Things that I love:
- Handwritten letters
- Jazz
- Jazz hands
- Cold steak for breakfast
- Laughing so hard it hurts
- Polar bears
- Husband
- Crispy Chicken Skin
- Cast iron skillets
- Aerobics videos from the 80s
Okay… so maybe that’s a very short and slightly random list, but you get the point. Crispy chicken skin is on that list. If they sold warm bits of crispy chicken skin in a bag like potato chips, I’d probably buy it. If I could eat said crispy bits while listening to jazz and petting a polar bear? Game over. I mean, really.
This recipe was inspired by this recipe by my friend Michelle over at The Lucky Penny. Have you guys met her yet? Her food is solid. Every time I try one of her recipes it turns out so beautifully. Okay, maybe more than solid. I might have made that recipe over and over again last winter. Sometimes two nights in a row. Hey… what’s that old saying? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Isn’t there also a saying about putting crispy chicken skin in your face? No? Well… there should be. I’ll work on it. 
I keep on gushing about chicken skin, but honestly, that is just the crispy icing on this here chicken cake. Segmented oranges and fresh cranberries stew with chicken broth and garlic to create a sort of sauce. Oh, and did I mention this all goes down in ONE pan? Because that is happening. If you haven’t figured it out, I have a thing for crispy chicken meals made in a single pan. This isn’t our first rodeo.
After the chicken has gotten some oven time, it is removed from the pan. We’re going to make that sauce that’s been forming on the bottom of your skillet even tastier. See how that fruit has caramelized itself? Yum. This is where you add coconut milk to the mix and stir it up with a fork. Those pieces of fruit are going to break down into the sauce. Is it weird that I’m a little jealous that the greens get to bathe in this? You can say yes.
Rainbow chard wilts into the sauce, and then you top your wilted greens with your already cooked crispy chicken thighs. Oh, hey there beautiful. Come to this skillet often? It’s common practice to talk to your dinner like you’re trying to pick it up at a bar. Go with it.
Serve it up. Get excited.
And let the chomping commence. That was easy, right? Pro tip: picking up the chicken with your fingers is extra satisfying. Don’t listen to your husband if he tells you it’s slightly grotesque. But, maybe use your fork for the greens. It helps keep those juices in line.
Enjoy!
Crispy Chicken Thighs With Orange & Cranberry Coconut Greens
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
- Salt, pepper & granulated garlic, to taste
- 1 tbs coconut oil
- 4 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 orange, segmented
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)
- 1 bunch of rainbow chard, washed and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Set your cast iron skillet over medium heat to get good and hot. While your skillet is heating up liberally season your chicken with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Make sure to season both sides.
- Once your pan is hot, add in your coconut oil. Once your coconut oil is hot, carefully place your chicken thighs into the pan skin side down. Once you have placed them, do not move them. Add in your peeled garlic cloves and allow your chicken to cook skin side down for 7-10 minutes. This should be enough time for your skin to get nice and crispy. I like mine blackened, so I usually let it go for at least 10 minutes.
- After 7-10 minutes, flip your chicken thighs over and allow them to cook for an additional couple of minutes. Add your segmented orange and fresh cranberries to the pan and stir them around to distribute them evenly.
- Add in your chicken stock and move your hot pan over to the oven. Bake from 25-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
- Once your chicken thighs have cooked through, remove the pan from the oven and put it back on the stove. Remove your chicken thighs from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Add your coconut milk to the juices and hot pieces of fruit in your skillet. Using a fork, break up the pieces of fruit and garlic until they melt into the sauce.
- Add your chopped up rainbow chard to the coconut sauce and cook over low heat until your chard has wilted down.
- Once your chard has wilted, add your chicken thighs back on-top of the cooked chard and serve!
- Enjoy!
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I will definitely be giving this recipe a try soon. Crispy chicken is one of my favorites!
Yay! Crispy chicken is the best.
Ugh this looks amazing. Cast iron skillet question: I made your chicken and brussel sprouts one pan wonder a while back and the lemon completely ate through the seasoning on my skillet (possibly because I let it sit in there while ate three helpings). I read after the fact that you’re not supposed to cook acidic foods in cast iron cuz it will eat away the seasoning. Clearly you are having no such problem – how do you prevent that from happening? Or does it happen but you just don’t mind re-seasoning afterwards?
Hmm…Oh, no. That doesn’t sound good. I’ve never had that problem, even after letting things sit whilst face stuffing. Did you try to give your pan a really good re-oiling? I find that when my pan starts to get a bit weird a good amount of coconut oil goes a long way. I wish I could be more helpful.
Lol no it’s cool. It probably wasn’t well seasoned to begin with (I did it on my own and ran out of patience). I’ve been meaning to try re-oiling it but haven’t really been in the kitchen much since >.< Project for another day :-p
This recipe looks delicious AND it fits the paleo autoimmune protocol. So, thank you! I just started a weekly Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable through my blog, and I would love it if you linked up this recipe. I’m trying to expand resources for the AIP community. Here’s the link: http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/12/04/paleo-aip-recipe-roundtable-5/
Eeeeek! Thanks for the shout out! Crispy chicken skin is pretty darn high up on my list of favorite things! I can’t wait to give this a try it looks beautiful!
Oh, thank you! I made this last night and it was delicious! The only thing that would have made it better would have been some bread to sop up the amazing juices. I just started following your blog, and I’m excited to try your recipes. You rock!
I made this last night and decided it was a keeper! The play of flavors between the slightly bitter chard and cranberries and the orange was very nice. I added a tad of maple syrup to up the thickness of the sauce and to add a slight sweetness to it. One note– I would have made a note in the recipe to supreme the orange sections– the membrane was a bit icky in the sauce. If I were being ‘chef-y’ I would have remembered that. Thanks for a great recipe!