Sweet and Juicy Apple Dijon Braised Chicken

As we gear up for cozy recipes, this Apple Dijon Braised Chicken is a MUST on your dinner list! It is a one pan recipe, using simple ingredients but with incredible flavour. Everyone will be begging for seconds!

A good roast chicken recipe never disappoints during those cooler months. You can get whole chickens for fairly cheap and when braised in sauce, they are almost impossible to mess up! Add this Apple Dijon Braised Chicken recipe to your Fall staples and thank me later!

This recipe starts by searing off the chicken to get a nice crispy skin. You then cook your aromatics and add in some flavour enhancers like dijon mustard and honey. Return the chicken to the pan along with fresh apples and broth and cook in the oven until sweet, juicy and tender.

There are a few different ways you can go about this Apple Dijon Braised Chicken. You can use a whole chicken that you break down yourself. This is great if you have some people who prefer the breasts and others who prefer dark meat. If you don’t have a desire to break down a chicken yourself, you can simple use bone in, skin on chicken thighs, drumsticks, or even chicken breasts if you prefer a less fatty cut. Whichever you choose, I promise this will be some of the best chicken you ever have!

Tips for Making Apple Dijon Braised Chicken

1. If you are using chicken with skin, make sure you dry the chicken well before searing and have your pan nice and hot! This will ensure you can get that skin crisp and golden without it just going soggy.
2. When adding in the apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, use a wooden spoon to scraped all of the crispy bits off the bottom of the pan. This adds extra flavour to your sauce so don’t skip this!
3. Once the chicken has cooked to 165F internal in the oven, if you want to get your chicken extra crispy, you can turn it to broil for just a couple minutes. This will get the skin nice and crispy again after sitting in the sauce.

Apple Dijon Braised Chicken Ingredients

Chicken– This can be a whole chicken broken down, drumsticks, chicken thighs (bone in or boneless), or even chicken breasts.

Onion– White or yellow onion will work.

Apple– Use whichever apples you enjoy. I like a pink lady or ambrosia for a sweet, crisp apple.

Chicken Broth– Homemade or store bought chicken broth works.

Garlic– As always I recommend using fresh garlic as opposed to pre minced garlic.

Dijon Mustard– You can use regular dijon mustard, or a grainy dijon mustard but do not use a seeded mustard.

Apple Cider Vinegar– If you do not have apple cider vinegar you can substitute with a red or white wine vinegar.

Honey– Regular honey or a hot honey is delicious. I like to use a hot honey for a slight kick.

Rosemary– A fresh sprig of rosemary adds a perfect layer of flavour.

The Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. If you are using a whole chicken, break it down into thighs, breast, drumbstick and wings. If using chicken thighs, drumsticks or breasts, skip this step.
3. Pat the chicken dry, and season with salt and pepper on all sides.
4. Then, heat a large dutch oven, cast iron skillet or braiser on high heat. Add a couple tbsp of butter, then add in the chicken, skin side down.
5. Sear the chicken for a couple minutes on each side to get it nice and crispy. You are not cooking it. Once nicely seared, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
6. To that same pan, over medium heat, add the garlic and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Next, add the apple cider vinegar and stir, cooking for another couple minutes. Then stir in the dijon mustard and chicken broth.
8. Finally, add the apples and honey, then place the chicken back in the pan and place the rosemary on top.
9. Cover the pan with a lid and place in the oven to full cook for aqbout 25 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165F. If you want the chicken extra crispy, you can remove the lid and turn the oven to broil for the last couple minutes.
10. Serve the chicken over rice or mashed potatoes and top with a generous spoonful of the apples and sauce. Enjoy!

If you give this recipe a try leave a comment or review below!

Looking for more cozy Fall recipes to try?

https://cmbarndominium.com/the-best-braised-venison-ossobuco/

https://cmbarndominium.com/simple-delicious-boursin-tomato-sourdough-pasta/

https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-and-delicious-homemade-ramen/