Sticky Maple Apple Chicken (Printable)

Tender chicken thighs baked with a sticky maple-apple glaze and cooked apples for a sweet tangy meal.

# What you need:

→ Poultry

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

→ Maple-Apple Glaze

02 - 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
03 - 1/3 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 1/2 tsp dried thyme
09 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
10 - 1/2 tsp salt
11 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Apples

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

→ Garnish (optional)

13 - Fresh thyme sprigs

# Directions:

01 - Heat oven to 400°F and line a large baking dish or rimmed sheet with parchment or lightly grease it.
02 - Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
03 - Whisk together maple syrup, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
04 - Place chicken skin-side up in dish and nestle apple wedges around them.
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 reaches 165°F internal temperature and is golden and sticky.
07 - Optional: broil on high for 2–3 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.
08 - Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving; garnish with fresh thyme if desired.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • Chicken thighs stay juicy and forgiving, so you can't really mess this up even if you're not a confident cook.
  • The glaze caramelizes beautifully, creating those golden, sticky bits that make people think you spent hours in the kitchen.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, but tastes indulgent enough that no one will notice or care.
02 -
  • Don't skip patting the chicken dry—this is the difference between crispy skin and steamed, rubbery skin, and it genuinely matters.
  • Basting a couple of times as it cooks creates that glossy, caramelized finish that makes people think this is restaurant food.
  • If you're using boneless thighs, shorten the cooking time to 25 to 27 minutes so they don't dry out.
03 -
  • Make the glaze in the morning and refrigerate it—it keeps for three days and tastes just as good, so you can assemble everything in minutes when you're ready to cook.
  • If your oven runs hot, start checking the chicken at the 25-minute mark; ovens vary, and you want that 165°F sweet spot, not a second more.
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