These apple cider chicken thighs feature juicy seared chicken thighs baked in a flavorful apple cider glaze alongside lots of tender root vegetables.
This is the one fall dinner everyone needs in their life! We’ve got all the fall root veggies and even apple cider making an appearance, so you know it’s gonna be good.
I mean…those crispy-skin chicken thighs sell a pretty convincing story.
And the capper on that story is that we’re pulling all this off in under an hour and it’s SUPER adaptable to using veggies you have on hand too!
The real star of this dish is definitely the apple cider sauce because it is SO full of fall flavors and coats every inch of the chicken and root veggies to perfection.
I couldn’t think of a better use for that gallon of apple cider you undoubtedly have in the fridge this time of year if I tried.
This Apple Cider Chicken features…
- Juicy chicken thighs with perfectly crispy skin
- A sweet and flavorful apple cider sauce
- Tender roasted sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, beets, and onion
- Ready in under an hour with a handful of ingredients
Making the Apple Cider Chicken
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Sweet potato
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Beets
- Red onion
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Chicken thighs
- Garlic
- Apple cider
- Stone-ground mustard
- Rosemary
Choosing Your Chicken
We recommend using bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of chicken is best suited for this dish because it cooks up with perfectly crispy skin and a very juicy texture inside.
Boneless chicken thighs may also be used in this recipe, however, they will cook up quite a bit faster than bone-in thighs and you will need to keep an eye on them while they bake to avoid overcooking.
If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken breasts will also work great in this recipe. They won’t cook up quite as juicy as thighs but they will still be delicious.
Tips for Perfect Apple Cider Chicken
- Cut root vegetables into uniform size – we recommend 1/2-inch cubes for this recipe. Try to get them all the same size so they cook evenly.
- Pre-roast root vegetables – this gets a head-start on cooking the vegetables since they will take longer to cook than the chicken.
- Pan sear chicken thighs – this gets you that signature crispy skin we all know and love about bone-in chicken thighs. This won’t cook the chicken fully, but it will finish cooking with the vegetables in the oven later.
- Build sauce in same pan – drain all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings out of the pan and use this as a base to build your apple cider sauce. The fond that remains in the pan will contribute a lot of flavor to the sauce.
- Roast chicken and vegetables in half of sauce – save half the apple cider sauce for drizzling over the chicken after its done roasting for extra flavor.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this chicken.
- Try different vegetables – this recipe is very adaptable for using different kinds of veggies. Try other types of onion, turnip, yellow or red potatoes, rutabaga, butternut squash, acorn squash, sweet pepper, or green beans. Be aware that you may have to adjust roasting time when using different vegetables.
- Use different herbs – try fresh thyme or sage in place of the rosemary.
- Make it meatless – for a vegetarian-friendly meal, skip the chicken and just add extra root veggies in its place.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead instructions
- Prep the vegetables – the root vegetables may be chopped and stored in refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Storing leftovers – leftovers of this chicken and vegetables store well in refrigerator up to 6 days. Reheat in the microwave 2-3 minutes.
There’s just no words to describe how cozy this apple cider chicken is! The crispy-skinned chicken thighs go so well with the tender roasted root veggies and the sweet apple cider sauce pulls all the flavors together.
Your next roast chicken night needs to look like this!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More sheet pan recipes to try next!
- Lemon Dill Salmon with Baby Bok Choy
- Sausage and Sweet Potatoes with Honey Garlic Sauce
- Spicy Chicken Potstickers with Spicy Ginger Sauce
Apple Cider Chicken Thighs with Root Vegetables
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Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-1/2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a large sheet pan. Toss sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste together and arrange in a single layer.
- Roast vegetables at 400F 20-25 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from oven and keep oven on.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot. Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sear 3-5 minutes on both sides until golden brown.
- Remove chicken from skillet and arrange on sheet pan with root vegetables. Set aside for a moment.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pan. Add garlic to pan drippings and sauté over medium heat 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add apple cider and mustard to pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until apple cider is reduced in half, about 6-8 minutes.
- Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon butter into apple cider sauce until melted. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle half of sauce over chicken thighs and root vegetables and sprinkle rosemary over top.
- Roast chicken and vegetables at 400F 15-20 minutes until chicken registers 165F and vegetables are tender. Drizzle remaining apple cider sauce over top. Serve chicken and vegetables warm and enjoy!
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