If you are thinking about trying a new, easy skillet chicken dinner this fall, let it be one pan apple cider chicken with butternut squash. This delicious recipe is packed with juicy and tender chicken breast with seared crispy skin, warm butternut squash, sweet apples, and fresh thyme, all cooked in an apple cider sauce. It is so delicious and flavourful with all the classic fall flavours. The best part? This easy one pan recipe ready in under 40 minutes, making it the most warm and comforting fall weeknight meal ever.
Ingredients
- chicken breasts - 5 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts. You can remove the skin if you like, and skip the searing step.
- olive oil
- paprika
- salt and pepper
- butternut squash - you can use 2 cups of either fresh or frozen butternut squash diced into ¼-inch cubes. Small cubes will make the squash super tender and almost mash into the sauce. For a little more structure, cut into ½ inch cubes.
- apple
- fresh thyme
- apple cider sauce - made with apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar), butter, mustard, brown sugar, and soy sauce.
You will also need a cast-iron skillet or oven safe skillet (a deep sheet pan will also work), and a meat thermometer.
How to Make the Best Apple Cider Chicken with Butternut Squash
- Prep the chicken. Pat dry each chicken breast with a paper towel completely before adding seasoning. This helps create extra crispy skin when searing and roasting.
- Season the chicken. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well with a spoon to combine. Generously smear the seasoning mixture over the chicken breasts and let it rest on a clean plate for at least 15 minutes.
- Sear the chicken. Heat an oven-safe or cast-iron skillet on the stove for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Once the skillet is sizzling hot, sear the chicken breasts by placing them skin side down until the skin turns brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts on a plate to rest.
- Prepare apple cider sauce. On the same skillet, turn down the heat to medium and add apple cider, butter, mustard, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and stir until it forms a smooth texture. Remove from heat and transfer the chicken breasts back to the skillet with the skin side up.
- Prepare butternut squash. In a large mixing bowl, add butternut squash, sliced apples, thyme, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine. If using frozen butternut squash, make sure to defrost first and pat dry to remove excess water. Transfer the butternut squash and apple mixture to the skillet and spread it around the chicken.
- Bake. Transfer the entire skillet into a 420F preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden brown and the internal temperature for the chicken reaches 165F on a meat thermometer.
- Serve. Serve the chicken and butternut squash on a plate and drizzle some apple cider sauce from the skillet on top.
How to Serve Apple Cider Chicken
You can serve this one pan recipe completely on it's own with the delicious butternut squash and apple that just soaks up all the flavours of the apple cider sauce. It also goes really well on top of some creamy mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.
And since we don't want to waste any of that amazing apple cider sauce in the pan, you need some warm crusty bread to soak it all up. Try it with artisan no knead bread, no yeast biscuits, or sliced French baguettes.
How to Store
Store cooked chicken and butternut squash with all the juices from the pan in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 300F for 5-10 minutes.
More One Pot Chicken Recipes
- Apple Dijon Braised Chicken Thighs
- Skillet Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
- Creamy Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce
- One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
- Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken
Tried this recipe?
I'd love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and rating below to share your feedback. Your reviews help others discover this recipe and help me keep creating more free recipes for you. Snap a photo and tag me on social media @aheadofthyme too.
Recipe
Apple Cider Chicken with Butternut Squash
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Quick, easy, one pan apple cider chicken with butternut squash, apples, and thyme, cooked in an apple cider sauce. Serve this fall meal in just 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 5 chicken breasts, boneless, skin-on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 cups butternut squash, diced into ¼-inch cubes (fresh or thawed from frozen)
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420F.
- Prep the chicken. Pat dry each chicken breast with a paper towel completely before adding seasoning. This helps create extra crispy skin when searing and roasting.
- Season the chicken. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well with a spoon to combine. Generously smear the seasoning mixture over the chicken breasts and let it rest on a clean plate for at least 15 minutes.
- Sear the chicken. Heat an oven-safe or cast-iron skillet on the stove for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Once the skillet is sizzling hot, sear the chicken breasts by placing them skin side down until the skin turns brown, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts on a plate to rest.
- Prepare apple cider sauce. On the same skillet, turn down the heat to medium and add apple cider, butter, mustard, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and stir until it forms a smooth texture. Remove from heat and transfer the chicken breasts back to the skillet with the skin side up.
- Prepare butternut squash. In a large mixing bowl, add butternut squash, sliced apples, thyme, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine. If using frozen butternut squash, make sure to defrost first and pat dry to remove excess water. Transfer the butternut squash and apple mixture to the skillet and spread it around the chicken.
- Bake. Transfer the entire skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden brown and the internal temperature for the chicken reaches 165F on a meat thermometer.
- Serve. Serve the chicken and butternut squash on a plate and drizzle some apple cider sauce from the skillet on top.
Notes
Equipment used: cast-iron skillet and meat thermometer.
How to store: Store cooked chicken and butternut squash with all the juices from the pan in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 300F for 5-10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Lauren says
Wow! All I have to say is YUMMM! I made this recipe exactly as instructed without the thyme and squash because I didn’t have which I’m sure the extra flavor was delicious, but it’s amazing either way. Definitely keeping this for the books!
Lisa says
This was excellent and will definitely be repeated at our house! I made slight modifications: Used skin-on chicken thighs (since my family prefers dark meat over white); used 1/2 TBSP of kosher salt in the chicken seasoning (since sodium intake is something we need to monitor; the skin still turned out crispy); used Dijon mustard and apple cider that had been infused with mulling spices and orange (since I had this on hand) to make the sauce. The end result was delicious! Thank you for this recipe and adding a new favorite to our fall dinner entrees.
jess says
this was lovely. I used dijon mustard as there was no variety stated, i suspect some people may be use if they were to use yellow mustard in place in dijon. I put in less salt as well as I was using a very small crystal salt when i usually use kosher.
Emily says
I googled “perfect fall comfort food recipe.” a couple websites had long lists of strong contenders, but this was the first I came across & I couldn’t get it out of my head. Butternut squash, apples, and fresh thyme from my little indoor herb garden…perfect. Loved it.
In a side note, I’m sorry you had to repeat apple cider was the ingredient, not ACV, and that bad review still remains even though the dish was ruined by someone who couldn’t follow directions. Everyone should try this when the weather turns cool!
Leigh-anne says
Very disappointed in this. Way too much vinegar, Made the house smell sour and my kids were literally hiding from the smell. The sauce needs adjusting, sweeter or more savoury because it’s just difficult to eat.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Sorry that happened to you! But there is no vinegar in this recipe, so it looks like you added the wrong ingredient. This recipe calls for apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar. I will make a note in the recipe to make that clear so no one else makes this mistake.
Jennifer McKlveen says
This was the perfect dish for a cold November day! Great!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Totally agree! Enjoy!