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!
Can I also kind of just freak out here for a second? I edited these photos with my food photography presets for Lightroom. That are for sale. As of today. OHMYGOSH. I built these one-click food photography presets to save all the time you’re spending in Lightroom working on your food blog photos. There are presets for backlit shots, vintage looks, bold shots, and more. I am so excited about them, and I really think you should check them out! 40 Aprons readers get 30% off for a super limited time by using coupon code OMGFOOD. I’m really professional. Check them out here!
More evidence of how magical these food photography presets are:
One click. Seriously!
One click. Seriously!
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!
5-Ingredient Whole30 Chicken Thighs with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce (Paleo)
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Definitely saving these! We need more of these quick and healthy weeknight meals in our house – especially since I’ve had iffy luck at best with Crockpot recipes 🙂
You’ll love them! They’re so quick and simple and yes… the Crockpot and I have a love-hate relationship!