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–+ servings
Cranberry rosemary chicken thighs in a red and cream baking dish.

One-Pan Cranberry Rosemary Chicken

A quick and easy one-pan chicken dish that's full of vibrant, festive winter flavor.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Marinate 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield:6 chicken thighs

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender
  • 9x13 baking dish with lid or plastic wrap to cover
  • Large spoon or silicone spatula
  • Basting Brush
  • internal meat thermometer

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 or chicken broth

For the Chicken Thighs

  • 6 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs approximately 3 pounds
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
  • salt to taste
  • ½ cup fresh cranberries
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • sprigs of fresh rosemary

Instructions

For the Cranberry Rosemary Marinade

  • Add ⅓ cup fresh cranberries, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, and ¼ cup dry white wine to food processor or standard blender. Blend or pulse ingredients together until fully combined into smooth marinade.
    Ingredients for a cranberry olive oil marinade with fresh rosemary in a large standard blender.

For the Chicken Thighs

  • Place 6 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs skin-side up in baking dish and arrange chicken thighs in one flat layer. Pour prepared marinade over chicken thighs, making sure to coat chicken thighs completely and evenly.
  • Cover baking dish with lid or tight layer of plastic wrap and place dish in refrigerator. Marinate chicken thighs at least 30 minutes and no more than 24 hours.

To Cook the Chicken Thighs

  • Remove baking dish from refrigerator and set aside. Let baking dish stand at room temperature, covered, 30 minutes.
  • Toward end of 30-minute window, preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Uncover baking dish, then use spoon or spatula to scrape marinade off tops of chicken thighs and into dish. Be careful not to tear or remove skins of thighs.
  • Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil evenly across tops of chicken thighs. Season generously with salt to taste, then sprinkle ½ cup fresh cranberries and 4 sprigs fresh rosemary into marinade around chicken thighs in baking dish.
    Chicken thighs and cranberry marinade in a large baking dish.
  • Place prepared baking dish in preheated oven. Bake chicken thighs, uncovered, 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, begin checking doneness of chicken thighs with internal meat thermometer. Continue baking chicken as needed, checking doneness every few minutes, until internal temperature of chicken thighs reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
  • Once chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit internally, remove baking dish from oven and set aside. Preheat broiler to High. While broiler preheats, remove rosemary sprigs from baking dish and discard.
  • Brush 1 tablespoon maple syrup over tops of chicken thighs, then place baking dish under preheated broiler. Broil chicken thighs, watching closely, until skin on thighs is crispy and browned but not burnt. See Notes.
  • Once skins of chicken thighs have browned, carefully remove baking dish from oven. Immediately spoon cranberries and marinade from baking dish onto tops of chicken thighs, covering thighs completely. Let chicken thighs rest 3 to 5 minutes.

To Serve the Chicken

  • Once chicken thighs have rested and internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit, transfer chicken thighs to serving plates. Spoon additional cranberries and marinade from baking dish over tops of chicken thighs, garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary if desired, and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Broil Time: All broilers are different, so your chicken thighs could need anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes to crisp up like you want. Mine were ready in 5-7 minutes, but I have to move my baking dish around underneath the broiler every 3 minutes or so to ensure an even browning.
  • Make it Whole30: Use coconut aminos instead of both the soy sauce and the maple syrup in the cranberry marinade. Use chicken broth instead of white wine. Omit the maple syrup that's brushed onto the chicken thighs or replace it with olive oil.
  • Make it Strict Paleo: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and chicken broth instead of white wine.
  • Make it Keto: Use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. Replace the maple syrup with a maple-flavored liquid keto sweetener. For strict keto, use chicken broth instead of white wine.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving | Calories: 533cal | Protein: 31g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 443mg | Total Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Net Carbs: 10g | Vitamin A: 161IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik