Cover and simmer on the stovetop for 10 minutes.
- Roast. Transfer the uncovered pan to the oven. Roast until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 175°F (at the thickest part of the thighs) and the sauce is bubbling and slightly reduced, about 25 minutes.
- Thicken the sauce. If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and simmer the liquid on the stovetop until slightly thickened.
- Finish and serve. Move the chicken to the side of the pot and stir the butter into the sauce. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds, and serve with sauce spooned over top.
- 💬Tried this recipe? We'd LOVE it if you left a rating and review. Your feedback helps others… and it would really make our day!
Hi Zimmy. Getting ready to make this delicious looking recipe but wanted to clarify which type of apple cider to use; alcohol or not? Love your recipes, by the way. Thanks!
Hi Mary,
We used fresh apple cider (non-alcoholic) for this recipe. We’ve updated the recipe to clarify this for everyone.
Have a great day!
Elaine & James
Truth be told, I read this and asked myself, “What’s a fennel?” A quick trip to the store and I was in business plus, I very happy to learn the benefits of skin on bone in! Having never used it, the fennel was a bit tricky to start but the flavor is so worthwhile. I also peeled my apples so I’m looking forward to a return to this recipe. I served mine on a rice pilaf but would do this again with a crushed roasted potato. As with every dish that I’ve tried from you, the taste was over the top and such a savory blend. a very easy recipe to follow and the smiles were all around the table.
Hi Dave, this made us smile. We love that your first thought was “What’s a fennel?” and then you dove right in. That’s exactly the kind of kitchen curiosity we’re here for. Fennel can feel a little tricky the first time, but once you get a taste of that sweet, mellow flavour, it really wins people over.
Serving it with rice pilaf sounds great, and crushed roasted potatoes would be fantastic with that cider glaze too. Thanks so much for cooking along with us and for taking the time to share your experience. Hearing that it brought smiles around the table means a lot. 😊
Have an incredible day!
Elaine & James