This succulent cider brined roast chicken, seasoned with fresh orange and herbs and a reduced cider and maple glaze is the perfect entrée for your next autumnal feast.
Jump to Recipe
In the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane enjoys a variety of roast meats at the Van Tassel’s autumnal feast. Succulent roast chicken is always a favourite and this cider brined version is a celebration of the fall apple harvest. Apple cider is used to brine the chicken and to create a reduced cider and maple glaze. The chicken and baked apples are bathed in an herb and orange compound butter and served with a rich pan gravy. This cider brined roast chicken is the perfect star for your next autumnal feast.
Why Brine Meat?
There are several advantages to brining meat. It adds flavour and keeps the meat moist and juicy. Meat submerged in a brine solution will naturally absorb some of the liquid along with the seasoning. This ensures that the meat is seasoned throughout and not just on the surface. A brine can be as simple as water and salt but it’s also a great canvas for adding even more flavours. Here I add apple cider and herbs to the brine which impart a subtle apple flavour while keeping this roast chicken tender and juicy.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: I recommend choosing a 6 to 7 lb roaster chicken for this recipe. The cooking times in this recipe are based on a 6 to 7 lb bird. If your chicken is smaller the roasting time will be less. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure the chicken is properly cooked. Alternatively, you can use a small turkey.
Apple cider: Apple cider in the brining liquid imparts a subtle apple flavour and sweetness to the chicken. The addition of cider to the roasting pan boosts the apple flavour in the pan gravy while a reduced cider and maple glaze is the finishing touch on this spectacular autumnal cider brined chicken.
Kosher salt: This brine recipe calls for kosher salt which is less salty than regular, table salt. If you use table salt then reduce the amount by half.
Butter: rub an orange and fresh herb compound butter over the chicken before roasting and season the baked apples with the butter for even more seasonal flavour.
Apples: I typically use Gala apples in this recipe. They tend to hold their shape very well after roasting. Add them to the roasting pan after 1 hour so they are fully cooked and tender by the time the chicken is ready. If your chicken is less than 6 lbs, then add the apples sooner (after about 45 minutes).
How to Make Cider Brined Roast Chicken
When brining any meat, you will need to start the day before. You can let the chicken sit in the brine anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.
Brine the chicken
To prepare the brine add the 2 L of water, apple cider, kosher salt, brown sugar, thyme bundle and peppercorns to a large pot. Heat just until the sugar and kosher salt are fully dissolved. You don’t need to boil the brine.
Add the ice water to a large plastic tub or stainless pot. Pour the brine into the ice water. Make sure the brine is not warm when you add the chicken. Place the chicken into the brine with the breast side down. Press down on the chicken so that it is fully submerged.
Cover the container and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
Prep the roasting pan
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry at least one hour before you intend to roast the chicken. Let the chicken sit out on a rack to allow the skin to dry off as much as possible and come up to room temperature.
Drizzle a large roasting pan with the olive oil. Scatter in the sliced onion, oranges, garlic cloves, and sprigs of fresh thyme and sage. Place a rack on top of the aromatics. Transfer the chicken to the rack.
Prepare the compound butter
While the chicken is air drying you can prepare the compound butter. In a small bowl combine the softened butter, fresh thyme, fresh sage, orange zest, kosher salt, and pepper. Mix well with a spatula. Remove 2 tablespoons of the butter and set aside for later.
Roast the chicken
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. A 6 to 7 lb chicken will take 2 to 2 1/2 hours to roast at this temperature. Due to the cider in the brine I recommend roasting the chicken at this lower temperature which can take longer. The sugars in the cider and brine will cause the chicken to brown quicker and darker than usual. For that reason it is better to roast the chicken slower and at a lower temperature. You may need to cover the chicken partially if any dark spots develop.
Stuff the remaining half orange and a sprig of thyme into the cavity of the chicken. Pull the legs together and use twine to tie them tightly together. Tuck the wing tips under the bird.
Rub the remaining compound butter over the whole top of the chicken. I like to rub some of the butter under the skin of the breast. Be sure to cover the breasts, legs, thighs, and wings with the compound butter.
Pour 1 cup of apple cider into the roasting pan and then place the pan in the preheated oven. Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Check the chicken occasionally to see if it is getting dark in places. If there are parts of the skin that are getting too dark, cover them with a piece of foil and continue roasting. I often wrap foil over the ends of the drumsticks to prevent them from getting too dark.
Prep the baked apples
Cut the apples in half. Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining compound butter in a small bowl. After the chicken has been roasting for about an hour remove it from the oven. Baste the chicken with the pan juices and then nestle the apples cut side up around the roasting pan. Brush the apples with the melted compound butter.
If the chicken is getting too dark in places, cover them with pieces of foil. Return the chicken to the oven. The chicken pictured here has been roasting for 1 hour. At this point, I wrapped a piece of foil around the legs and draped a strip of foil over the middle of the breasts to cover the dark parts.
Make the cider and maple glaze
In a small saucepan bring the apple cider to a boil. Let boil for 7 to 10 minutes until it has reduced by about half. Add the maple syrup and whisk together. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of the compound butter and bring to a boil. Let the glaze boil for another couple of minutes until it has reduced slightly.
Glaze the chicken
Check the temperature of the chicken after about 1 3/4 hours using an instant read thermometer. Check at the thick part of the breast near the leg. Do not touch the bone while taking the temperature or it may result in an inaccurate reading. When the chicken reaches around 145/150 deg F it is time to start glazing.
Remove any foil covering the tops of the chicken. Brush the bird generously with the cider and maple glaze. Roast uncovered for another 10 minutes and then repeat. Continue roasting until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 deg F. Another way of telling the chicken is done is to carefully tip the roasting pan and check the juices running from the cavity. If the juices are still pink, keep roasting. The chicken is fully cooked when the juices from the cavity are clear.
Transfer the cooked apples and chicken to a platter and tent loosely with foil while preparing the pan gravy.
Make the pan gravy
Strain the juices into a measuring cup. Spoon the fat from the top of the juices back into the roast pan. You need approximately ¼ cup of fat. Add some butter if there isn’t enough fat from the juices.
Place the roasting pan back on the stove top. Heat the pan over high heat. Add the flour to the pan and whisk into the fat to make a roux. Measure the remaining pan juices – there should be about 3 cups. If necessary, add a bit of chicken broth or cider to reach 3 cups.
Begin adding the broth in batches to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Once all the broth has been added bring the pan gravy to a simmer. Add the kosher salt and pepper then taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Serve the Cider Brined Roast Chicken
To serve, carve the chicken into pieces. Cut the legs off each side of the chicken and then split the drumstick from the thigh. Cut the wings off. Slice each breast off the breastbone. Slice each breast into 3 or 4 slices. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Arrange the apples around the edge of the chicken. Serve with the pan gravy and enjoy!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast
Check out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast master post for more Sleepy Hollow inspired recipes in this series!
- Toffee Apple Pie with Vanilla Custard
- Katrina Van Tassel’s Spiced Apricot Cocktail
- Pumpkin Cheese Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Cider Brined Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 L water
- 6 ½ cups apple cider divided
- 1 cup kosher salt* plus extra
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 12 -14 sprigs fresh thyme divided
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 L ice water
- 6-7 lb roaster chicken
- ½ cup butter softened
- 3 sprigs fresh sage divided
- 1 orange
- ½ tsp pepper divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 Gala apples
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ⅓ cup flour
- extra chicken broth or apple cider
Instructions
- Brine the chicken 12 to 24 hours before you intend to roast it. To prepare the brine, add 2 L of water, 4 cups of apple cider, 1 cup kosher salt, and the brown sugar to a large pot. Tie 3-4 sprigs of thyme together in a bundle and add to the brine along with the peppercorns.
- Heat the brine just until the salt and brown sugar are dissolved. Add 1 L of ice water to a large plastic bin or steel pot. Pour the brine mixture into the ice water to cool. Add the chicken into the cooled brine with the breast side down. Press down to submerge. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
- An hour before roasting remove the chicken from the brine. Discard the brine. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place on a rack. Leave to air dry at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Prepare the compound butter. Add the softened butter to a small bowl. Finely chop 1 tablespoon each of the fresh thyme and sage and add to the butter. Zest half the rind of the orange into the butter. Add ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Mix together well with a spatula.
- Measure out 2 tablespoons of the compound butter and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare the roasting pan. Cut the onion into thick slices. Cut the orange in half. Slice one half and set the other half aside. Peel the garlic cloves. Gather 3-4 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of sage.
- Drizzle the olive oil into a large roasting pan. Scatter the onion slices, orange slices, garlic cloves, fresh thyme and sage in the pan. Top with a rack. Place the chicken on top of the rack. Stuff the remaining half orange into the cavity of the chicken along with more sprigs of thyme.
- Rub the remaining compound butter over the whole chicken. Push some of the butter under the skin of the breasts if desired. Tuck the wing tips under the chicken. Pull the legs together and use twine to tie them tightly together.
- Add 1 cup of apple cider to the roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour. Check the chicken to make sure it isn't getting too dark in places. If it begins to brown unevenly, partially cover it with foil to slow down the browning.
- Cut the apples in half. Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining compound butter in a small bowl. After 1 hour of roasting, remove the chicken from the oven. Nestle the apples around the chicken with the cut side up. Brush the melted compound butter over the apples.
- Continue roasting for another 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the reduced cider and maple glaze. Place the remaining 1 ½ cups apple cider in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let boil for 7 to 10 minutes until the cider has reduced by half.
- Add the maple syrup to the reduced cider and whisk together. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of compound butter. Bring the glaze to a boil and let boil for another couple of minutes until slightly reduced.
- After 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours of roasting, take the chicken out and check the temperature with an instant read thermometer. Check at the thick part of the breast near the leg. Don’t touch the bone while taking the temperature or it may result in an inaccurate reading. When the chicken reaches around 140 deg F it is time to start glazing.
- Remove any foil covering the top of the chicken. Brush the bird generously with the glaze. Roast for another 10 minutes and then repeat with the remaining glaze. Continue roasting until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 deg F and the juices from the cavity run clear.
- Transfer the cooked apples and chicken to a platter and tent loosely with foil while preparing the pan gravy. Strain the juices into a measuring cup. Spoon the fat from the top of the juices back into the roasting pan. You need approximately ¼ cup of fat. Add some extra butter if there isn’t enough fat.
- Place the roasting pan back on the stove top. Heat the pan over medium high heat. Add the flour to the pan and whisk into the fat to make a roux. Measure the remaining pan juices, there should be about 3 cups. If necessary, add a bit of chicken broth or cider to reach 3 cups.
- Begin adding the broth in batches to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Once all the broth has been added bring the pan gravy to a simmer. Add ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp pepper then taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Strain the gravy into a gravy boat.
- To serve, carve the chicken into pieces. Cut the legs off each side of the chicken and then split the drumstick from the thigh. Cut the wings off. Cut each breast off the breastbone. Slice each breast into 3 or 4 slices. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Arrange the apples around the edge of the chicken. Serve with the pan gravy and enjoy!
This sounds AMAZING!!! I’ve started purchasing whole chickens from a local farm. Normally I boil them, remove the cooked meat, add the bones back and make broth. Two products from one chicken. However, lately I’ve been wanting to try my hand at roasting one of the chickens. I’m definitely going to be using this recipe! Thank you and beautiful photos as well.
Thanks Jaylea 🙂 This is such a great fall recipe, let me know if you get a chance to try it out!
This was so good! Chicken was super tender and delicious! Mine was a 7 lb bird and was fully cooked by the first temp. I was worried it would be dry after glazing and putting it back in the oven but it wasn’t. My gravy was very tangy. But still tasty. The directions say to use cloves of garlic but the ingredient list doesn’t incorporate them. So I just measured with my heart. This recipe was excellent for October and will be on my regular fall rotation!
Hi Keri, thank you so much! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, it’s definitely a fall favourite for me too 🙂 and thanks for pointing out about the garlic. I have updated the recipe, although it can certainly be adjusted per personal taste!
How much garlic? I didn’t see that listed as an ingredient. Thanks!
Hi Carrie, thanks for catching that! I have updated the recipe 🙂
Can’t wait to make this for my halloween party. How would the cooking times change if I wanted to serve 12 people? (12lb bird?)
Hi Emma, thanks for reaching out! You might be hard pressed to find a chicken that large. Depending on the size of the birds, as some grocery store chickens can be small, you will want to cook 2 – 3 birds. For whole chickens, estimate about a pound per person. The brine and compound butter/glaze ingredients can be doubled as needed. You could also use a turkey (10-12 lb) instead. Let me know if that helps and if you have any other questions 🙂
Would this recipe work with duck instead of chicken? I am planning on making a roast duck for me and my husband for thanksgiving and this recipe sounds like it would be delicious!
Hi Kathryn, thanks for reaching out 😊 While I haven’t actually tried this recipe using duck it should work fine. I would suggest reducing the brine time to between 8-12 hours and you will likely need to reduce the roasting time too depending on the size of the bird. Hope this helps!
Should I double the recipe for a turkey??
Hi Aimee, depending on the size of the turkey, you will most likely need to double the recipe. With a small turkey you might be able to get away with a single recipe, anything over 9-10 lb might need more brine, compound butter etc. Hope this helps!
How do you think this would work for Cornish hens? Sometimes they can be dry. And of course the cooking time would have to be reduced.
Hi Jan, yes, this recipe should work well with Cornish hens and as you said, the cooking time will certainly need to be reduced. Given their small size, I might also keep the brining time to 12 hours or less. Hope this helps!
This was incredible! My family loved it. The roasted apples and onions are even tastier than the chicken!
Thanks Jennifer! I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed it 🙂
This was the best chicken! My teenage children, couldn’t get enough! This will be a autumnal staple in this house. Didn’t make the gravy and with how juicy it was, I don’t think I’ll need too! Thank you ☺️
Thanks Rachel! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it 🙂 It’s definitely a fall favourite for us well.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it was honestly the best chicken I’ve ever had. We had a really good quality locally raised chicken, and I wanted to do something special with it. I was a little unsure about all of the sugar in the brine and glaze, but it was not overly sweet. The process was a bit involved but it was 100% worth it. The only deviation I made was using rosemary instead of sage because that’s what I had in my garden.
Thank you so much Julia! I’m so glad it worked for you and rosemary sounds like a great addition 🙂
Hi Alison, this looks amazing!! If I wanted to make this with bone-in, skin-in chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken, should I make any adjustments to brine ratios and brining time, since the pieces are smaller? And since the roasting time would now be shorter, would that cause the accompanying onions/oranges to not be roasted as fully as they should? Thank you!
Hi Nicole, thanks for reaching out. Depending on the amount of chicken pieces you have, you may not need as much brining liquid to cover them all. Simply divide the brine recipe in half to make a smaller batch. You also won’t need to brine them as long, I would recommend anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. For the onions and oranges, you could always slice them thinner than pictured so that they will cook through during the roasting time. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes 🙂
This was sooo delicious! Made this for my family, your recipe rocks! I really was surprised by just how good the compound butter and apples are, I think I like that almost as much as the chicken. Thank you so much for sharing, it was a very special meal for us.
Hi Edward, thanks so much! I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed it 🙂
This sounds amazing. So I would I adapt it to use boneless skinless breasts and thighs? The brining time would be shortened I assume. Any cooking modifications?
Hi Sarah, yes you could certainly shorten the brining time to a couple of hours. Depending on how many pieces you are using, you may also want to reduce the brine recipe since you won’t need as much to cover the smaller amount. As for cooking modifications, if you are using skinless chicken, then I would recommend giving them a bit of a sear after brining (and drying off!) to add colour and a crust. The apple halves might take longer so you can begin roasting them with the aromatics before searing the chicken. After searing, add them to the roasting pan on top of the aromatics, add the glaze and bake until done. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes 🙂