This recipe is centered around the humble, bone-in chicken thigh. It’s a cut often overlooked at the supermarket, but it’s a powerhouse of flavor and texture when properly prepared. By searing the chicken early in the cooking process, we not only create a delightfully crisp skin but also render chicken fat in which to cook the vegetables. Onions, garlic, and cabbage are cooked down in the chicken fat, imparting a luxuriant richness to the dish, which is in turn balanced with the sweetness of apple cider. Gilded with a bit of thyme and black pepper, this creates a wonderful platform on which to braise the chicken. As it all cooks down, the juices from the chicken combine with the sweet cider, fragrant herbs, and aromatic vegetables to produce a rich and nuanced sauce — the sort of sauce so good that you might just find yourself grabbing a second helping of bread to soak it up.
Bring a large, heavy pan with a lid to medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Salt the chicken thighs and place them in the pan skin-side down. Brown for 4–5 minutes, until the skin is crisp.
Flip the chicken thighs, cook the other side for 4–5 minutes, then remove them to a plate.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes, until the onions smell nicely caramelized and the edges turn brown.
Add the cabbage and garlic and mix together well. Cook for 5 minutes.
Pour over the cider and add the bouillon, thyme, and pepper. Stir together.
Reduce heat to medium, return the chicken thighs to the pan, and simmer uncovered for 30–40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Remove from heat and add salt to taste.
Serve hot with mashed potatoes and/or crusty bread.
