Brown Sugar Spiced Chicken Thighs with Moroccan Carrots & Chickpeas
This sheet pan dinner will get you and your taste buds dancing. It is full of fun flavors that waken you up with each bite. The chicken gets a brown sugar spice rub and the carrots and chickpeas get tossed with more warming spices. They both bake together in the oven while you prepare the accoutrements. Plate it on top of a lemony yogurt, garnish with pistachios and parsley and finally drizzle with some hot honey.
BROWN SUGAR SPICED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH MOROCCAN CARROTS & CHICKPEAS
This meal was inspired from a recipe I tried in a cookbook called good clean food by Lily Kunin. You can find her cookbook linked HERE. It’s a plant based cookbook that is categorized by recipes to help your body get energized, nourished, detoxed, restored etc. Her moroccan chickpea + carrot salad is listed underneath “sustain”, meals to help you stay fueled up. I loved it and is an amazing side or lunch in and of itself. However, I thought it would be great paired with some sweet spiced chicken thighs. Then I wanted to level out all of the flavor with a bright acidic note of a lemony yogurt that you can scoop up with each bite. Lastly, some hot honey drizzled overtop is the chefs kiss.
What You'll Need
- Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs – Bone-In will make it more flavorful and keep it juicier. It takes a little longer but they are done in 35 min in the oven.
- Carrots – I love to use rainbow carrots if your grocery store carries them. Regular carrots are perfect too.
- Chickpeas – 1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained.
- Shallot – You can substitute half of a red onion.
- Parsley – Fresh is best.
- Pistachios -You can substitute almonds as well.
- Full Fat Plain Greek Yogurt – Full fat is recommended because it’s just more substantial and creamier.
- Lemon – You’re going to want the zest and juice.
- Honey – For the yogurt sauce and the hot honey.
- Crushed Red Peppers – For the hot honey.
- Brown Sugar – For the Chicken thigh rub.
SPICES
- Onion Powder
- Ginger
- Cayenne
- Allspice
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Garlic Powder
- Tumeric
Sheet Pan Dinner
- Preheat the oven to 425° and align two racks at the 1/3rd and 2/3rds mark.
Prepare the Carrots & Chickpeas
- Carrots – Peel and slice the carrots 1/4 inch thick.
- Shallot – Slice in half length wise and then into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- On a sheet pan, combine the chickpeas with the sliced carrots and shallots. Generously drizzle with oil and sprinkle the spices overtop (cumin, cinnamon, garlic powder, turmeric and cayenne). Mix until everything is well coated.
Prepare the Chicken Thighs
- Trim & Pat Dry – Trim the skin on the chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel on both sides.
- Oil & Rub – Drizzle with 2 Tbsp Oil and sprinkle over the brown sugar, onion powder, ginger, cayenne, allspice and salt and pepper. Rub the oil and spices all over the chicken thighs until well coated.
- Place the chicken thighs on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet.
Bake
- Transfer the baking sheets to the preheated oven – Place carrots on the bottom rack and the chicken on the top rack.
- Bake for 35 minutes at 425° or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reads 175°.
Make the Yogurt Sauce & Hot Honey while everything Bakes
- Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of the yogurt with 1 tsp lemon zest, juice of half the lemon and about a tsp of honey. Mix to combine.
- Hot Honey
- In a pan combine honey with some crushed red pepper flakes and set over low heat until small bubbles form. Allow to gently infuse flavor for 5 min.
- 1/2 cup honey with 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes for reference or however much you desire!
Serve
- To Plate I like to do a smear or yogurt sauce on the plate then pile on some of the carrots and chickpeas, a piece of the chicken and drizzle with hot honey. Garnish with pistachios and parsley.
Servings: 0
Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheets
- 1 Baking Rack for oven
Ingredients
Chicken + Carrots & Chickpeas
- 4 Bone-in Skin On Chicken Thighs
- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 1/8-1/4 tsp Cayenne
- 1/4 tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 4-5 Large Carrots peeled & sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 Can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 Large Shallot sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Tumeric
- dash Cayenne
- 1/4 cup Pistachios chopped
- 2 Tbsp Parsley
Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup Full Fat Greek Yogurt
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- Lemon Juice Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 tsp Honey
Hot Honey
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
Chicken + Carrots & Chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 425° and align two racks at the 1/3rd and 2/3rds mark.
- On a sheet pan, combine the chickpeas with the sliced carrots and shallots. Generously drizzle with oil and sprinkle the spices overtop (cumin, cinnamon, garlic powder, turmeric and cayenne). Mix until everything is well coated.
- Trim & Pat Chicken Dry - Trim the skin on the chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel on both sides.
- Oil & Rub - Drizzle with 2 Tbsp Oil and sprinkle over the brown sugar, onion powder, ginger, cayenne, allspice and salt and pepper. Rub the oil and spices all over the chicken thighs until well coated. Place the chicken thighs on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheets to the preheated oven - Place carrots on the bottom rack and the chicken on the top rack.
- Bake for 35 minutes at 425° or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reads 175°.
Make the Yogurt Sauce
- In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of the yogurt with 1 tsp lemon zest, juice of half the lemon and about a tsp of honey. Mix to combine.
Make the Hot Honey
- In a pan combine the honey with the crushed red pepper flakes and set over low heat until small bubbles form. Allow to gently infuse flavor for 5 min.
Serve
- To Plate I like to do a smear of the yogurt sauce on the plate then pile on some of the carrots and chickpeas, a piece of the chicken and drizzle with hot honey. Garnish with pistachios and parsley.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!