Roast Chicken Thighs with Cider Gravy
A one pan wonder that looks beautiful served at the table and has a deliciously sweet gravy to spoon over a pile of mashed potatoes, yes please. If you need a centerpiece for Thanksgiving, but don’t want to fiddle with an entire 15 pound turkey this is your sign to give chicken a try. We love this even when it’s not a special occasion, it is mashed potato season after all. From a nutritional standpoint, this meal hits all the marks. There is protein in the chicken, beautifully silky glycine in the gravy from the bone in meat and broth, mineral rich carbohydrates in the mashed potatoes, and antioxidants and fiber in the apples and onions. I love how delicious meals are also so nourishing to our bodies...what a gift!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
6-8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 springs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1 thinly sliced apple
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour (gluten free also works great!)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Season the chicken things with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, fresh thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Heat a wide oven safe pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the olive oil and sear the chicken, skin side down until nice and brown. Flip and brown on the other side. Add the thinly sliced onions and apples and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and the juices run clear when pierced. Take the chicken, apples and onions out of the pan and add the butter and garlic and stir until garlic softens. Add the flour and stir until browned (this is your roux). Add the apple cider, chicken broth, and vinegar. Put the pan over medium heat and whisk the sauce together, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan. The sauce should thicken up after about 10 minutes of cooking. When the sauce has thickened a bit, add the chicken and apples back to the pan and spoon sauce over chicken to serve. Enjoy!
