Apple Cider Glazed Chicken Thighs

Have you ever had a bite of something and couldn’t think of any other word than “MMMMMMM!”. That was my reaction after taking the first bite of this creation. I’ll be making this dish as a cozy dinner at home, and likely when we visit family for the holidays (get ready to add this one to the Thanksgiving weekend menu, Honi!). These apple cider glazed chicken thighs will be loved by many this holiday season. I can feel it!

Let’s talk cooking method. If you’ve seen my chicken wing recipe, you know I’m a huge fan of my airfryer. It cooks chicken to perfection in almost half the time it would take in the oven, and creates a crispy, chip-like skin. If you don’t have one (GET ONE…), I have included instructions to get a similar result in the oven.

I’m going to start putting this glaze on everything. I literally used it as a salad dressing when eating my leftovers– spoiler alert: it was delish. It’s nice and sweet from the honey and apple cider, but perfectly balanced with the tartness of the vinegar and mustard. I’m not a gravy fan, so I may suggest that adding this as second sauce for our Thanksgiving spread. And when the apple cider season passes, there should be no issue subbing cider for a quality apple juice. “Simply” is a good, concentrated brand.

I like serving my apple cider glazed chicken thighs alongside a potato wedges, or a similar starch to swipe up the glaze around the plate (dinner rolls would be divine). The glaze would also be delicious drizzled over roasted turkey, or grilled pork chops. Let me know how you use the glaze in the comments below!

Print Recipe

Apple Cider Glazed Chicken Thighs

Servings: 2

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 2.25 lb bone in skin on chicken thighs about 4 thighs
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

For the Glaze

• ⅔ c apple cider
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

• AIR FRYER: Preheat air fryer to 400° F. Prep your fryer basket with cooking spray/oil.
• OVEN: Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire cooking rack on top.*
• Remove chicken from packaging and pat dry each side with a paper towel.**
• Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper and transfer to appropriate cooking vessel for cooking method, skin side up. Drizzle skin with olive oil.
• AIR FRYER: Cook Chicken for 12-15 minutes, or until skin is crisp and golden. Flip and cook for an additional 6 minutes.
• OVEN: Bake chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes, or until skin crispy and golden brown. No need to flip.
• While the chicken cooks, combine apple cider, honey, dijon, and apple cider vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced and bubbles look thick. About 15-18 minutes– I do this as the chicken cooks in the airfryer. For oven users, start your glaze about 1/2 way through cooking the chicken.
• Just before serving, turn off heat and add butter and rosemary sprig. Stir to combine and serve over top the chicken.

Notes

*The baking rack creates airflow around all sides of the chicken (like an air fryer), promoting even cooking and crispiness.

**Starting with dry chicken is essential to get the crispy crust we’re looking for. Water/liquid is the enemy of crispy!