Five Spice Chicken Thighs with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Name: Five Spice Chicken Thighs with Apples and Sweet Potatoes
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 1 small fennel bulb with feathery stalks; ¾ pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-in. slices; 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided; ½ teaspoon pepper, divided; 1 medium red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/3-in.-wide slices; 2 large firm-tart apples, such as Ida Red, Sierra Beauty, or Granny Smith, unpeeled, sliced into 1/4-in. wedges; 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 3/4 lbs. total); 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 ½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice

5 Ratings
5 Reviews

The seasoning blend called Chinese five-spice adds a warm note without pushing the apples into pie territory, and the apples are tart enough to balance the flavor too. Cooked fennel bulbs add a warm, aromatic note that makes this sheet pan dinner smell like a cozy, Autumn night. Roasting ingredients together on a sheet pan saves time and reduces cleanup. Make sure to head to your farmer's market between August and November for the freshest, ripest apples that will yield the most flavorful, sweet results.

By Amy Traverso

This Story Originally Appeared On sunset.com

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Recipe Summary

total:

1 hr 5 mins

Yield:

Serves 4 to 6

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°. Cut off fennel stalks and reserve feathery leaves. Trim base of bulb and any tough outer layers. Halve bulb lengthwise, cut out core in a V, and cut bulb lengthwise into slim wedges.

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Step 2
Oil a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange sweet potatoes and fennel in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Arrange onion and apples over potatoes and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Set chicken on top. In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, five-spice, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Brush onto chicken.
Step 3
Roast 15 minutes, then tip pan and baste ingredients with juices (use a bulb baster or wide spoon). Continue to roast until chicken is nicely browned and no longer pink at bone (cut to test), 15 to 20 minutes more. Baste everything again and scatter reserved fennel leaves on top.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

500 calories; calories from fat 56%; protein 30g; fat 32g; saturated fat 9.7g; carbohydrates 25g; fiber 4.6g; sodium 513mg; cholesterol 148mg.

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donhak

12/14/2021

To the comment that the chicken was bland, as always season, season, season. Five Spice is a blend that can vary a lot depending on who made it. I love the vegetable blend so I started with extra vegetables and doubled the butter, honey, and five spice. In addition I made sure that I seasoned both sides of the chicken, adding salt and pepper. With this type of recipe I frequently use my natural gas grill with indirect heat to act like an oven. Always check the chicken for doneness, allowing extra time if the thighs are large. Turned out great with minimal mess. The fennel fronds hold a lot of flavor, and I added the larger stems to the sliced fennel before roasting, peeling them to minimize toughness. If you want even more fennel flavor, you can include some ground fennel seed.

Jacklynholck

12/17/2017

We make this recipe about once or twice a month. Usually with breasts and always double for leftovers. Reheats well for lunch!

DinnerClub1

02/03/2017

This was a disappointing dish. While the potatoes and apples were decent, the chicken was very blah, no flavor. This would be a lot better if the recipe called for marinating the chicken ahead of time, not just brushing it right before roasting it.

mailingking

11/19/2016

Perfectly easy recipe with little prep time and delicious flavors. I didn't have Chinese 5 Spice on hand but made it work with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. We served this with rice and it was a hit. There's no way to mess this one up - it's healthy and FULL of flavor! Thank you, Sunset!

hikerbuck

10/09/2016

What could be easier...slice some veggies & apples, add bone in chicken thighs, baste & cook in oven! The Chinese 5 spice powder was a new addition to my spices and I'm so glad I gave it a try....it's warm (cinnamon & cloves) with a bit of a spicy kick from the Sichuan pepper...along with anise star & fennel seed. I will be looking for other recipes to use it in.

I did remove the skin from the chicken thighs, which meant a little bit less "sauce" to baste, but it was still delicious. Other winter veggies, thinly sliced squash, carrots or parsnips could be substituted as well. I used Honeycrisp apples.

This is a keeper!

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Five Spice Chicken Thighs with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (5)

All Reviews for Five Spice Chicken Thighs with Apples and Sweet Potatoes