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Cider Chicken Thighs with Cabbage
Melissa Hart

Cider Chicken Thighs with Cabbage

Cabbage turns silky under chicken thighs and catches every bit of cider and bacon flavor. Add it halfway through so it keeps some shape instead of melting into the sauce. Bone-in thighs take longer than boneless ones, but they taste better here and stay juicier.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 6 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
  • 3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 small green cabbage about 2 lbs, cut into 2-inch pieces

Method
 

  1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, transfer it to a plate and leave 1 tbsp fat in the pan.
  2. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and brown it skin-side down in the bacon fat until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. Spread the onion in a 6-quart slow cooker, set the chicken skin-side up on top and sprinkle in half of the bacon.
  4. Whisk the cider, vinegar, mustard and sage and pour the mixture around, not over, the chicken.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, then tuck the cabbage around the thighs.
  6. Cover again and cook until the chicken reaches 175°F and the cabbage is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.
  7. Skim the sauce and scatter the remaining crisp bacon over the chicken and cabbage.