5-Ingredient Whole30 Chicken Thighs with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce (Paleo)

These 5-ingredient Whole30 chicken thighs with raspberry-balsamic are are crispy and juicy, topped with a sweet-tart sauce. Elegant enough for company, this paleo chicken dish is quick and easy yet impressive. With no added sugar, it’s a great Whole30 dinner, too!

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Anyway, around day 10 on every Whole30, I start craving fruit in my savory recipes. Maybe I’m tired of eating 19 eggs and 5 pieces of paleo bacon for breakfast, leftover meatballs (SO MANY MEATBALLS) for lunch, and a big ass steak for dinner every day, but it hits me like clockwork. 

The thing is… there are surprisingly few paleo chicken recipes out there with fruit and no added sugar. Almost everything has honey or maple and “regular” recipes are loaded up with the white powdery stuff. That’s a no go on a Whole30, to put it lightly! Paleo chicken recipes are especially hard to find with raspberries and no added sugar. I get that they’re a fairly tart fruit and are usually sweetened up, but raspberries are my absolute favorite berry. Why should I give them up on a Whole30?

I decided to pair fresh raspberries with aged balsamic vinegar for a bit of depth, grounding, and sweetness. I seared the chicken thighs like I usually do: 5 or so minutes skin side down in a bit of oil over medium-high heat, a few minutes skin side up, then into the oven at 375º for about 15 minutes. This method consistently produces the crispiest skin and juiciest chicken, and I promise, I put it to work at least once a week. 

This recipe uses to simplicity to produce elegance: five ingredients (not counting ghee or olive oil and salt, of course) and a restaurant-quality product. The garlic mingles with the raspberry for a slightly surprising combination, grounded by the rich, aged balsamic vinegar and heady dried thyme. It’s all you need for a sauce to liven up your Whole30, and I think you’ll love how vibrant it is both in taste and color. 

These 5-ingredient Whole30 chicken chicken thighs with raspberry-balsamic sauce are perfect over cauliflower rice. Add them to your Whole30 meal plans!

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5-Ingredient Whole30 Chicken Thighs with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce (Paleo)

5-Ingredient Whole30 Chicken Thighs with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce. These paleo chicken thighs are perfectly crisp with an elegant and super flavorful raspberry-balsamic sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Servings 4

Author Cheryl Malik

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil
• salt , to taste

Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries , thawed
• 1 clove garlic , smashed
• pinch dried thyme
• 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• honey , to taste, if not on a Whole30
• salt , to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Pat the chicken thighs dry and sprinkle liberally with salt. Place a medium-sized oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and heat for a few minutes.
2. Add ghee to pan and, once ghee is melted, add chicken thighs to skillet skin down. Do not touch! Let cook for 10 minutes, or until very golden and crispy. Flip chicken thighs and place pan in oven. Let cook for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, blend first 4 sauce ingredients in the food processor or blender. Salt to taste and add honey to taste, if not on a Whole30.
4. After 10 minutes in the oven, carefully remove the pan from the oven and use tongs to remove chicken thighs. Let rest on a plate for 5 minutes then serve with raspberry-balsamic sauce.