Marinated until juicy and baked in just one pan, these maple cranberry chicken thighs are the perfect holiday dinner. With a sweet and savory flavor, these chicken thighs are tender and indulgent and beautifully dressed up making them great for any dinner table.
Looking to keep it a bit more low-key this holiday season? These cranberry rosemary chicken thighs bring all the seasonal flavors and presentation but with half the effort.
Juicy chicken thighs marinated in a cranberry, maple syrup dressing and baked in just one pan until golden. The addition of fresh cranberries gives this holiday dinner a pop of color and fresh flavor making it a tasty choice for Christmas Eve.
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I personally love this recipe because it’s naturally sweetened and packed with protein. It’s an easy one to get on the table and the bright colors always freshen up the table.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Healthy: Naturally sweetened with maple syrup this cranberry chicken recipe is the best blend of sweet and savory flavor.
Allergy-friendly: This chicken dish is dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo-approved making it a great choice if you’re cooking for someone with allergies.
Flavorful: Bursts of tangy cranberry with the sweetness of maple syrup and a herby base from rosemary. Add in a dash of coconut aminos and the rich flavor comes up a notch.
Prepare in advance: Save yourself some kitchen time and marinate the chicken the night before!
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s two parts to this cranberry chicken recipe: the marinade and the dish itself. You can peek at the ingredient shot below to get an idea of what you’ll need.
For the coconut aminos: this can be replaced with gluten-free soy sauce if you like, the dish will have the same flavor. Learn more about hidden sources of gluten and check your sauce first!
The fresh rosemary really makes the dish and its presentation. Of course, dried will work but the aesthetics won’t be the same.
You can use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs but you’ll want to scale back the cooking time a bit so that they don’t dry out. Cook them until a temperature of 165F is reached.
Homemade broth is best for the recipe as it’ll bump up the health benefits (and avoid a lot of excess sodium). For nights I don’t have any, I use bone broth powder so I can whip it up in under a minute.
Have extra cranberries? Whip up this apple cranberry smoothie with them!
Expert Tips To Make It
The chicken thighs can be marinated for 30 minutes up to 2 days. So, you can easily prepare the recipe in advance if needed.
Don’t overlook scraping off a bit of marinade and re-brushing with oil. It gives the skin the BEST golden, crunchy top.
Use bone broth powder to save yourself some time if you don’t have homemade broth on hand. This way you get all the healing benefits but none of the extra work.
How To Make Cranberry Chicken Thighs
Step 1: Blend together the marinade and drizzle over the chicken thighs, making sure they’re all coated.
Step 2: Once marinated, scrape off the top of the thighs and brush on a bit of oil.
Step 3: Place the cranberries and rosemary around the thighs and bake until cooked through.
Step 4: Finish by removing the rosemary sprigs and broiling the dish until golden. Serve.
What To Serve With The Chicken Thighs
Below are a few favorites to make this one pan cranberry chicken thighs into a full meal.
Grains: Serve the maple cranberry chicken alongside some steamed rice or even cauliflower rice.
Vegetables: Maple candied Brussels are delicious here as well as sesame roasted root vegetables. Of course, basic glazed carrots, and green beans are perfect too.
Potatoes: We do a lot of roasted sweet potatoes which makes a tasty addition.
How To Store Them
Let the cranberry chicken thighs cool completely before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, along with any sauce that was leftover.
You can also store it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before you need it.
To reheat the one pan chicken, place it in a covered skillet with a splash of broth or water over medium to low heat until warmed through.
Flavor Variations
Cherries: Swap the cranberries for fresh (pitted) cherries for a new taste. This makes the gluten-free chicken a great summer dish!
Orange: Cranberry and orange is a delicious flavor combo, try adding some orange juice to the marinade and zest over the chicken thighs.
Herbs: Of course adding in some extra herbs can change the taste of the cranberry chicken. Mint would be delicious.
FAQs
Sure. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time for the thighs as they won’t take as long and you don’t want them to dry out. Cook the thighs to 165F and use a meet thermometer to check.
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