Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Jamy Apricots
Apricot season is truly short, so it is best to jam it up for as long as possible. Choose slightly firm but very fragrant fresh apricots. With most fruit, if it does not smell fresh, then it almost certainly will not taste much better. I also choose the best free-range organic chicken legs I can find. When I venture north, I go to trusted small-farm friends who produce the tastiest birds I have eaten since my childhood on my Grandparent's farm. If you ever find such a farmer, you will never go back to store-bought chickens. If you are not so lucky, choose free-range, organic chicken.
Onward:
No matter the sweetness of the fresh apricots, they are best offset with a small portion of brown sweetener and smoky, salty bacon bits. Haven given up sugar for a substitute does not need to be a flavor dilemma. Swerve makes a marvelous brown sweetener that has no off-taste just sweet with a bit of molasses-flavored tinge. The meaty, sweet, salty, flavors, and texture highlight the Jamy fragrant apricots. Unfortunately, this recipe is only suitable for that short period when fresh apricots appear in the farmer's market. Jam away!
4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Swerve brown sweetener
4 chicken thighs (or thighs with legs attached)
8 fresh apricots
2 thick sliced uncured bacon, diced
4 sprigs fresh mint leaves, hand torn
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, paprika, oregano, and sweetener in a mixing bowl.
Add the chicken to the marinade and toss. Place on a sheet pan. Toss the apricots in the remaining marinade, toss, and place on the sheet pan. Scatter the bacon on the chicken and apricots—roast in the oven for fifteen minutes. Remove and reserve the apricots. Continue to roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about fifteen more minutes.
Serve the chicken topped with the apricots and a scattering of fresh torn mint.
Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Jamy Apricots
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Swerve brown sweetener
- 4 chicken thighs (or thighs with legs attached)
- 8 fresh apricots
- 2 thick sliced uncured bacon, diced
- 4 sprigs fresh mint leaves, hand torn
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, paprika, oregano, and sweetener in a mixing bowl.
- Add the chicken to the marinade and toss. Place on a sheet pan. Toss the apricots in the remaining marinade, toss, and place on the sheet pan. Scatter the bacon on the chicken and apricots—roast in the oven for fifteen minutes. Remove and reserve the apricots. Continue to roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about fifteen more minutes.
- Serve the chicken topped with the apricots and a scattering of fresh torn mint.
Calories
421.28Fat (grams)
28.10Sat. Fat (grams)
7.39Carbs (grams)
10.08Fiber (grams)
1.81Net carbs
8.27Sugar (grams)
7.35Protein (grams)
34.66Sodium (milligrams)
638.31Cholesterol (grams)
174.94