Low Carb Cocoa Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs

These low carb cocoa spice rubbed chicken thighs are incredibly juicy and flavorful, and they have the most amazing crispy skin!

When you want a delicious change from the ordinary, these low carb cocoa spice rubbed chicken thighs are an awesome choice! The dry rub for our chicken pieces is a fun mixture which includes unsweetened cocoa powder! Then we top our chicken with butter and let the oven do the rest. The rub and butter combine to create an incredibly moist chicken with a beautiful crispy skin!

Let’s talk about our cocoa spice rub mixture!

The cocoa spice rub for this chicken comes together quickly and likely includes ingredients you already have in your pantry! It also creates an amazingly flavorful chicken. To make our mix, we combine smoked paprika, unsweetened cocoa powder, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper. The cocoa powder doesn’t add a chocolate flavor, but instead adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this rub and enhances all the other seasonings. Although we’re using this rub for chicken thighs, you can use it for most any kind of chicken. It’s also a great choice to season other meats. You can use it to season beef and pork, anything from steak and pork chops to all kinds of roasts. You can also add some of this rub to your chili and soups, or could even sprinkle a little over vegetables as they cook!

Do you have any tips for making these low carb cocoa spice rubbed chicken thighs?

This is an easy dish to prepare, but there are some things you can do to ensure yours turns out perfectly! First, I recommend spraying your baking dish with avocado oil spray to keep the chicken from sticking. Next, I like to sprinkle some seasoning on the bottom of the dish then press the chicken into the seasoning to easily season the bottom of the chicken, then sprinkle the rest evenly over the top of the chicken. Topping the chicken with butter helps give this chicken its amazingly crisp skin. I also recommend basting this chicken once or twice while it bakes. You can use a baster or just spoon some of the pan juices over the chicken. You’ll want to make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Last, for serving, you can drizzle some of the pan juices over your chicken if you’d like.

How can I serve these low carb cocoa spice rubbed chicken thighs?

This chicken is easy enough to serve for everyday meals, but elegant enough to serve for company or special occasion meals. I love starting meals off with a green salad and our favorite fixings while the main dish is baking. Alternately, you could start your meal with soup or with some keto appetizers. If you’d like, you can also top this chicken with some chopped chives or green onions, diced tomatoes, or shredded cheese. There are any number of side dishes that pair well with this chicken. You could add some keto biscuits, cornbread, or English muffins. Any low carb cooked vegetable makes a great side too. Some good options include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green beans, and spinach. Cooked kohlrabi, rutabaga, or turnips also make for an amazing side for chicken mains. A couple other great options include serving this chicken with cauliflower rice or spaghetti squash.

Here are some quick and easy keto desserts that would finish off your chicken meal perfectly!

Berries with Keto Lemon Whipped Cream

Keto Blackberry Raspberry Mousse

Keto Chocolate Whipped Cream Dessert

Quick Keto Chocolate Mousse

Helpful Hints:

*I recommend basting the chicken with its pan juices once or twice while it cooks.

*If you’d like, you can also serve this chicken with some of the pan juices.

Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:

• 11×7 inch baking dish
• Small mixing bowl

Splash of Encouragement:

***Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. Psalm 149:3***