This cranberry rosemary one-pan chicken is an easy, healthy dinner perfect for your winter weeknight dinner rotation. Paleo, full of flavor, and super quick. You’ll fall in love with how the tart cranberries marry the heady rosemary, grounded with a white wine sauce, because… why not? Whole30 option and low carb friendly.
Who else finds themselves in a whirlwind of cranberry everything once the cooler weather rolls around? Much like my obsession with chocolate and peppermint (considering my peppermint layer brownies, spiked peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint white chocolate truffles, vegan Thin Mints made with RITZ Crackers, paleo peppermint hot chocolate, and paleo peppermint Oreos) my need to consume as much cranberry as possible hits hard as soon as the humidity dissipates from the air.
Why we love this cranberry rosemary one pan chicken
What I love about this dish is, I’ll be honest, everything. It’s a quick and easy, healthy dinner but it doesn’t look or taste quick and easy. It includes a few of my absolute favorite ingredients:
Cranberry? Check.
Rosemary? Check.
Juicy chicken thighs? Check.
WHITE WINE?! Check.
Oh, and paleo? No refined ingredients? Dairy free? Check check check.
Also, worth noting, is that Mr. Aprons doesn’t get mad because I created 4 billion dishes, either. It’s all made in one baking dish + the blender. Christmas miracle? I think so. One-pan chicken, you make a marriage.
What to serve with this cranberry rosemary one pan chicken
Need ideas on what to serve alongside this cranberry rosemary one pan chicken? I like to include something green and something I can spoon a bunch of sauce over. A roasted green veggie + mashed cauliflower or potatoes = perfection!
- Garlicky Kale
- Mashed cauliflower
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted broccoli
- Roasted green beans
- Roasted diced potatoes
There’s like zero things I love more than an easy, healthy dinner that’s, at the same time, luxurious and indulgent, and this cranberry rosemary one-pan chicken totally fits the bill. If I were serving it for company, I might pan sear the skin side of the chicken thighs first to crisp up the skin even more, but it’d be in-laws-worthy either way. And I think we can all say cheers to that.
How to make this cranberry rosemary one pan chicken
Start by combining all the ingredients for the marinade in the blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
Place all the chicken thighs skin side up in a baking dish, sized about 9×13″. Pour the marinade over and use your fingers to evenly cover the chicken thighs. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, up to a whole day.
30 minutes before baking, pull the chicken out of the fridge and let stand at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Scrape the marinade mixture off the chicken thigh skin then brush a bit of oil over the skin to coat. Season with plenty of salt.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries and 4 fresh rosemary sprigs over the chicken thighs and bake for 22 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil, about 10″ from the heat source, about 7 minutes, or until skin is browned in spots and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160º F. Remove from the oven and discard cooked rosemary sprigs. Let stand for 5 minutes then spoon sauce and cranberries over the chicken and garnish with fresh rosemary. Serve with lots of sauce!
Can I make this Whole30-compliant?
Yep! Simply omit the maple syrup entirely, replacing it in the marinade with more coconut aminos (a total of 4 tablespoons, or 1/4 cup). Replace the white wine with chicken broth or stock. And finally, either skip brushing on the maple syrup before broiling or brush on more olive oil. Up to you!
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Thighs with Pan Sauce
- Paleo Cranberry Apple Chicken Thighs with Rosemary (Whole30)
- Paleo and Vegan Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Whole30 Cranberry Chicken
- Instant Pot Whole30 Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Rosemary
- Paleo Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
Cranberry Rosemary One Pan Chicken
A quick and easy one pan chicken recipe made with fresh cranberries and rosemary. A festive, gourmet, and healthy dinner recipe. Paleo.
Ingredients
Cranberry Rosemary Marinade
- 1/3 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
Chicken
- 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs about 6
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary plus more for garnish, if desired
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Equipment Needed
- 9x3" baking dish
- pastry brush
Instructions
Combine all marinade ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place chicken, skin side up, in a 9x13" baking dish and pour marinade over, spreading to coat chicken evenly. Cover and marinate in the fridge at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
30 minutes before baking, remove the dish from oven and let stand at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375º. With a spoon, scrape marinade from the chicken skin, leaving in the baking dish. Brush skins with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season skins with plenty of salt. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries and 4 sprigs of rosemary around chicken thighs.
Bake for 22 minutes then remove from oven and preheat broiler. Discard cooked rosemary sprigs.
Brush 1 tablespoon maple syrup over chicken thighs skin. Place under broiler, about 10" from the heating element, and broil 5-7 minutes or until skin is crispy and getting dark in places. Watch carefully to make sure the skin browns evenly and does not burn, moving the dish around to brown evenly if necessary.
Remove from oven and spoon cranberries and sauce on top of chicken. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and serve immediately with plenty of sauce.
Recipe Notes
If you're on a Whole30, replace the maple syrup in the marinade with more coconut aminos. Skip the maple syrup brushed onto the skin before broiling; replace it with more olive oil if desired. Replace the white wine with chicken broth.
If you're strictly paleo, use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
I have to move my baking dish around underneath the broiler every 3 minutes or so to ensure an even browning.
Originally inspired by Cotter Crunch and her One Pan Cranberry Balsamic Roasted Chicken.
I never write reviews. After exhausting overtime shifts and school, we were searching Pinterest for something easy. Sooooo grateful I pinned this!! This is so easy and ridiculously delicious. Used chicken breasts cut in half to thigh size and followed the rest accordingly. Paired with garlicky kale one night and mashed garlic potatoes and roasted broccoli the rest. Can not recommend enough, will be trying another recipe this week!
I don’t typically write reviews, but this was delicious. The chicken is SO tender, and the sauce is just delicious. I paired it with rice and scooped up that sauce onto my rice, i couldn’t get enough! My fiance was a bit hesitant because he isn’t used to trying new recipes with things he doesn’t normally eat (ie. cranberries) but it was awesome. Some notes: I substituted coconut aminos for soy sauce because it’s what i had on hand. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and it worked out fine. I made probably 10 or so chicken thighs?? Cooked it for a little longer. And substituted organic chicken broth for the wine. I’m guessing it would taste a million times better with the wine! I also marinated it for a day. Will definitely be a regular rotation…. I have so many leftover cranberries now, i’m wondering if you can freeze them? Thanks for the great and flavourful recipe!
Looks fabulous! I happen to have dried cranberries currently – do you think these would work in place of fresh?
Sure!
What would you recommend if making with boneless skinless chicken breasts? Unfortunately not everyone likes chicken thighs in our family. Thanks!
Just reduce the cook time a bit!
This looks great! Should I change the bake time if I do boneless, skinless thighs? Those are more readily available to me than bone in. Thanks!
I would slightly lower the cooking time and then use an in internal thermometer to ensure proper temperature of 165 degrees.
This was a win for our family! I used skinless boneless breasts, reduced the cooking time a little and used soy sauce… absolutely delicious! This was the first time we didn’t have any left overs in our house after dinner.
Do you broil it on high or low? Any suggestions?
My oven only has one broiler setting but I would recommend broiling on low for more control, if your oven lets you!
My marinade is bright pink! Maybe my Vitamix just did too good a job on the marinade, but I blended till smoothe and I’m afraid of pepto chicken tomorrow. Anyone else have a problem? 😋
It doesn’t look pink anymore after it’s cooked 👍
Delicious and so easy.
Cheryl! You have done it again! I can’t wait to try this for our Christmas dinner!
Delicious and easy!
Absolutely wonderful and so full of flavor. My whole family loved this meal.
You’re just solved my problem of “what do I do with the ~1 cup of fresh cranberries I have leftover from Thanksgiving”? Thank you! This looks delicious.
Hi! Can this be done same way, just without bone-in and skin?
I just make it with skinless, boneless thighs and it turned out great!
Beautiful! Can’t wait to try this.
Have you tried this with chicken breasts or boneless? I have picky eaters at home.
Do you have a recommended substitute for fresh cranberries? This sounds delicious but it’s hard to find fresh cranberries unless it’s the holiday season.
Try this recipe instead! You could make this all year long 🙂
https://40aprons.com/paleo-cranberry-apple-chicken-whole30/
This was a major hit for Christmas! I’m always skeptical with finding recepis on Pinterest but i tried it for Christmas dinner and it was delicious! Will definitely make again.
I’m SO glad you enjoyed it so much! Thanks Abby 🙂