Keto Baked Chicken Thighs with Smoked Paprika (Easy Sheet Pan Meal!)

These keto baked chicken thighs with smoked paprika are well seasoned, tender and juicy with crispy skin. With broccoli, they're an easy sheet pan meal!

These keto baked chicken thighs come with a lot of flavor since they're well seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin and oregano. When done, the chicken thighs are deliciously tender and juicy on the inside with crisp, well-seasoned skin on the outside. Plus, the roasted broccoli is crispy-tender and flavored by the juices and spices from the chicken. A simple but delicious dinner!

The inspiration behind these keto baked chicken thighs with roasted broccoli comes from Melissa Clark's Sheet-Pan Chicken with Jammy Tomatoes and Pancetta. Although this keto sheet pan recipe differs from Melissa's sheet pan recipe, the marinade and seasoning for the chicken are very similar.

When experimenting with this sheet pan recipe, we had the best results with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. But, you could also use bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks or bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. For those, you'll need to slightly adjust the cooking time. Therefore, if you're using larger, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, you may need to bake for an additional 10 minutes or so, depending on the size of the chicken breast. And if the chicken drumsticks are smaller in size, then you'll reduce the bake time. Either way, we recommend that you use a meat thermometer to check the chicken for doneness.

We like to marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes before baking, but that is entirely optional. We're convinced it improves the flavor of the chicken, but that could be debatable. Regardless, it's simple to get the chicken marinating the night before or even the morning of your meal if you got the time. When preparing the sheet pan, you'll first bake the chicken and then throw on the broccoli a little later since the broccoli takes less time to cook.

The total cook time for this sheet pan meal is roughly 30 minutes. And, the clean-up time is minimal.

About Smoked Paprika

Smoked paprika, also known as Spanish paprika or pimenton, is made from sweet pepper pods, which are smoked and dried over fire. The process gives the seasoning a beautiful smoky flavor while still retaining its sweet undertones. At the grocer, you may be able to buy different varieties — such as mild or spicy hot.

Ingredients

Just 8 ingredients in this simple sheet pan meal:

• 1 ½ pounds, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: We love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs since the chicken turns out tender and juicy with crispy skin. You can use other bone-in, skin-on chicken cuts, like drumsticks or breasts — just be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed (due to varying size) and use a cooking thermometer to check for doneness.
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil: You'll use 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the chicken marinade and another tablespoon for roasting the broccoli.
• Salt and pepper to season: We season the chicken with salt and pepper before marinating. We also season the broccoli with salt and pepper before roasting.
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice: We use 1 ½ tablespoons of squeezed lemon juice for the chicken marinade and about a half tablespoon for squeezing over the chicken and broccoli when done.
• 1 heaping tablespoon smoked paprika: We use a heaping tablespoon of smoked paprika for the marinade. You could use regular paprika if that is all you have, but just be aware that it will taste different (sweeter and not smoky).
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano: Just one teaspoon is needed for the chicken marinade.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin: Just one teaspoon of cumin is added to the marinade for a little spice.
• 2 cups chopped broccoli (roughly 9 ounces): For the broccoli, you'll rinse and chop into similar-size florets and drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

How to Make

STEP 1: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

STEP 2: While preheating, you'll make the chicken marinade. Stir together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, smoked paprika, cumin and oregano.

STEP 3: Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the marinade over the chicken. Toss to coat and let marinate. We recommend marinating for 20 minutes but that is optional. You can even marinate the night before or morning of your meal (just be sure to refrigerate).

STEP 4: After, you'll rinse the broccoli and chop into similar-size florets. Place the broccoli in a large bowl and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Then, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

STEP 5: Place the chicken thighs on one side of the pan, leaving a little space between each. Pop the pan in the oven (after oven is done preheating), and bake for roughly 30 minutes.

STEP 6: After 15 minutes in the oven, pull the pan out and spread the broccoli on the other side of the pan, leaving a little space between each floret. After 30 minutes, check the chicken for doneness with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees in its thickest part. If you prefer even crispier skin, turn the broiler on high and heat for a few additional minutes.

When done, remove the pan from the oven. There may be a good amount of juice from the chicken on the pan, which is tasty stuff with all the spices. You can spread this juice over the chicken or broccoli for added flavor. Plate the chicken and broccoli and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top of each. Then, dig in and enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Place any leftover chicken in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. You can reheat the chicken in the microwave or oven.

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