Have you ever had cinnamon on chicken? It's a surprising combination that delivers a unique flavor. My low carb chicken thighs recipe pairs cinnamon with mint and coconut for a drool-worthy keto dinner. I present to you, baked cinnamon chicken!
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The first time I experienced the magical cinnamon-chicken combo was at a 4th of July cookout. This grand tasting happened years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was hanging around the grill, eyeing the spices and seasonings when the cinnamon caught my eye. Sure enough, as soon as my friend lifted the lid, he thoroughly coated the chicken with cinnamon.
I was shocked. Thinking one of the bottles had been drunkenly swapped (it was that kind of party), I tried to help. "Whoa, bro. I think you've made a mistake! You just put cinnamon on the chicken!"
He turned and gave me the official Don't-Be-Stupid look. That was enough to keep me quiet until I could taste it for myself. When the chicken was ready, I was the first to dive in. That cinnamon chicken was the best damn chicken I had ever tasted. I was blown away!
I grew up in a restaurant, I binge watch cooking shows while most people keep up with the Kardashians, and I spend 90% of my day in the kitchen... yet somehow a cinnamon chicken recipe had entirely escaped me until that moment. I've spent the last decade since playing with the cinnamon-chicken flavor combo in different dishes. This low carb chicken thighs recipe highlights the star ingredients while complementing the flavors with a fresh coconut-mint sauce.
Baked Cinnamon Chicken Recipe - Low Carb Chicken Thighs with Mint & Coconut
This dish is a low carb chicken thighs recipe where you can decide if you want the skin on or off. If you like the extra flavor and texture of the skin, leave it on. If you don't like the skin or you're trying to cut back on calories, go for the skinless variety. Both ways taste great! You can also use reduced fat coconut milk to cut back on calories if needed.
Mix ground cinnamon, minced fresh mint, dried basil, and sea salt. Thoroughly coat the chicken thighs with the mixture, focusing the majority of the mix on the top side of the thighs. If you've got the skin on, be sure to coat underneath directly on the thigh meat as well as on top of the surface.
Combine coconut milk, chicken broth, ground cinnamon, mint, and salt in a casserole style bakeware and mix thoroughly to coat the bottom of the dish. Choose a cooking vessel that will allow the edges of the chicken to touch while laying flat on the bottom; this will expose each chicken thigh to the coconut mixture. For six chicken thighs, I use a 9 x 6-inch dish that's two inches deep.
Place your chicken thighs in a casserole style bakeware with the skin side up (or meatier end up if you went the skinless route). Bake at 425 degrees for 60 minutes, basting the cinnamon chicken thighs with coconut sauce from the bottom of the dish every 20 minutes. I hope you enjoy my baked cinnamon chicken recipe!
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs cleaned and trimmed of fat
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon ground
- 2.5 tablespoons mint leaves fresh, minced
- 1 teaspoon basil dried
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat chicken thighs dry.
- Combine 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, half of the mint leaves, basil, and half of the sea salt in a small mixing bowl. Thoroughly coat each chicken thigh, focusing on the top/skin side of the meat.
- In a 9x6x2" casserole-style bakeware, mix together the remaining cinnamon, mint, and sea salt with the coconut milk and chicken broth. Coat the bottom of the dish with this mixture.
- Line the dish with the chicken thighs skin side up.
- Bake chicken thighs for 1 hour, basting with the coconut sauce mixture within the pan every 20 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Tasha–nutritionist, recipe developer, and multi-published cookbook author.
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