Cranberry Maple Chicken

This is the best cranberry maple chicken recipe! It's an easy, healthy, one pan meal that's made with pantry staples like chicken thighs, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. This chicken recipe and is perfect for the holidays, or anytime. Naturally gluten free and paleo it's a dish your whole family will love.

Why you will love this recipe:

• This baked cranberry chicken thighs recipe is so good! The flavours of cranberry and maple blend perfectly to make this one of my favourite chicken dishes. 
• You are going to love how easy it is to make, and how simple the clean up is since it's all made in one pan.
• This healthy chicken recipe tastes so good you would never know it's good for you!
• The flavours of cranberry, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar blend so well together, and the addition of broccoli ensures that everyone will get a serving of veggies with this meal.
• This dish makes great leftovers and is healthy, gluten free, dairy free, and paleo.
• You could serve this dish for the holidays including Christmas or Thanksgiving instead of turkey, and it also makes a great weeknight meal.
• If you love the flavours of maple and cranberry together you will also love maple cranberry Brussels sprouts and maple cranberry beef roast.

Key ingredients and substitutions: 

• Chicken thighs - Chicken is such a healthy protein option and I recommend using bone in chicken thighs for this recipe. You could use chicken breasts instead but you will need to decrease the cooking time. 
• Balsamic vinegar - Balsamic vinegar adds a delicious sweet yet tangy flavour to this chicken dish. It also helps marinade the chicken and make it so tender and juicy. 
• Fresh cranberries - Fresh cranberries add a delicious tangy flavour and beautiful color to this recipe. You could also use frozen cranberries if you can't find fresh ones.
• Maple syrup - Maple syrup is one of my favourite natural sweeteners that blends perfectly with the tart cranberries to give this chicken thigh recipe the most rich delicious flavour.  
• Herbes de Provence spice blend - This blend of herbs adds the most delicious flavour to this recipe. 
• Broccoli - Fresh broccoli adds some healthy green vegetables to this dish and adds a beautiful contrast of color. Broccoli is full of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. 

How to make this recipe:

Step one:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step two:

Now make the marinade by blending the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and spices together in a bowl or jar.

Step three:

Put the chicken, broccoli and cranberries in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish and pour the marinade over top. Turn the chicken a few times to coat it evenly.

Step four:

Then cover the dish in tinfoil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the tinfoil from the baking dish and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. Then enjoy!

Chef's tips:

• You could easily double or triple this recipe if you are serving a crowd, just use multiple baking dishes.
• Feel free to prep this dish the night ahead and let everything marinade in the fridge overnight.
• For a change in taste, you could swap the herbes de Provence spice blend with Italian seasoning or rosemary. 
• Depending on the size of your chicken thighs you may need to adjust the cooking time.
• You can use chicken breasts instead of thighs for this recipe, but you will need to reduce the cooking time.

How to serve:

• This chicken dish is a complete meal on it's own so feel free to serve it as is.
• You can pair it with side dishes like rice, sweet potato rice or cauliflower rice.
• If you are serving it for Thanksgiving or Christmas I recommend pairing it with turnip and apple casserole, kale apple salad, healthy stuffing, or scalloped potatoes.

How to store:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• Dairy Free Clam Chowder
• Dairy Free Shepherd's Pie
• Paleo Chicken Stir Fry
• Healthy Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli

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