Chicken in a creamy cider sauce, a perfectly cooked tender and juicy breast in a sauce flavoured by garlic, thyme and wholegrain mustard.
This delicious recipe will go from your fridge to your table in around 40 minutes, which should include both preparation and resting times.
Creamy Cider Chicken Breast
The chicken breast gets a bit of a bad wrap from “foodies”, it’s often sold at a premium price and sure it does not have the same flavour as the brown meat from the chuck.
It is a beautifully lean piece of meat that cooks quickly, and if, like me, you buy a whole bird and cut it up, then it is a piece of meat that needs to be used.
It is superb stuffed in classic dishes like the ever-green chicken Kyiv or glorious haggis stuffed Balmoral chicken. But it is just as good cooked in a simple glaze or sauce like my marmalade chicken breast and garlic lemon chicken breast recipes.
My latest recipe cooks chicken breasts in a cider, thyme mustard and garlic sauce, a sauce that gets finished with double cream to create a simple but delicious main course.
It’s delightfully simple to make and will go from your fridge to your table in around 40 minutes, and that includes all of the preparation and resting time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sort of cider should I use?
Look for a nice dry apple cider, avoid anything that is sweet or even medium if possible. I have been using Aspal Premier Cru in my cooking of late and it is delicious in this recipe.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you are from the US it is important that you use hard cider in this recipe!
Can I use a different type of mustard?
Yes, if you wish, although I maintain that wholegrain mustard is the best type of mustard for this recipe.
Why do you discard the garlic when you have browned the chicken?
I find that this is the best way to get some of the garlic flavour into the chicken. But if you leave it any longer the garlic becomes bitter and adds nothing else to the dish.
As a result, you are just after imparting the butter we cook everything in with a bit of garlic flavour.
Can I use dried thyme?
Yes, use between half and one teaspoon of dried thyme depending on how fresh your jar is.
Can I use dairy-free cream?
I have been playing around with dairy-free creams of late just to see how they react under cooking.
I have been fairly impressed, they are not a full-on substitute for cream, but if you can’t eat dairy then they do a reasonable job. So yes, I have tested both Flora and Elmlea dairy-free cream and it is OK!
Serving Suggestions
I’ve served my chicken breast in a creamy cider sauce with some sauteed baby leeks and peas in these pictures.
Drop some butter in a saute pan over a high heat, toss in the leeks and get some nice colour. Add a splash of cider and some stock, add a bit of salt and a lid then cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove the lid, add some defrosted peas and heat through.
If you want to keep this as a light meal, you could swap this for dishes like green beans amandine, roasted tenderstem broccoli or even some buttered savoy cabbage.
Mash is an awesome way to bulk this dish out if you want to make it a heartier meal.
Mashed potato is perfect, but don’t get tunnel vision celeriac mash adds a different flavour profile and swede and carrot mash adds a wonderful sweetness.
One final suggestion, roasted crushed new potatoes are superb with this creamy cider sauce!
Equipment Used
I only name-check specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 25cm or 10″ frying pan with a lid.
- Kitchen tongs.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Quick read meat thermometer.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, cups and spoons.
Creamy Cider Chicken Breast Recipe
Beautifully tender and juicy chicken breasts cooked in cider, wholegrain mustard and thyme before being finished with cream to make a perfect silky sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 Large (400g total) Chicken Breasts
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 35g (1 Small) Shallot
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 25g (2 Tbsp) Butter
- 1 Tsp Vegetable Oil
- 250ml (1 Cup) Dry Cider
- 75ml (½ Cup) Chicken Stock
- 75ml (⅓ Cup) Double Cream
- 1 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- ⅛ Tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and peel off the paper-like skins.
- Cut the shallots in half, peel them and then dice them as finely as you can.
- Pick the leaves from the stems of the thyme.
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- Heat a 25cm or 10" frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil and butter.
- When the butter begins to foam add the garlic cloves and chicken (skin side down first), then cook until nicely browned on all sides. This should take 5-6 minutes in total.
- Remove the chicken and set aside, discard the garlic, then add the shallots to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to high and when the shallots begin to sizzle louder add the cider and the thyme and cook until the cider reduces by two-thirds.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the chicken stock and stir through the whole grain mustard, then return the chicken (skin side up), add a lid and cook for 12-15 minutes. Ensure that the chicken has reached at least 68-69°C or 155°F, then remove it from the pan and rest it whilst you finish the sauce. The temperature will continue to rise into the "safe zone" of 73°C or 165°F whilst it is resting.
- Whisk the cream into the sauce and have a taste adding salt if required, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Slice the chicken then serve it on the bed of the sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 677Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 241mgSodium: 676mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 65g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.