22 September 2026
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THE UNIVERSAL GASTRONOMY AUTHORITY
World Kitchen Journal
Chicken in cider. Grandma's traditional homemade recipe
Technique
By Claire Beaumont, the Technique desk · · Spain · 3 min ·

Chicken in cider. Grandma's traditional homemade recipe

There's a fantastic way to cook chicken, and that's by making a delicious cider chicken.

Ingredients · Servings 4
  • 4 contramuslos de pollo
  • 1 diente de ajo
  • 1 cebolla
  • 1 cucharadita de harina
  • 200 ml de sidra
  • 150 ml de caldo de pollo
  • Sal
  • Pimienta negra recién molida
Method · PT00H40M00S
  1. Comenzamos salpimentando los contramuslos de pollo y los vamos a sellar en una cazuela a fuego fuerte por todos lados, que queden bien doraditos. Una vez dorados, retiramos y reservamos.
  2. En esa misma cazuela, vamos a hacer un sofrito con la cebolla y el ajo, que se poche bien durante unos 15 minutitos.
  3. Pasado ese tiempo, añadimos la cucharadita de harina y rehogamos unos minutos.
  4. Añadimos la sidra y dejamos que se evapore el alcohol durante unos 5 minutos.
  5. Ahora reincorporamos los contramuslos de pollo, añadimos el caldo de pollo y cocemos durante unos 20 minutos a fuego lento hasta que se cocine el pollo por completo.

This recipe is super easy to make, and I have two tips I want to share. First, use natural cider. You can find it everywhere. Don't use the typical fizzy cider; that's really important. Second, as always when cooking chicken, I highly recommend using a good quality free-range chicken. The difference between this and the typical supermarket chicken is enormous, and it's not as expensive as people think.

I also include chicken broth in the recipe, so I'll leave the recipe here for you to make if you have time. What I usually do is make it and freeze it to use in my recipes. That is, if you have room in your freezer.

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1 teaspoon of flour
  • 200 ml of cider
  • 150 ml of chicken broth
  • Shall
  • Freshly ground black pepper

How to make cider chicken

1. We begin by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and then searing them in a saucepan over high heat on all sides until golden brown. Once browned, remove and set aside.

2.- In that same saucepan, we are going to make a sofrito with the onion and garlic, letting it cook down well for about 15 minutes.

3.- After that time, add the teaspoon of flour and sauté for a few minutes.

4. Add the cider and let the alcohol evaporate for about 5 minutes.

5.- Now we add the chicken thighs back in, add the chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked.

As a side dish, I should mention that with some French fries it's a perfect 10.

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