Cider-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Apple-Kohlrabi Slaw — Photo:
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Active Time:

1 hr

Total Time:

1 hr 20 mins

Yield:

4 servings

Bathed in a schmaltzy pan sauce made from chicken jus and apple cider, this simple chicken dinner is perfect for a weeknight at home. The accompanying slaw, made with mildly sweet and slightly peppery kohlrabi, white turnips, and a mix of sweet-tart raw apples, offers a crunchy contrast to the rich, tender chicken.

For the most impressive presentation, use airline chicken breasts (boneless breasts with the drumette still attached); you can also use boneless, skin-on chicken breasts for a perfectly delicious result.

The lightly dressed apple-kohlrabi slaw calls for a mix of sweet Honeycrisp and tart Granny Smith apples. If heirloom apples like Jonagold or Gravenstein are in season in your area, use them instead — their sweet-tart flavor is a terrific match for the apple cider-glazed chicken breasts.

Frequently asked questions

What are airline chicken breasts?

Airline chicken breasts are skin-on, boneless chicken breasts with the drumette (the first wing joint) still attached. They’re a cut favored by fine-dining restaurants; the name dates back to the 1960s, when airlines used to serve them. You can ask your local butcher shop for airline chicken breasts, or you can prep them yourself. To prepare airline chicken breasts at home, debone breasts with wings from two whole chickens, then cut off the wing tip and flat. Reserve remaining chicken parts for another use.

What are some good ways to use any leftovers?

Leftover Apple-Kohlrabi Slaw and Cider-Glazed Chicken can be repurposed in pasta salads, wraps, sandwiches, and more.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

The chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F, but that doesn’t mean you should cook your chicken all the way to that temperature in the oven. Instead we pull the chicken at 160°F (or even 155°F) and let carryover cooking ensure the meat cooks the rest of the way for tender, juicy results.

Our testers commented that this recipe has all the home-y flavors of a cozy roast chicken dinner. The meat is juicy and tender. The pan sauce is schmaltzy from the chicken jus with a touch of sweetness from the apple cider. Butter mounted at the end gives it a pleasant richness, while thyme offers some herbal freshness. Multiple people commented on how they could basically drink the pan sauce and would recommend this recipe as an approachable, elegant upgrade to your average chicken dinner.

Suggested pairing

Try pairing a vivid, apple-inflected Alsace white such as a Zind-Humbrecht Riesling with this recipe. It will echo the fragrant apple cider pan sauce and the raw, zippy apple in the slaw.

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tart green apple (such as Granny Smith) (unpeeled), cut into matchsticks (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 tart-sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp) (unpeeled), cut into matchsticks (about 13/4 cups)
1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
1 medium-size young white turnip, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
3 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally (about 2/3 cup)
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste and for garnish
4 (10-oz.) skin-on airline chicken breasts or boneless, skin-on chicken breasts, patted dry (see Note)
1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup unfiltered apple cider
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together mayonnaise and vinegar in a large bowl. Add apples, kohlrabi, turnip, scallions, and parsley; stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down; cook, undisturbed, until skin is golden brown and crisped, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip chicken, and transfer to preheated oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 160°F, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm.
Meanwhile, add broth and apple cider to skillet, and scrape with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-high; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reduces by about half, 8 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. While gently swirling skillet, gradually whisk in butter, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until emulsified. Stir in chopped thyme; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Return chicken, skin side up, to skillet; spoon sauce over top. Serve immediately with apple-kohlrabi slaw; garnish with additional parsley leaves and additional black pepper, if desired.