Try these savory and crisp 5 Spice Chicken Thighs with fresh carrots and brussels sprouts when you need an easy, paleo and Whole30 weeknight meal.
My love for chicken thighs knows no bounds. That said, this 5 Spice Chicken Thighs recipe is the first of its kind to appear on this site. Perhaps that leads you to conclude I’ve been so busy eatingallthechickenthighs I haven’t had time to blog about them.
You’re not exactly wrong.
For more dinner recipes visit my Main Dishes page.
But toward the end of last year I polled my readers on their favorite source of protein and Holy Chicken, Batman! It was clearly BEYOND time to get a chicken thigh recipe up on the blog.
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This 5 Spice Chicken Thighs recipe was inspired by a 30-minute supper from my most recent issue of Cook’s Country Magazine. If you’re not subscribing to that yet go on ahead and do that now. I’ll wait. A lot of their recipes fall a bit outside the Healthy Zone making them great for indulgence days. But I also feel like, even if I never make them, just reading them makes me a better cook.
The marination time for the thighs prevents this easy and healthy recipe from qualifying for a true 30 Minute Supper. But, if you work outside the home, it’s easy enough to pop the thighs and marinade in a ziploc in the morning and toss them back in the fridge. They’ll be bursting with flavor by the time you get home. From there you can have dinner on the table in 30.
Whole 30, Paleo 5 Spice Chicken Thighs Dinner Recipe
Speaking of 30, my modified Whole 30 is going OK so far. I’m calling it my Whole-27-and-a-half because some things, like milk in my morning coffee, are just not optional. But since I’m not doing the extreme version, I’m thinking this could be my new normal. With oatmeal, though. And granola.
I do miss grains.
Just can’t get enough Chicken Dinner Recipes? Try these, too.
Moroccan Chicken Breasts with Quinoa Salad
Easy Chicken Rollatini with a Sicilian Twist
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 garlic cloves , pressed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon 5 spice powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 large chicken thighs , bone-in, skin-on
- 1 bunch skinny carrots , peeled and trimmed
- 8 oz brussels sprouts , trimmed and halved
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Whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
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Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and place in ziploc with the marinade.
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Marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour.
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Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Toss carrots and brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Arrange veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes.
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Meanhwhile, remove chicken thighs from ziploc and pat skin side dry with a paper towel.
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high flame until you see wisps of smoke.
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Add chicken thighs to skillet, skin side down, and brown for about 7 minutes.
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Remove veggies from oven and add to bottom of skillet. Arrange chicken thighs on top of the vegetables, skin side up.
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Roast together in oven until chicken registers 175°F, about 15 minutes.
- My market sells bunches of skinny carrots with the greens still attached. If you don't see those, you can use thicker carrots but you might try halving them lengthwise to ensure they cook through.
I love the citrussy marinade for this chicken recipe, the 5 spice powder sounds fabulous in this flavour combination.
Thanks, Monika. My husband isn’t a huge fan of 5 spice but with the citrus and garlic he gave this a big thumbs up.