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Enjoy the delicious flavors of autumn with this festive apple cider roasted chicken recipe! Seasoned and roasted to perfection with the subtle sweetness of apple cider, this dish is the perfect entree for any holiday dinner.
🍁 I know the Southern USA is still rocking that summer heat but up here in the PNW it feels like fall is in the air! The leaves on the maples are changing colors, there's an ever so slight chill in the breeze, and there are already pumpkins outside my go to grocery store 🎃. Most importantly (for this recipe), fresh apple cider is also in stock. Ergo, let us discuss this autumn apple cider roasted chicken recipe!
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Why You'll Love It
First off, this dish is a main course recipe worthy of a Thanksgiving table! With it's sweet and and savory flavor, this apple cider roasted chicken captures the essence of fall in every bite (if I do say so myself 😎). With figs, apples, grapes, Secondly, while it roasts it'll make your house smell absolutely amazing. Thirdly, it's pretty easy to make (especially if you get your chicken trussed at the meat counter) but looks SUPER impressive. Perfect for holiday dinners!
Tips and Tricks
- Dry the chicken fully by patting it down with some paper towels before slathering it with the compound butter. If you don't adequately dry it off the butter won't stick to it and the skin won't crisp up.
- Elevate the chicken for even cooking. If using a baking dish (as pictured throughout this post), layer your veggies and fruits evenly so the chicken can sit on top, above the basting liquid. You can also use a roasting pan, I just like my pretty white casserole dish better 🤣.
- Optional: to amp up the flavor, you can absolutely brine it. However, I did not, and if I'm going to brine at all I generally dry brine poultry.
Serving Suggestions
This dish pairs perfectly with pretty much any fall-inspired side dishes. Need a few options? Try serving it with some sweet potatoes (I have so many recipes I couldn't pick just one), a basket of homemade dinner rolls, or one of my favorite autumn harvest salads.
Commonly Asked Questions About This Recipe
No problem! You can use a casserole dish (as pictured throughout this post). You just want to make sure the chicken is somewhat elevated to allow for even cooking and to avoid poaching it in the released juices.
I do have a similar recipe that uses chicken breasts and is done on the stove: Braised Chicken with Figs and Grapes. Apparently I love this flavor combo!
You can make this dish all the way up to step 5 of the recipe beforehand. Then tightly cover the whole thing, roasting pan included, and refrigerate up to 24 hours until about 30 minutes before you are going to cook it. Remove the dish from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes allow for more even cooking. Then continue on with the recipe!
ANy more questions? Drop me a line in the comments section below!
Apple Cider Roasted Chicken
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Enjoy the delicious flavors of autumn with this festive apple cider roasted chicken recipe! Seasoned and roasted to perfection with the subtle sweetness of apple cider, this dish is the perfect entree for any holiday dinner.
Ingredients
For the Compound Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ cup apple cider
For the Chicken
- 4-5 lb whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed, trussed
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 8 thin-medium carrots, peeled
- 1 large red apple, fuji or honeycrisp, cored, halved and quartered
- 1 large green apple, granny smith, cored, halved, and quartered
- 8 ounces mission figs, halved
- Couple bunches of purple grapes
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh sage, thyme, rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Make the compound butter: In a standing mixer on a high speed, whisk together all ingredients for the compound butter until combined. It's okay if not all of the apple cider mixes in!
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Grease a 9X13 roasting pan or casserole dish.
- Place half of the apples, and the carrots on the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Rub chicken thoroughly with half of the compound butter. Evenly season with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the remaining apples, half of the figs, and a few leaves of each fresh herb.
- Place the chicken on top of the ingredients in the pan. Place remaining figs and the grapes around the chicken.
- Pour apple cider over the chicken and let it run to the bottom of the pan.
- Roast the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Baste with the liquid on the bottom of the pan every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes. Top with remaining compound butter, and garnish with herbs. Make sure to show it off before carving it up! Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
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