Maple glazed roast chicken is roasted with tangy cranberries, soft apples, and covered in a sweet maple glaze for the EASIEST way to do chicken holiday-style!
Oh man. I may never eat chicken any other way again.
You’re telling me it’s NOT normal to desire your chicken in the form of THIS goodness?
With apples, cranberries, and an insane maple glaze in every freaking corner?
I rest my case that our skillet up there is basically single-serve. ^^^
This Maple Glazed Roast Chicken features…
- Juicy seared chicken thighs
- Soft, tender baked apple slices
- Bursting tart cranberries
- Sweet, tangy maple glaze drizzled over the WHOLE skillet
Searing the Chicken
First off, I like to use bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe to keep the chicken super juicy, but there are other options if you don’t have them on hand. >>
Boneless skinless thighs and boneless skin-on chicken breasts. You will sear them as usual in this recipe but keep reading below for how to roast them.
Why the skin on for the chicken breasts? Unlike thighs, chicken breasts don’t have a lot of fat so the skin is necessary for getting a golden crust on the outside of the chicken while searing + roasting.
Speaking of searing, season your chicken both sides with salt and pepper and then fire up an oven-safe skillet until hot. Add butter + olive oil and cook the chicken on both sides until a deep golden brown.
Roasting the Chicken, Apples, and Cranberries
Nestle your apples, fresh cranberries, and a few rosemary sprigs around the chicken thighs and then send it to the oven for 20-25 minutes to cook the chicken thighs through until they reach 165F.
If using boneless thighs: decrease the cook time to 10-15 minutes and check the temp with a meat thermometer until you hit 165F.
If using boneless breasts: decrease the cook time to 15-20 minutes and again, check the temp.
Maple Glaze
While the chicken roasts, let’s make maple glaze! In a small pan, saute a little garlic in olive oil until just fragrant then add in balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and s&p to taste.
Let the maple glaze simmer at medium low a few minutes until it’s thickened and syrupy.
Pull your chicken out of the oven and brush ALL that maple-y goodness over top. Fall dinner is served!
For reals. This is one killer chicken trio, guys. It’s not even fancy-schmancy food but man, does it ever look like it.
Tastes like actual fall in a skillet and it’ll be our little secret it came together SO fast. Hello, easy weeknight dinner, fancier dinner for entertaining, etc.
Orrrr….one skillet all to yourself. That’s basically how this is gonna roll.
MORE roast chicken dinners you should definitely be adding to your menu!
- Skillet Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Roast Potatoes
- Dill Lemon Chicken Thighs with Mascarpone Rice
- Beer Braised Chicken with Carrots and Red Potatoes
Maple-Glazed Roast Chicken with Apples and Cranberries
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Ingredients
Roast Chicken with Apples and Cranberries
- 4 medium bone-in chicken thighs (1-1/2 lbs)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced in 1/4-in thick slices
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Maple Glaze
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roast Chicken with Apples and Cranberries
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until pan is hot. Sear chicken 2-3 minutes on both sides.
- Remove pan from heat and arrange apples, cranberries, and rosemary sprigs around chicken. Roast chicken at 375F 25-30 minutes or until chicken registers 165F, apples are tender, and the cranberries are bursting.
Maple Glaze
- While chicken bakes, make the sauce: In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil then saute garlic in oil until 1 minute until just fragrant. Stir in vinegar, and syrup. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once chicken is done, drizzle with maple sauce. Enjoy!
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
That maple balsamic glaze sounds SO yummy! 🙂
marcie says
I can’t get enough of these flavors right now Sarah…it’s like you made this for me! This dish looks insanely delicious so I’m pulling out my skillet!
Mother of 4 says
I very seldom write recipe reviews, but this one was so delicious, I decided I need to. Perfect just the way it’s written. Thank you!
Sarah C. says
Hi Sarah, I don’t have fresh cranberries right now and really want to make this . Any way to do this with canned cranberries?
Sarah says
Hi Sarah. Canned would work here, just make sure you drain them well. 🙂
Liz says
This is my husband’s favorite holiday meal since I started making it last Christmas. Thanks for this Sarah!
Sarah says
Thanks for letting me know, Liz! Glad to hear this chicken is a hit! 🙂
Katie Larson says
What kind of apples do you suggest?
Sarah says
Any firm apple works well here! We like using honeycrisp or galas. 🙂
Khrissy says
I enjoyed this recipe. Quite worried about the cranberry taste since this is my first time cooking fresh ones but it turned out really good.
Sarah says
So glad you loved this chicken, Khrissy! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Nora says
I asked Siri to find me a recipe for chicken with cranberries and apples. I chose this from the three she offered, and boy am I glad I did! I made this recipe twice in one week. Once with boneless skinless chicken breasts, which was what I had on hand. It tasted good, but the chicken was dry. My fault because I cooked it too long. I made it again with 6 chicken thighs. I also added the glaze ingredients to the pan, and an extra sliced apple. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Will be making this again and again!
Sarah says
Oh my gosh, how awesome to hear! So glad you enjoyed this chicken, Nora. 🙂
Edith says
Would pomegranate molasses work, instead of balsamic? Thank you.
Sarah says
Hi Edith – I’d recommend substituting the balsamic with another vinegar such as apple cider.
Janice says
I never ever leave a comment because I usually screw up recipes. I am not a great cook but this recipe is fantastic!! I had boneless skinless chicken on hand and thought what the heck and I use Fuji apples since they are the only ones I can digest. Used leftover cranberry sauce and it was delicious. My husband commented on how much he loved it. Also leftover stuffing with the glaze was phenomenal!! I wasn’t going to try the glaze but so happy I did!Thank you, I feel confident to tackle more! This is a keeper 😋
Sarah says
I’m so happy that this chicken was a success for you, Janice! Stuffing paired with the glaze sounds so amazing! Enjoy. 🙂
Rebecca says
I can’t even tell you the last time I wrote a review for a recipe. This right here is a masterpiece!!! The comment abut the glaze on stuffing is an absolute must try!!! I couldn’t put the fork down🤤
Sarah says
That’s amazing to hear, Rebecca! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂
Terry says
My daughter in law made this for us Christmas Eve. It was wonderful and made the whole house smell so good. I will be making it as well.
Sarah says
Amazing to hear, Terry! Happy holidays. 🙂
Rachel says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It is delicious and and quick to make. Tried it for the first time cooking under pressure for Christmas lunch and it was very manageable. Could not find chicken thighs with bones and skin or cranberries, so used skinless and boneless thighs and red currents (still attached to stalks). I also used a mix of green and red apples for a Christmassy look and garnished the finished dish with fresh redcurrants on stalks and fresh rosemary. It looked and tasted so festive. The cooked current stalks were edible and not tough at all to eat.
Sarah says
That sounds like such a festive twist on this chicken, Rachel! Thanks for sharing your modifications. 🙂 Happy holidays!