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This Whole30 cranberry chicken is a simple but flavorful Whole30 dinner recipe that you’ll love in the fall and winter! With just a few ingredients, this Whole30 cranberry chicken is so good when you need a fruity flavor but want to keep it quick and easy. Bound to become a favorite Whole30 dinner recipe!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
There comes a point in every Whole30 when the thought of more bacon, more sweet potatoes, more savory food is enough to put you off eating entirely. It’s the hardest point for me, when I realize I’d rather not eat at all than eat more chicken-apple sausage. Just enough with the chicken-apple sausage.
But still, I push through it until day 30, opting for a sweet potato breakfast bowl instead of fried eggs the next morning, dipping an apple in almond butter as part of my lunch, sifting through the internet’s Whole30 dinner recipes offerings, looking for something that doesn’t feel so Whole30.
When that point rolled around during our first round, I made 5-ingredient Whole30 chicken thighs with raspberry-balsamic sauce.
When we hit that wall in our summer round, I made Whole30 strawberry basil chicken with avocado.
When I couldn’t bear the thought of another egg yolk on our second Whole30, I created my very favorite Whole30 sweet potato apple breakfast bake.
And when that point rolls around this January? This Whole30 cranberry chicken is perfection.
Why You’ll Love It
The fresh cranberries in this recipe are grounded by coconut aminos, taming their brightness with a natural sweetness that mutes the tartness just a bit. Simple yet extremely flavorful, this Whole30 cranberry chicken is quick and easy yet elegant; it doesn’t feel or look like it’s healthy!
The recipe starts with my perfect chicken thighs: seared until golden on top then finished in the oven until they’re juicy and tender with deliciously crunchy skin. They’re roasted with fresh cranberries that char just a bit to be soft and striking, then you infuse a pan sauce with more cranberries, shallot, fresh thyme.
So keep this Whole30 cranberry chicken in mind the next time you’ve hit that savory wall on a round; it’s fruity and naturally sweet enough to keep you on track without swaying from the guidelines at all. It’s quick and easy, making this Whole30 cranberry chicken just perfect for your rotation.
Whole30 Cranberry Chicken
Equipment
- Oven
- Large oven-safe skillet
- Large plate
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cranberries divided
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink sea salt or Celtic sea salt, plus more if desired
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 shallot minced
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup chicken stock see Notes
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Chop ⅔ cup cranberries and set aside. Pat chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels then season liberally with sea salt.
- In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmery. Once oil is hot, add salted chicken thighs to skillet, skin-side down.
- Cook approximately 8 minutes or until chicken thighs lift easily from pan. Flip thighs over and cook skin-side up for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add remaining ⅓ cup whole cranberries to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and roast for 14 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven. Carefully remove chicken thighs and whole cranberries, transferring all to plate to rest.
- Return skillet to stovetop over medium-low heat. Add minced shallot to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots soften, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add chopped cranberries to skillet and stir. Pour in coconut aminos and chicken stock to deglaze pan, using whisk to scrape up any browned bits on skillet.
- Add fresh thyme and bring sauce to simmer. Let sauce reduce until thickened, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Serve sauce warm over chicken thighs and top with roasted cranberries.
- Chicken Stock: Make sure to use a Whole30-compliant chicken stock.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Can you easily substitute chicken breasts for the thighs or does that just throw the recipe off? This looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Absolutely!
The nutritional information on this is VERY wrong haha You might want to try recalculating that. No way on Earth a full chicken thigh is 67 calories with 1g protein
Thanks for bringing that to our attention! We just updated the post to reflect the proper changes.
Made this for lunch today…AMAZING! Thank you! I’m new to the world of whole 30 and your blog has quickly become one of those places that I can trust whatever I make to be wonderful!
So glad to hear that, Kelli!