Apple Cider Glazed Chicken Thighs With Butternut Squash Fritters Recipes

APPLE CIDER ROASTED CHICKEN WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 and line a roasting pan with foil.
• Scatter butternut squash cubes and whole garlic cloves on bottom of the roasting pan then pour apple cider on top.
• Place chicken breasts on top of the squash/garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
• Season chicken and squash with cinnamon, salt and pepper. (Don't be afraid to use your hands - these breasts need to be evenly coated and well seasoned!)
• Cover pan loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken reaches internal cooking temperature of 165.

APPLE CIDER CHICKEN WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 420F.
• . Pat dry each chicken breast with a paper towel completely before adding seasoning. This helps create extra crispy skin when searing and roasting.
• Season the chicken. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well with a spoon to combine. Generously smear the seasoning mixture over the chicken breasts and let it rest on a clean plate for at least 15 minutes.
• Sear the chicken. Heat an oven-safe or cast-iron skillet on the stove for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Once the skillet is sizzling hot, sear the chicken breasts by placing them skin side down until the skin turns brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts on a plate to rest.
• Prepare apple cider sauce. On the same skillet, turn down the heat to medium and add apple cider, butter, mustard, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and stir until it forms a smooth texture. Remove from heat and transfer the chicken breasts back to the skillet with the skin side up.
• Prepare butternut squash. In a large mixing bowl, add butternut squash, sliced apples, thyme, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine. If using frozen butternut squash, make sure to defrost first and pat dry to remove excess water. Transfer the butternut squash and apple mixture to the skillet and spread it around the chicken.
• Bake. Transfer the entire skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden brown and the internal temperature for the chicken reaches 165F on a meat thermometer.
• Serve. Serve the chicken and butternut squash on a plate and drizzle some apple cider sauce from the skillet on top.

APPLE CIDER-GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRITTERS

Steps:

• For the butternut squash fritters: Place the squash, apple, ginger, egg, breadcrumbs, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper into a large bowl and stir together to combine.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with about 1/4 inch of oil. When the oil shimmers, scoop heaping tablespoons of the squash mixture and drop gently into the oil, pressing with the back of the spoon to slightly flatten. Fry in batches until brown and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a plate lined with lightly crumpled paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with more salt before serving. Makes about 2 dozen fritters.
• For the apple cider-glazed chicken thighs: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs on each side with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then cook in batches on each side until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and 2 sprigs of thyme to the pan. Season with salt, add a little water, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet until the onions are golden and softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the apple cider, vinegar and the reserved liquid from squeezing out the squash and apple. Simmer until reduced, 5 minutes.
• Remove the thyme leaves from the remaining 2 sprigs of thyme, then finely chop the thyme, parsley, and tarragon. Set aside.
• Whisk the butter into the reduced sauce, then add the chicken thighs back to the pan to warm through for 2 or 3 minutes, coating with the glaze and sprinkling with the fresh herbs. Check that the thighs have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, then serve with the Butternut Squash Fritters.

APPLE-GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides. Remove from pan., Add juice and thyme to skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Return chicken to pan; cook, covered, over medium heat 3-4 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°.

SPICY APPLE CIDER-GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken thighs into the hot oil and cook until brown, about 4 minutes, then turn and place onion slices on top.
• Stir together apple cider and sambal oelek; pour over chicken and onions. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken and onion to a plate and keep warm.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring the liquid in the skillet to a boil. Continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced to about 3/4 cup. Pour over chicken thighs and onions and garnish with fresh chives. Serve warm.

SKILLET APPLE CIDER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken thighs with salt and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Place bacon into the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and drain excess grease from the skillet.
• Add onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup apple cider. Cook until reduced by 1/2, about 10 minutes. Add cooked bacon, apples, sage, and thyme; let simmer for 2 minutes. Add remaining chicken broth and cider.
• Return chicken to the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook and stir until chicken thighs are no longer pink in the centers, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Remove the pan from heat and add butter, swirling to combine with sauce. Pour over chicken.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND GREENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
• 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.
• 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.
• Add the cider, cider vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 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.
• 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.
• 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.