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Baked Chicken Thighs

Bill and I have recently been on a mission to eat more healthy fats. Whole eggs, avocado, avocado oil, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, you get the idea. I, in particular, have also been wanting to eat more good sources of fatty cuts of animal protein. Bill and I both love salmon, so fatty fish isn’t a problem, but since I do not eat beef or pork, my meat options tend to have some limitations. Bill on the other hand eats lots of bacon, steak, and beef jerky. In my attempts to eat some delicious dark meat chicken, I decided to spice up our dinner menu with a chicken thigh recipe.

I have always loved chicken and turkey breast. It’s in my nature to reach for the leaner cuts of meat, rather than the dark, but after our adventures in chicken thigh deliciousness, I don’t know if I will ever go back to my white meat ways. As many of you already know, fatty cuts of meat are encouraged when eating a paleo diet, especially if you keep your carbohydrates (from fruits mostly) on the low side. However, if you are choosing to indulge in a fattier cut of meat, please make sure it is high quality meat. This means grass fed beef, or organic free range chickens. The factory farmed, grain fed, sick animals contain high amounts of omega 6 inflammatory fatty acids. These and other toxins are found in their fat stores, so to keep your omega 3 ratio high, and omega 6 ratio low, opt for a higher quality of meat. If you have to save on the cost, then go lean and compensate by getting your good fats from coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado.

This was actually my first time baking chicken thighs, and similar to our other recipes, we wanted to add minimum seasoning with maximum flavor. This recipe was a success! Quick, inexpensive, and immensely delicious! Bill and I are both now hooked on the tender, juicy, bone-in chicken thighs, not to mention they are quite the bang for your buck! We left the grocery store with four free range, organic chicken thighs for a whooping 3 dollars! Can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

  • 4 free range bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Process:

  1. Preheat oven to bake at 425.
  2. Rinse chicken thighs under cold water and place in a broiler pan.
  3. Pat thighs dry with a paper towel.
  4. Gently separate skin from thigh, without removing it completely from the meat at the corners.
  5. Place shallots and garlic on the meat, and cover with the skin.
  6. Lightly rub olive oil on the skin, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until juices run clear.

We enjoyed these chicken thighs as yummy finger food. They are also perfect to keep in the fridge for a quick protein and healthy fat snack. We highly recommend serving these to dinner guests, or in place of wings at a tailgate or sports game party. The options are endless.

As always, enjoy!

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    COMMENTS

    1. February 8, 2011

      Yum! I generally stick to light meat too, but chicken thighs are such a treat.

    2. February 8, 2011

      One of my very favorite cuts of meat – beautifully prepared here!

    3. February 28, 2011

      We made this last night. Awesome!

    4. March 2, 2011

      So glad you enjoyed them…we are definitely lovin us some chicken thighs too đŸ™‚

    5. March 21, 2011

      Haley, these look great! Just wondering, is you choice to stay away from pork and beef health related? If this is too personal of a question please forgive me and don't feel obligated to respond…

      Thanks!

    6. March 21, 2011

      Hi Jennifer,

      I didn't eat much beef for a while and after having it one night I felt sick and it scared me off. I then avoided all meat for a year to see how I felt. I added back in chicken, turkey, and eggs after switching to a paleo life style and immediately felt and looked way better. I just started eating pork, lamb, and beef with out any "sick feeling" side effects.

      I am really happy to be adding in all of those different meats again, mostly because I feel that grass fed beef is one of the healthiest cuts of meat you can consume. It's so hard to find quality chicken around. That was a great question, it was not too personal at all (i appreciate your concern, that's sweet). My avoidance of beef was accidental in the beginning and then trial and error there after. Trial and error resulted in me finding out that paleo is the way to go!

    7. March 22, 2011

      Ok, thanks! I was just wondering because I have experienced the same thing, Was a vegetarian and vegan for a while then slowly have started adding meat back into my diet, it took a little while to get past the psychological barrier and eat red meat again, but I feel great now and really enjoy it!
      Thanks for sharing, I appreciate it!

    8. September 10, 2011

      Made this today. It was very juicy and deliciously flavored with the garlic and shallots. Next time, I will put the salt and pepper under the skin as it didn't have any salt on the meat and I don't eat the skin.

    9. September 12, 2011

      Just made this last night, was pretty good! However, I felt the garlic flavor did not come out too well, I might have to experiment a little more with this one.

    10. October 19, 2011

      What a great site! Love the design. This recipe is top notch and just what we needed on a rainy day for dinner. Tragically, after my wife had our two children she has an aversion to garlic and onions (in this case shallots). So I made them plain with a Tuscan Herb flavored olive oil and they were devoured. Thanks for the recipes.

    11. December 2, 2011

      I love this recipe. I work from home when not on the road, and am responsible for feeding the wife and kids. When travelling, I have to pre-cook their meals while I'm gone. This has become one of my staples. It takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes to prep everything and shove it in the oven, and then you can just ignore it while getting the veg ready. Thanks for a simple and tasty recipe (I've been meaning to post something here for a while).

      –Me

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