How to Make Hard Cider Chicken

Here’s a sweeter take on an alcohol-based marinade. The addition of cinnamon and apple jelly softens the taste of the dry hard cider.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 5 cups dry hard apple cider
• ½ cup apple jelly
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground cloves
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 2 medium-sized baking apples, such as Winesaps, Pippins or Granny Smiths
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Kitchen thermometer
• Above ingredients
• Medium bowl
• Roasting pan
• Apple corer/slicer
• Knives

1. Wash the apples well. Peel the apples; use either a dedicated apple corer/slicer or a chef’s knife to cut the core of the apple out.
2. Cut the apple into eight to 12 even wedges. Cut off and discard the stem ends of the apple. Set aside.
3. Peel the onion. Cut both ends off the onion and stand the onion up on one of the cut ends.
4. Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then cut each half into six even wedges lengthwise, much like the apple wedges. Set aside.
5. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
6. In a high-walled roasting pan or a casserole dish, add the apple and onion wedges. Pour the oil evenly over the fruit and vegetables.
7. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper to the dish. Mix the vegetables, fruit and oil together until everything is coated evenly with the oil.
8. Place the pan into the heated oven and roast the apples and onions for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions and apples are starting to brown. Stir the mixture occasionally.
9. While the onions and apples are roasting, pour the hard cider, apple jelly, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and lemon juice into a medium-sized bowl.
10. Stir the mixture until it is completely incorporated.
11. Pull the roasting pan out once the onions and apples have roasted completely and the pan has a lot of caramelized onion and apple juice crusted to the bottom.
12. Pour the cider mixture into the pan and use a wooden spoon or a hard spatula to scrape the caramelized onion and apple while the pan is still very hot from the oven. When you are done scraping the bottom of the pan, you should not have any brown crusty bits stuck to the pan. The caramelized onion and apple should mix into the cider mixture.
13. Add your chicken breasts into the roasting pan and place the pan back into the heated oven.
14. Cook the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Three times during the cooking, turn the chicken breasts over.
15. When the chicken smells and looks done, check the temperature of the chicken with a kitchen thermometer. Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of one breast. The chicken should have a temperature of at least 165 degrees. If the chicken is not hot enough, cook for another five minutes and re-check the temperature.
16. Take the roasting pan out of the oven once the chicken has fully cooked.
17. Serve the chicken with a side dish, such as mashed potatoes or a rice pilaf. Make sure to add some of the roasted onion and apple slices onto the plate as a garnish.

Tips & Warnings

• When roasting any vegetables or fruit, make sure to check the pan often to make sure they aren’t burning. You want the fruit and vegetables to brown, but not burn.
• When you add a liquid to a pan that has brown caramelization stuck to the bottom of the pan, this is called deglazing a pan. Deglazing pans helps bring out the wonderful flavors from the caramelization.

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