Sticky Maple Apple Chicken (Printable Version)

Tender chicken thighs glazed with sweet maple and apple syrup, baked to golden perfection.

# What You'll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2.5 lbs)

→ Maple-Apple Glaze

02 - ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
03 - ⅓ cup apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
04 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
05 - 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
06 - 2 tbsp olive oil
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried thyme
09 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
10 - ½ tsp salt
11 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Apples

12 - 2 medium apples (e.g., Honeycrisp or Gala), cored and sliced into wedges

→ Garnish

13 - Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
02 - Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides lightly with salt and pepper.
03 - Whisk together maple syrup, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
04 - Place chicken thighs skin-side up in the prepared dish. Nestle apple wedges evenly around the chicken.
05 - Pour glaze evenly over chicken and apples, turning chicken once to coat thoroughly.
06 - Bake for 30–35 minutes, basting once or twice with pan juices, until chicken is golden, sticky, and internal temperature reaches 165°F.
07 - Broil on high for 2–3 minutes for extra caramelization, watching closely to prevent burning.
08 - Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The glaze becomes sticky and glossy without any fussing or fancy reductions—just honest oven time.
  • Chicken thighs stay juicy while everything else caramelizes, which is harder to mess up than you'd think.
  • Your kitchen will smell so good that people will text asking what you're cooking before they even arrive.
02 -
  • Wet chicken skin will never crisp, so don't skip the paper towel step—I learned this after one too many sad, pale results.
  • Basting matters; it's what turns a glaze into something sticky and caramelized instead of just syrupy.
  • Don't walk away during broiling; the jump from perfect to scorched happens in under a minute.
03 -
  • If your glaze seems too thin after baking, pour the pan juices into a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors and thicken it slightly.
  • This reheats beautifully, which means leftover chicken thighs are actually better the next day when the flavors have settled.
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