Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce is the perfect dish to celebrate apple season. Serve it with cheddar cheese mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli or brussel sprouts on the side. This mouthwatering one skillet fall meal is sure to become a new family favorite.
Find the full recipe with ingredient list and instructions at the end of this post.
Alleluia, it’s Apple Season!
Late July is the beginning of apple season. I have very fond memories of when the kids were younger, of taking family trips to the apple orchard and picking apples. After too many baskets were filled with apples, we’d treat ourselves to a warm piece of homemade apple pie cafe down the road and plan all the things we were going to make with our apples including The Best Apple Pie Pizza and Baked Apple Roses.
Sweet treats made with apples are always delicious, but I also love savory dishes with apples too! There’s nothing like the sweet combination of apples together with carmelized onions, a touch of salt, and fresh thyme. They’re heavenly!
The best part about apple season is that it always meant that fall was just around the corner.
Comfort Food at its Finest
Although it’s still hot and muggy here in the south, I can’t help but dream about delicious fall comfort food. Comfort food is my favorite! This chicken and apples in cider cream sauce checks all my comfort food boxes. It’s rich, hearty, and aromatic. This recipe creates a beautiful marriage between so many of my favorite fall flavors including juicy seared chicken, caramelized onion and apples, and the intoxicating aroma of apple cider and thyme. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Plus, aren’t we all always looking for a new chicken recipe to add to our repertoire?
I adapted this recipe from one I found on Cook’s Country for Chicken Fricassee with Apples. Although it is an absolutely delicious recipe, it is a bit time-consuming. As much as I love to cook, after a long day of work and feeding the animals, I’m usually looking for recipes that are quick and easy. At the same time, I also want them to be delicious. With a few adaptations to the original recipe, I was able to create the dish with the same depth of flavor, but without as much work in the kitchen. The entire dish is also made in one skillet which makes for very easy clean-up. Win-win-win!
Ingredients for Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce
- Boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders
- All-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
- Apples (Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp)
- Shallots
- Fresh thyme
- Apple cider
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fresh chives
Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce
Although the original recipe calls for chicken breasts, I always use chicken tenders when I make Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce. I find that the chicken tenders cook more evenly. More importantly, they cook faster. The flour dredge sears the chicken so that it stays juicy while at the same time, it adds a beautiful light brown coating to the chicken.
The sauce. I’m a sucker for anything made with a rich and delicious sauce and the cider cream sauce in this dish is quite literally fall perfection. The cream, although not the healthiest addition, makes this sauce incredibly decadent without making it heavy. That combined with sweet apple cider, a touch of tart apple cider vinegar, and aromatic thyme makes for a sauce that you will want to virtually lick clean off the plate.
This leads me to the perfect accompaniment to this dish, cheddar cheese mashed potatoes. Cheddar cheese and apples have long been considered a perfect match, especially when it comes to serving apple pie. Think of the filling’s gooey, syrupy sweetness and the buttery, flaky crust. Now imagine what it’s like biting into a wedge of sharp orange cheddar: Salty, savory, nipping sharpness. Put the two together, and it’s the best of both worlds. That’s why I think serving cheesy mashed potatoes with Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream elevates this dish perfectly. (I keep the skins on the potatoes because I love the texture they add.)
The Perfect Side Dish for Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce: Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- 1 pound yellow fingerling potatoes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top
- Salt and pepper to taste
Add the potatoes to a large pot and fill it with water until it is an inch or two above the potatoes. Turn the stove on high and let the potatoes boil for about 10-15 minutes or until a fork tender. Drain the water from the potatoes and then add the butter, cream, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Using an electric mixer, cream the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients together until it reaches the desired consistancy.
To serve, in a shallow bowl, spoon some of the cheddar cheese potatoes. Then add some of the chicken and apples on top of the potatoes or next to them. Be sure to spoon the mouthwatering cider cream sauce over the chicken. No skimping on that! Finally, garnish the dish with more fresh thyme and/or chopped chives.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do here on the farm! Happy apple season!
Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce
Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce is the perfect dish to celebrate apple season. Serve it with cheddar cheese mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli or brussel sprouts on the side. This mouthwatering fall meal is sure to become a new family favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders or chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges (I used Gala, but Fuji and Honeycrisp also work well.)
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (3/4 teaspoon dried), plus more for garnish
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced (optional)
Instructions
Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour lightly to coat, shaking to remove access; transfer to a plate and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced apples, shallots, and thyme to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally, until apples are lightly browned and softened. The apples should be firm, but not crisp. They also should not be mushy. Transfer to a second plate and set aside.
To the empty skillet, add the remaining butter and heat until melted over medium-high heat. Add the dredged chicken and cook until lightly browned, but not quite cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the apple cider and chicken broth in the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is cooked through to 163-165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.
Return the apples and shallots to the pan with the chicken and the sauce. Add the apple cider vinegar and cream and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and allow the sauce to thicken a bit for about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needded. Sprinkle with additional thyme leaves, if desired.
Serve warm in shallow bowls.* Spoon sauce, apples, and shallots on top of the chicken and garnish with fresh minced chives.
Notes
Serve on top of or along side of cheddar cheese mashed potatoes.
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