These Apple Cider Braised Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes bring cozy fall flavor to the dinner table. Chicken and onions simmer slowly in apple cider, with sweet potatoes and gingersnap cookies added along the way for a warmly spiced sauce. It’s a comforting Dutch oven dinner for a leisurely Sunday or an evening with friends—and the kitchen smells wonderful while it cooks!
If you're looking for the taste of fall in a flavorful chicken dish...look no further!
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Table of Contents Found Here
- The easy ingredient list for making apple cider braised chicken with sweet potatoes:
- How this recipe came to be:
- What exactly is braising?
- Are there tips to getting the most flavor out of a braise?
- The buzz on braising:
- Why add gingersnap cookies to this dish?
- Additional chicken recipe you'll enjoy:
- Key Recipe Takeaways
- Printable Recipe Card
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
The easy ingredient list for making apple cider braised chicken with sweet potatoes:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
- chicken breasts
- apple cider
- light colored oil (I used avocado)
- onion
- sweet potatoes
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- gingersnap cookies
How this recipe came to be:
I had chicken breasts in the freezer, apple cider in the fridge, a half a box of gingersnaps left in the pantry, a few sweet potatoes that I needed to use before they went bad, and friends coming for dinner.
The result was this recipe for Apple Cider Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Gingersnaps. It far surpassed my expectations and was a huge hit with our guests! Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner!! 🙂
What exactly is braising?
- Braising is a cooking method in a closed vessel with some sort of cooking liquid. In this case, I used a Dutch oven as my closed cooking vessel and apple cider as the cooking liquid.
- Braising is a super easy method of cooking which makes tough, dry, and cheaper cuts of meat moist and tender due to cooking them low and slow in the oven, or even on the stovetop.
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Are there tips to getting the most flavor out of a braise?
- Yes! Season and brown the meat you plan to braise very well on all sides, before adding the braising liquid. This will add additional flavor to the meat.
- Once the proteins have been properly browned, add a small amount of the cooking liquid and scrape up all the browned bits of flavor (the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Again, this will add the most flavor possible to the pot and the completed dish.
The buzz on braising:
*Special Note - Braising takes several hours, however, most of it is hands-off time, so please plan accordingly. Braising is best saved for a weekend when more time is easier to come by.
Why add gingersnap cookies to this dish?
Gingersnap cookies add warm spice and a touch of sweetness while helping thicken the apple cider braising liquid. They’re added near the end of cooking so they soften into the sauce.
Additional chicken recipe you'll enjoy:
- Gluten-Free Macadamia Nut Chicken Thighs
- Smoky Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts
- Maple Mustard Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- French Onion Chicken
- Waffle Batter Fried Chicken Tenders
Key Recipe Takeaways
- Apple Cider Braised Chicken features chicken breasts cooked slowly in apple cider with sweet potatoes and gingersnap cookies for flavor.
- The recipe includes easy ingredients like chicken breasts, apple cider, onions, and sweet potatoes.
- Braising is a cooking method that keeps meat moist and tender, and requires seasoning and browning the meat first.
- This dish takes several hours to cook but involves mostly hands-off time, making it ideal for weekends.
- The article provides easy instructions for preparing the dish and suggests other chicken recipes to try.
Printable Recipe Card
Apple Cider Braised Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- salt and pepper grinders optional
Ingredients
- 6 large chicken breasts boneless
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other light colored oil
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder or to taste
- 1 large onion sliced
- 3 cups apple cider (or juice)
- 5 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
- 12 each gingersnap cookies plus more for garnish, if desired.
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add the oil to a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken very well on both sides on medium/high heat, working in batches, if needed.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 cup of the apple cider to the pan with the onion, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (deglazing).
- Add the browned chicken back to the pan along with the remaining apple cider. Cover and place in a preheated 300-degree oven for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the pan from the oven and add in the prepared sweet potatoes. Return the pan to the oven for an additional 70-90 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove the pan from the oven and add in the gingersnap cookies.Allow the gingersnap cookies to dissolve into the hot sauce.
- To serve, spoon the sauce, potatoes over the chicken on a plate. Add additional crumbled cookies over the chicken, if desired (not shown).
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's recipe for Apple Cider Braised Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes and Gingersnaps as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
All of the recipes you'll find here on my website are in loving memory of my son, Greg, who left this earth far too soon and will be forever in our hearts.
Sue says
Hello! You say that 3 cups of apple cider are needed and that one cup gets added when the onion goes in to deglaze. But when do the other 2 cups of apple cider go in? Thanks! Sue
Renée says
I'm so sorry for my error, Sue. I've since gone back in and fixed it.
Add the remaining apple cider to the pot when you've added the chicken back in, and before adding to the oven.
I appreciate your kindly letting me know of my mistake.
Have a great day,
Renee
Kathy says
I made this today and accidentally put Apple cider vinegar. It turned out awesome! I also used extra wide egg noodles in place of potatoes. I added some chicken broth from the hatch chicken I made earlier as well as some sour cream.
It think the Apple cider vinegar tenderized the chicken.
Renée says
That's awesome, Kathy! I'm sure the vinegar tenderized the chicken.
Some mistakes make for the tastiest recipes. Thanks for the comment and star rating.
Have a great day!
Renee
Shiho says
Thank you for the tips to braise chicken. No more dry chicken breast for me. Thank you!
Nellie Tracy says
These recipes are awesome and I highly recommend them!
Renée says
Thank you so much, Nellie!
Nellie Tracy says
I can see why these are your most popular! I can't wait to try them!