Roasted Chicken Thighs With Blueberries
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds total)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 6garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon ground coriander
- 1teaspoon hot paprika
- 3cups fresh blueberries (about 18 ounces)
- 3tablespoons whole-grain mustard, plus more to taste
- 1tablespoon honey
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- ½cup picked tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
- Crusty bread, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
637 calories; 39 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 860 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry; generously season them all over with salt.
- Step 2
Place the thighs skin side down in a medium or large oven-safe skillet, making sure the pan is large enough to avoid crowding. Turn the heat to medium and cook, undisturbed, until the fat on the chicken skin has rendered, the thighs release easily from the pan and the skin is a golden brown with splotches of dark brown, about 15 minutes. Flip the thighs over and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Transfer the chicken to a plate, setting it skin side up. Return the skillet to medium heat, add the garlic and ⅓ cup of water, and scrape up any browned bits with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon. Simmer until water has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the coriander and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the blueberries, mustard, honey and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer. Place the thighs on top, skin side up, pressing gently to nestle them into the sauce.
- Step 4
Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the blueberries have burst and the thighs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper and mustard.
- Step 5
Garnish with tarragon and serve alongside thick slices of crusty bread.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Barbara Mc
I followed the recipe and it was excellent. I almost skipped the fresh tarragon, but I'm glad I didn't. It added a wonderful complexity and elevated the dish. Also glad I didn't use less mustard, which I considered. It is an important part of the sauce and I could have actually used a bit. more.
Ann
Sounds wonderful but would love suggestions for turning this into a sheet pan recipe. Thanks.
HeidiCharisse
Can I do this on my stovetop, perhaps in a large Dutch oven? It’s so hot in my tiny kitchen using the oven.
Liv
This was such a nice, easy recipe to cook! I cooked it with frozen blueberries and just skipped the added water step. With or without tarragon was great, I actually preferred without.
Caitlin
Could I use frozen blueberries as a substitute for fresh?
Camandari
I thought this was a quirky recipe, but had a box of blueberries (2 cups) that needed using & a lot of tarragon in the garden. Made the recipe as is, quick & easy, and to everyone's amazement, it was beyond delicious. A definite keeper, even dinner-party worthy. The melding of mustard, tarragon & blueberries ... who would have ever guessed? if you salt the chicken before cooking, then no salt needed at the end. No pepper either, because of the hot paprika. 1 pint blueberries is plenty.
Dominique
If you leave it on the stovetop and cover to finish, the chicken will be softer and more juicy so not a terrible deviation. If you want to sheet pan it exclusively and save on clean up, best option is to do the blueberries slowly in the microwave stirring frequently and then adding them to the oven last minute. Or just use blueberry jam.
Bruce
If you use a lighter colored berry, it might solve your problem. Some blueberry varieties are lighter than others. In general, high bush blueberries are lighter than low bush blueberries. There is also a variety of low bush blueberries that we called "sugar blues" (I don't know the scientific name for this variety) when I used to pick blueberries, and they are very light blue.
ScratchCook
Have not cooked this but I’ve cooked Haddock/Cod Fillets with grapes. Have cooked Sirloin steak with cherries, creating a sweet sauce with butter, an ATK recipe by a guest restaurant Chef (name escapes me). Delicious! I do not cook the berries through. Soften but still a nice bite to them. Cook briefly. The blueberries will be like a jam here. I’d add them in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking for texture, just a thought. I will try this with the blueberries then with grapes.
mkb3
The tarragon is like the Dude’s carpet and really brings the dish together. I almost skipped as well, but glad I didn’t. Finished on plate with splash of lime as I thought it needed a touch more acid. The cold pan skin down method works perfectly. For some reason, I feel that this would make a good Thanksgiving dish. Ate with some homemade tortillas.
greg rainman
This recipe slaps! I misread Step 3, and it said to “lay the chicken down in the sauce” - but the sauce didn’t yet exist! It was just a bunch of plump blueberries. So I smashed them before putting them into the oven. This created a lot more liquid in the end, but was still delicious. In the future, I think I might smash maybe 1/4 of the berries. Either way, excellent chicken with crispy skin, and a really potent, savory sauce. Leftover sauce would go great with a biscuit or scone.
Shelby W
This was delicious. While the sauce ends up looking like a jam, it does not taste like one. The paprika & mustard give it a little heat and nice, complex flavor profile. A word of caution: your teeth will turn blue!
AP
A little lemon juice is highly recommended. Plan on adding a couple slices before putting into the oven next time.
Elizabeth Gray
The principles of this dish are good, and it tastes fine, but the blueberries make a sauce so dark that it turns the chicken a bluish black on the bottom, which is not very visually appealing. I would try something similar with peaches or perhaps sour cherries (adjusting for sweetness and cook time accordingly).
Jb
Since mustard tends to be salty, and I followed the directions re: salt, we found the final suave to be way too salty. Perhaps more honey to balance things out a bit
David Dare
I loved this recipe but I personally would back off the hot paprika by half or two thirds.
Jessica Martin
This was a stunner. A few hours before making this dish, I marinaded the chicken in olive oil, orange juice, honey, coriander, salt and pepper. The blueberry sauce was nicely complex, very flavorful, perfectly seasoned. I served it with roasted new potatoes. I would serve this to guests I wanted to impress.
Kyle J
I think this recipe would work better as a blueberry sauce served alongside the chicken, versus being baked in the skillet with the chicken. The chicken takes on a very off-putting blue color, that gets even worse if you save some for leftovers. I would say overall I was not very impressed with the flavor of the recipe. It was fine, but nothing that I’d go out of my way to eat again. The blueberry chicken combo was reminiscent of cranberry with turkey. 2/5
Eleanor
Used a little white wine to deglaze, and we used broth instead of water for the sauce. Thyme subs nicely for tarragon if you forgot to grab tarragon. Would make again!
Sam
so inventive, always wows a crowd
Nancy Y
Great dish for something different! I used boneless and skinless thighs and adjusted the cooking times for that. I'm sure others will miss the taste of rendered skins, but this was delicious!
LG
Would it work with B/S thighs ?
Hillary
Made as directed but deglazed with white wine instead of water. So so good. Stupid good. Crust bread a must. However, I do wish I’d not been so impatient browning the thighs. I always flip before they’re dark enough. Next time I’ll brown red onions or shallots in the chicken fat before adding the garlic and liquid, and use less honey/taste my blueberries beforehand and adjust that amount accordingly. It was a luscious sauce, but a little too sweet.
Cristina A
A fantastic recipe similar to one my mom made with apricots and mustard. Cooked this entirely in a 10-inch cast-iron on the stove top. Instead of putting it in the oven to burst the blueberries, I covered the pan and finished on the stove top. I did use boneless, skinless thighs, so that cut down on the cooking time. Also, I didn’t have quite enough tarragon nor mustard, but it was still out of this world. Get your crusty bread for the sauce!
Ashley
This tasted fine, but it is not a repeater. The purple it imparted to the meat was reminiscent of NyQuil Chicken, and to me the flavor wasn't really worth the use of that much fresh summer fruit. But I'm glad other commenters liked it!
MitraT
Loved this! Used fresh picked blueberries and followed the recipe to the letter, except I deboned the chicken thighs. With the cold pan method, I was very pleased with how nice and crisp the skin turned out. I served with ciabatta and had some of the delicious jammy sauce to make Croque Madames the next day. My only complaint is blueberries are a summer fruit and having the oven on at 400° is not ideal.
Josh
Delicious! Next time, I may try skipping or reducing the paprika. There was almost too much going on and a touch simpler would've highlighted the blueberries and mustard combo. I think. We'll see. I ate two thighs the first night, and I might've munched the skin off the other two before soaking them in the gravy for a couple days. When I reheated those two, the flavor was amazing all the way through. And yes, the leftover sauce was delicious on a ham sandwich with a little roma tomato!
Kate Rozmahel
This was excellent.
Linda Christian-Herot
This is a great recipe but 3 cups of blueberries made enough sauce for 6 thighs. Also be patient with the browning. Don’t try to hurry it along with a higher heat and your results will look just like the picture. Served it with a simple Boston lettuce salad and my husbands freshly made bread for a delicious week night dinner.
John Scott Tynes
After 15, 18, and then 20 minutes the skin stayed firmly stuck to the pan. Gave up and scraped the thighs loose, losing all the skin.
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