Don’t you love when you can knock dinner out with one pan? I sure do! That is one reason I love my crockpot BUT I already had something cooking in the crockpot, so I considered this ‘One Pan Butter Chicken Thighs & Veggies’, making due. BUT this “making due” turned out to be so good! It had been a while since I had chicken thighs so ‘hoping this would turn out’ would be an understatement!
I seasoned these chicken thighs with ‘Chinese Five Spice’ by Primal Palate. I must confess – I have never used or even tasted the seasoning before. I love how it smelled when I opened the bottle so I was super eager to use it. If you don’t have this seasoning, you can certainly use whatever spices you enjoy but I am not gonna lie …..this seasoning was what took this meal up a notch, especially because I use some fennel in the veggie medley. They complimented each other perfectly!
Going off on a quick tangent – I am so curious about the keto ‘diet’. Are any of you following a keto diet and if so, how do you feel? What differences – if any – are you experiencing in terms of following a paleo lifestyle vs. keto? I have heard mixed reviews and though I pretty much like to do my own version of “diets” (because let’s face it …..we all should be following our own plan, even if it’s using a template of a certain plan/diet), I just don’t know about starting to try and incorporate dairy. I’ve been dabbling with goat cheese lately and that sits a-o-k with me but I do notice that there are a lot of recipes that call for cheese & heavy cream. I am convinced that tapping into fat for fuel is optimal and I do try and use that mentality as I live using a paleo template. I don’t do too many carbs in terms of starch but I don’t think I eat nearly enough fat for me to be in ketosis. There’s sooo much to learn when it comes to all that “stuff” and I am slowly taking it all in. Anywho ~ I do think my hubby is very interested in diving into more of a keto lifestyle as he has some pounds to shed and would like to see how his body changes when he limits carbs (AND BEER) and ups the healthy fats. He’s never really given up cheese entirely and is more of a 80/20 paleo eater so I think he’ll do great! I will probably be sharing meals/recipes along the way and keeping you all informed as to how he feels and how he progresses. But please ….share away with thoughts if this is something you’ve done, are doing or are interested in doing! I really like to take in all the info I can, especially when it comes from a personal experience.
Onward to this delicious recipe! I pretty much think I can call this a keto approved meal! Yes, these particular vegetables are considered higher in carbs and as I have read, these particular veggies are on the ‘occasional’ list if you are keeping track of numbers. That said, I am a big proponent of the nutrition that vegetables give us so I will just consider this meal “approved” especially because it’s all doused in fats. Either way, it’s petty freakin’ good …. it is all cooked at once, in one pan ….and that’s really all that matters! (Recipe posted below because I still can’t figure out what’s going on with my recipe card :/)
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 2 cups halved brussel sprouts
- 1 cup fennel, cut into chunks
- 1 stick + 2 tbsp of Kerrygold butter (or 1/2 cup of ghee + 2 tbsp)
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Chinese 5 Spice
- Salt & Pepper
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large baker, add just the stick of butter (or 1/2 cup ghee) and place into oven to melt. Once melted, take out an add minced garlic & mix.
- Toss the veggies into pan and coat with butter and garlic. Push to outer edges to make room for the chicken thighs.
- Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter/ghee.
- Add thighs to middle of dish. Drizzle 2 tbsp melted butter over the thighs. Sprinkle on Chinese 5-Spice and salt and pepper.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken reads 165 with a meat thermometer.
- Enjoy!
I think the keto-diet is great, but I also think there are a lot of problems with it. I tried it a a few times but I ended up feeling “off”. Maybe it was because I found it too limited or because of my hormones. Many authors/influencer in the paleo community don’t recommend it for extended periods, at least not for women and for people doing crossfit since that training require some glucose for fuel (Robb Wolf, Dave Asprey, stefani on paleowomanpodcast etc). They say some of our hormones require a certain amount of carbs. Of course these opinions differ a bit from authors and investigators, but I, woman and not very overweight and training a bit, didn’t feel really right, like I was never really satisfied. When I have some carbs, sweetpotato etc I feel more satisfied and not having cravings as much, Also there is different opinions of what keto-diet limits, some say dairy is out since it can raise insulin-levels and they have a more limited approach to it to reach the real state of “ketosis”. Some people need to count the fat and limit the protein to reach ketosis. Some don’t eat enough because the diet can make you feel full all the time, then you can get tired and feel that it doesnt work. For me, I felt too deprived doing this, too much black and white and controlling everything, but for others it can be freedom and they find it easy to control their plate. It seems guys can handle the diet much better, maybe because of the hormones or they don’t have cravings as us 😉 I think it’s good to try and see how it works but being aware of how you feel, mood and sleep overtime. I find that I always return to paleo-primal 80/20 approach and I find it easier to have a diet I can keep in the long run?
Thank you so much for your input! I agree with you, in that women and men can definitely do the same exact “diets” and feel totally different and/or have different results. So far my husband is feeling good and though we haven’t gotten the whole keto system down, he’s feeling pretty good. I am just adding more fats at this point but other than that, I am sticking to my paleo lifestyle — it works and has been working for me for many years. Again, thanks so much for your observations thoughts. I took a lot from it and appreciate it!