Cranberry Rosemary One Pan Chicken (Paleo, Whole30 Option)
Posted: 11/13/18
Updated: 05/15/22
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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.
Why we love this recipe
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.
How to make this dish
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
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
- 9×13 baking dish
- Basting Brush
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 a 9×13″ 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.
For the Chicken Thighs
- Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. 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 ½ 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.
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.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 524kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 189mg, Sodium: 263mg, Potassium: 436mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 161IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 7g
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.
Great flavor but my chicken wasn’t cooked after the specified cook time and my thighs were small. I had to leave out the wine and sun chicken broth due to an allergy but this tasted great and I’ll certainly make again. Next time I’ll try 400° and see how it goes. Also, if you don’t have fresh cranberries but can find frozen, they worked great for me!
We’re glad you were able to test the chicken for doneness and still enjoy it even with a little bit of added cooking time! Thanks for sharing!
Taste is good but I prefer a more crisp skin. Usually I cook without skin and will do that next time. There is lots of juice too.
Good tips to make it better fit your taste!
Made this for just the two of us, so I halved the Marino ingredients; next time I will certainly make the whole Amy, the sauce was delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can I make this recipiwith instant pot, hihh pressure cook? If yes are the steps and quantity of ingredients are the same except putting the chicken on the oven for 22 mins, I’ll cook for 12 minutes with the instant pot.
We haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot, but your plan should work. Just make sure to get a good sear on the chicken and test that it’s cooked through before serving. Set it to natural release, too.
Could you substitute a dry wine for a sweeter white wine?
Sure!
Could I use honey in place of the maple syrup if I don’t have any?
Sure!
I have never cooked or re-used a marinate. Especially a chicken one. It is always discarded. Is this safe?
It’s safe as long as it’s cooked thoroughly to the point of a low rolling boil or simmer. Definitely don’t toss it! There’s a ton of flavor in there that can be used in sauces.
I made this in December and absolutely loved it! It became a family favorite. It wasn’t a difficult recipe either. I want to make it again but everywhere I went says fresh cranberries are out of season. Any recommendations for substitutions?
You could maybe try apples!
This recipe was absolutely to die for! We did sub chicken breasts instead, but over all, we all really liked this dish!
This recipe came out perfect! We made it for our Christmas dinner, for those that didn’t want turkey. It was a hit! I wish I had made more, because everybody wanted to try it. This is an easy recipe and I think I’ll just turn it into one of my weeknight dinners instead of saving it for a special occasion.