Cranberry Rosemary One Pan Chicken (Paleo, Whole30 Option)
Posted: 11/13/18
Updated: 12/22/22
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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.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
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.
Serving Suggestions
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.
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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 Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
- Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Thighs with Pan Sauce
- One-Pan Holiday Meal
- Creamy Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
- Paleo Cranberry Apple Chicken Thighs with Rosemary (Whole30)
- Cranberry Margarita
- 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 for a festive, gourmet, and healthy dinner recipe.
servings
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Rosemary Marinade
- ⅓ 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
- ¼ cup dry white wine
For the Chicken Thighs
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs approximately 6 chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- salt to taste
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary plus more for garnish, if desired
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- 9×13 baking dish with lid or plastic wrap to cover
- Large spoon or silicone spatula
- Basting Brush
- internal meat thermometer
Instructions
For the Cranberry Rosemary Marinade
- Combine all marinade ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- Place chicken, skin side up, in 9×13 baking dish. Pour marinade over chicken thighs and spread marinade to coat chicken evenly.
- Tightly cover baking dish with lid or plastic wrap. Place covered dish in refrigerator and let chicken thighs marinate at least 30 minutes, no more than 24 hours.
- 30 minutes before baking, remove dish from oven and let stand at room temperature.
For the Chicken Thighs
- Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Scrape marinade off of chicken thighs and into baking dish.
- Brush skins of chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with plenty of salt. Sprinkle ½ cup of fresh cranberries and 4 sprigs of rosemary into baking dish around chicken thighs.
- Place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 35 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken thighs reads 160° Fahrenheit.
- When chicken reaches desired temperature, remove dish from oven. Preheat broiler to High. Remove rosemary sprigs from baking dish and discard.
- Brush 1 tablespoon maple syrup over skin of chicken thighs. Place baking dish under broiler, about 10" from heating element. Broil until skin of thighs is crispy but not burnt, approximately 4 to 7 minutes depending on broiler. Note: Do not broil dish unattended, as chicken can burn quickly. Move dish around periodically to brown chicken evenly if necessary.
- Remove baking dish from oven. Spoon cranberries and sauce from baking dish onto tops of chicken thighs. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and serve immediately with plenty of sauce from baking dish.
Notes
- I have to move my baking dish around underneath the broiler every 3 minutes or so to ensure an even browning.
- Make it 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.
- Make it Strict Paleo: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 524kcal, Protein: 31g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 189mg, Sodium: 263mg, Potassium: 435mg, Total Carbs: 8g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Net Carbs: 7g, Vitamin A: 161IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 1mg
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.
Why not marinade for more than 24 hours?
The white wine in the marinade is acidic. If the chicken marinates too long, that acid will start to break down the protein, giving it a really unappealing texture.
Absolutely delicious!!! Served it with mashed potatoes and a spinach salad. Beautiful, tender, and oh so tasty!!!
That sounds amazing! So glad it hit the spot for you! Thanks so much for the review, Bonnie!
I’m currently making this and my sauce is super pink and sweet smelling. I believe I messed up. I used a bullet to blend, and added just a pinch more of marinade ingredients since I was using whole chicken breast. Is it supposed to be so pink?
Our sauce wasn’t pink, but since you used a bullet to blend, your marinade was probably just more emulsified than ours! It should be just fine.
Great flavor! Will be making this again!
That’s so good to hear, Michelle! Thanks so much for the review!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Used sugar free maple syrup too. My family will ask for it again.
Great!! Thanks so much for the review, Eden!
This recipe was DELICIOUS! As I went to make it I realized I was out of rosemary, I substituted it with thyme and a tiny bit of sage. I also didn’t have white wine and substituted it with water and a teaspoon of white vinegar. Even with the substitutes it came out delicious and will definitely make again!
That’s great to hear, Jamie! Good job with the improvisations! Let us know when you try it again! Thanks so much for the review!
Can I use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs for this recipe?
Sure! You’ll just want to adjust the cook time to accommodate. Chicken thighs typically take a little longer to cook.
We did not enjoy the flavor. The whole cranberries were bitter to taste and the sauce tasted almost like tomato sauce. I had high hopes as it was my first time cooking cranberries but it just wasn’t for us.
I’m so sorry this one didn’t work for you, Ashley, but appreciate your honest review! Whole cranberries are super tart and bitter since they’re so low in sugar, so I totally get how the first time cooking with them would be a shock. If you give this one another try (and I hope you will!), you could try cooking them for less time, as overcooking them really brings out that bitter flavor. You could also try sprinkling them with a tiny bit of salt to enhance their natural sweetness. If you liked the sauce and just didn’t enjoy the whole cranberries used on top of the chicken, you could skip those in the future. Thank you again for your review!
This great. I can make it for company
Thanks so much for the review, Jacqueline! This is a great recipe to share with company!
Could I use boneless chicken breasts?
Sure!
I am hoping to make this for company and would also rather use boneless chicken breasts as I have them in the freezer. Would you suggest changing anything with the cooking process if I do this?
Boneless chicken breasts won’t need to cook as long! Keep an eye on them so you don’t overcook them – they’ll dry out more easily since they’re lower in fat than chicken thighs.