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This Braised Apple Cider Chicken is made into a complete meal with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon. It’s the perfect one pan fall dinner recipe! Packed with vegetables and hearty autumn flavor, this dish will be the hit of any dinner, weekday or weeknight! Made in partnership with my friends at Farmer Focus.
Braised Apple Cider Chicken with Bacon and Brussels
Braised Apple Cider Chicken with Bacon and BrusselsThe salty bacon, sweet apple cider sauce, brussels sprouts, and perfectly cooked fall off the bone chicken is the ultimate flavor combination for when you are craving something comforting! I love this Braised Apple Cider Chicken for an easy weeknight meal that everyone will love. It’s dairy-free, grain-free, and low-carb, made with only a few simple ingredients and made into a complete one-pan dinner.
Ingredients Needed
- Bone-in Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks
- Fresh Apple Cider
- Bacon
- Leeks
- Garlic
- Cinnamon
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Thyme
- Dijon Mustard
- Maple Syrup
I am so excited to partner with my friends at Farmer Focus (formerly Shenandoah Valley Organic) for today’s awesome dish. Farmer Focus is a locally minded company that prides itself on producing the highest quality chicken grown on family-owned farms. This company allows you to actually see what farms your chicken is coming from, since each package you pick up at the store has a Farm ID for easy navigation on their website!
Watch the video:
Want other delicious chicken recipes? Here are some favorite:
- Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
- Low Carb Chicken Parmesan
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Braised Apple Cider Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
- 5 pieces nitrate-free bacon
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken drumsticks and or chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup leeks diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper more to taste
- 1/2 pound brussels sprouts quartered
- 1 bundle fresh thyme
- 2 cups fresh apple cider
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard more to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, cook bacon until crispy over medium heat. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate lined with a papertowel. Pour out all but 2 teaspoons bacon fat.
- Heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat.
- Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear chicken until brown on both sides in the dutch oven. This should take about 5 minutes per side.
- Take chicken out of the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Add the leeks, garlic, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and cinnamon. Stir well, making sure to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of th pan. Cook until leeks are translucent.
- Add in the brussels sprouts and stir until combined. dijon mustard and thyme. Stir well.
- Pour in the apple cider and mix until everything is well combined. Make sure all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan have been scraped up. Cover and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat, and add back in the chicken. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Take the chicken, brussels sprouts, and thyme sprigs out of the pan. Set the thyme aside, and place the chicken and brussels sprouts on the desired serving dish.
- Add maple syrup to the sauce and bring to a high simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk frequently until the sauce has become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, this should take around 5-8 minutes. Taste and adjust mustard, sea salt, and black pepper based on desired taste.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with bacon and thyme and serve warm!
Nutrition
Made in partnership with my friends at Farmer Focus. All thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own! I love the integrity of their products and think you’ll love them too. Thank you for continuing to support LCK and the brands I work with!
This is my new go-to Fall dinner! I made a tweak to the recipe as I like my veggies and chicken crispy – while the sauce was reducing down I transferred the veggies and chicken to a sheet pan and broiled for 7 minutes. I also added a diced sweet potato to make this all in one and really for my husband who “needs” a carb… and I doubled the mustard at the end but honestly this was AWESOME!
Lexi this sounds delicious do you think I can use breast ?
Yes but the cook time would be different!
My husband and I made this last night and it was a hit! Great recipe thank you! He’s already asked me when we can make this recipe again! 🙂
This sounds amazing! Do you think it would work to substitute shallots or green onions for the leeks?
Yes, sure!
Looks delicious! Would it be freezer friendly?
I want to say probably not, actually!
What an amazing dish, Lexi!
It’s now one of my favorite fall recipes. I love the outburst of flavors and the fact that it can be cooked in one pot is a great advantage, especially for busy moms like me. Well, I’ve also tried using waffle iron to cook bacon since my kids asked for extra bacon garnish. You can tell that they love it because they keep coming back for more!
LOVE IT. I am so glad you enjoyed!
Sorry Lexi, this did not work for me flavor-wise. The chicken was delicious, but the brussel sprouts ended up with some weird flavor.
You’re the first I’m hearing of that. What did they taste like? Did you follow the recipe exactly?
Yum! This sounds so amazing. Do you think hard apple cider would work for this too?
I probably wouldn’t waste it!
I made this over the weekend and let me just say YUMMM! I used a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar because I spaced and forgot to buy apple cider. The sauce is seriously addictive! Amazing, Lexi!
I am so glad you loved it! It’s my new favorite, too!
Can’t wait to make this! Any suggestions on a veggie replacement for brussels sprouts though?
Squash or small potatoes!
Just reading this tempts me to run to the store for chicken!!! Amazing recipe + a lot of greens!
🙂 🙂
Oh Lexi- this looks outstanding! my family would love this dish and I love that it is one-pot!
Loving all of the flavors of this easy one-pot meal! And everyone knows that bacon makes everything better 😉
Brussels sprouts for the win!
This sounds absolutely delicious!
This looks so cozy for Fall! And I just picked up my first gallon of fresh apple cider, so I’m ready to make this!
Total yummy comfort food!!
Looks amazing! I will be making this very soon. Do you think it could also be made in the crockpot of the bacon is cooked first?
oh I’ve tried their chicken once and loved it! totally makings with bacon!
Truly STUNNING!!