This one-pan chicken and apples is an easy skillet dinner made with tender chicken, vegetables and apples. This dish is the quintessential fall recipe!
More one pot recipes we love in the fall include one pot chicken and rice and sheet pan chicken and potatoes.
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Key Takeaways: One Pan Chicken and Apples
- One-pan dinner: Chicken, apples, bacon and vegetables all cook together in one skillet for an easy complete meal.
- Sweet and savory: Tart apples, salty bacon, thyme and a touch of cinnamon give this dinner a cozy fall flavor.
- Easy to customize: Swap the sweet potatoes for baby potatoes, use green beans instead of broccoli or substitute chicken thighs for breasts.
- Best apples: Granny Smith hold their shape well while cooking, but Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious work too.
Why I Love this Recipe
This one pan chicken and apples is one of my favorite fall dinners, especially when apples are in season. Instead of making my usual apple crisp, I love using them in a savory dinner with chicken, bacon and fresh vegetables. Everything cooks together for an easy complete meal.
The combination may sound unexpected, but the savory chicken and bacon pair so well with the slightly sweet apples and warm cinnamon. If you love easy dinners with minimal cleanup, my one pan balsamic chicken and veggies and one pot chicken and orzo are two more favorites.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: I’m using chicken breast because that’s what my family prefers, but you could easily swap it for chicken thighs.
- Bacon: The bacon adds great flavor, but if you’re looking to cut costs or don’t have any on hand, you can leave it out.
- Sweet potato: I love using sweet potatoes for the punch of flavor, but you could easily swap them for baby gold or red potatoes.
- Broccoli: We are big fans of broccoli, but if you’re not you can easily swap this out for green beans.
- Apples: The apples add the perfect touch to this fall chicken recipe. I love using Granny Smith to add the tartness this dish deserves.
Variations
- This recipe for chicken and apples is easy to customize with seasonal produce like butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and bacon, or pears.
- You can also add more fall herbs like fresh rosemary or swap dried thyme for fresh thyme sprigs.
- The chicken would also taste amazing cooked in brown butter instead of olive oil for a more nutty and caramelized flavor.
How to Make One Pan Chicken and Apples
Step 1: In a large pan, cook the chicken until no longer pink and lightly browned on the exterior. Then remove from the skillet onto a paper-towel lined plate.
Step 2: Cook the bacon in the same pan and once cooked through, place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Leave some bacon fat in the pan to flavor the veggies.
Step 3: Sauté the broccoli, sweet potatoes, and chopped onion in the reserved bacon fat until tender and caramelized. Give it a stir every few minutes so all sides roast evenly.
Step 4: Once the vegetables are tender, add in the apples, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, and half of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook until the stock evaporates. Then add the cooked chicken back in, as well as the remaining chicken stock, and simmer until heated through. Top with bacon right before serving.
Tips for the Best Apple Chicken
Here are some helpful tips to make this apple chicken recipe even easier!
- Bacon grease. Cook the veggies in the bacon grease! It adds so much extra flavor to the dish.
- Cinnamon. The cinnamon adds a nice fall flavor. You could always add in more or less to taste.
- Crisp apples. I used Granny Smith apples because they are crisp and don’t get mushy when cooked. Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious are other good options.
One Pan Chicken and Apples FAQs
Sure! The dish will still be plenty flavorful without it, so feel free to omit the bacon completely if preferred. I happen to love the saltiness it adds, as well as the flavor the bacon grease gives to the vegetables, so I always leave it in.
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well and stay especially juicy. Cut them into similar-sized pieces and cook until they reach 165°F.
While your dinner cooks on the stove, whip up a batch of my sweet cornbread or cornbread muffins to serve alongside this skillet dinner. Talk about the ultimate fall comfort meal!
Any leftovers of this apple chicken recipe will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can use the microwave to warm it back up or heat it on the stove for a crispier result.
Summarize and Save This Recipe Content On:
More one pot meals include pot pie soup, one pot pumpkin chili and chicken stuffed crescent rolls.
More Easy One Pot Meals
One Pan Chicken and Apples
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast , cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , divided
- 4-8 slices thick-cut bacon , chopped
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 medium sweet potato , peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium white onion , peeled and chopped
- 2 granny smith apples , cored and diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , to taste
- 1 cup chicken stock , or chicken broth (divided)
Instructions
- Cook chicken. In a large, nonstick pan, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat, until shimmering. Add 1 pound cubed chicken, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Fry bacon. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 4-8 slices bacon and cook until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave 1 1/2 Tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
- Add vegetables. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 3 cups broccoli, 1 cubed sweet potato, 1 chopped onion, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the onion is translucent.
- Add seasonings and combine. Stir in 2 diced apples, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook until the stock has evaporated. Add the chicken and remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cook until heated through. Stir in the bacon. Serve warm.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Notes
- Swap out sweet potatoes for baby gold or red potatoes.
- If you don’t love broccoli you can omit or swap for green beans.
- While the bacon does give great flavor, you can omit if preferred.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Recipe originally contributed by Katie from Purely Katie for I Heart Naptime.
Alice
So good!
Could you freeze leftovers?
Sarah @IHeartNaptime
Hi Alice, the chicken you might be able to freeze, but the vegetables I don’t think would do well and change texture when thawed.
Diana
I made this tonight and my husband loved it as much as I did! I did it with green beans (my husband doesn’t like broccoli) and it was just as good. Nice flavors!
Sarah @IHeartNaptime
So glad you enjoyed the apple chicken recipe!
Teresa
Very good! I love the apples in it!
Sarah @IHeartNaptime
Thanks for the review!
Eileen
This is a fantastic recipe! I used one teaspoon of cinnamon, two Fuji apples (I prefer a sweeter variety), 3 slices of bacon, and one teaspoon of thyme (because I love it so much). This recipe is so good, it’s automatically being added into my normal rotation. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Sarah @IHeartNaptime
So glad you enjoyed it!
jess
This is one of my favorite go to recipes during the fall season! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Jessica
This was incredible! I can’t believe it but my kids ate it too!
Kristen
This was such a delicious dish and was so easy to make, I will have to make this again.
Ashley
Definitely delicious, but the prep was about 25 minutes in my house. We are going to try a sweeter apple variety next time or maybe cook them longer? This made so much and my toddler loves the leftovers! This is a great fall meal!
Christine
This was so yummy, my husband said it was fantastic. We had plenty of leftovers and stuffed it into a pie crust to bake at a later time. Will make this again.
Taylor @ I Heart Naptime
What a great idea! That sounds so delicious. Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Christine!
Jackie
Loved it. I did inadvertently leave out the garlic and lessened the amount of cinnamon and onion. However it was delicious . Personal preferences. It served two. My husband had a few servings. I don’t think it would feed six unless they were little kids. Lol. But it was really good!
Taylor @ I Heart Naptime
Glad you were able to make the recipe work for you, Jackie! :)
Melanie
Can you make this ahead of time and then heat it up for company? Suggestions?
Jamielyn Nye
Yes you could. I would reheat in a skillet or on a baking sheet in the oven until warm.
Nellie Tracy
Great recipe. Love how all of the flavors compliment each other!
Taryn
I love the sweetness the apples add to this. Thanks for the recipe.
I Heart Naptime
You are so welcome, Taryn :)
Stacey
This was really good! I’d make it again.
I Heart Naptime
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Stacey :)
Nimfa serdeña
Nice recipe
Jyl
Surprisingly this was so yummy ! We had all the ingredients vat our house so we said why not and now my husband had been asking me to make more
Rick Roy
What a great dish! It is a cold, raw rainy day in New England and this was just the perfect meal. Plus, the house smells amazing! I agree with those who have stated that the prep takes much longer than 5 minutes but it is so well worth your trouble.
Jamielyn Nye
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!