Pan Roasted Grapefruit Chicken Thighs

4.95 from 20 votes

Crispy pan roasted grapefruit chicken thighs with the salty, fatty goodness of pancetta make this recipe one of the BEST EVER chicken recipes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 475kcal

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook until brown and caramelized, about 3-4 minutes, and remove.
Turn heat down to low and add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Cook on low for 10 minutes to allow the chicken fat to render.
While the chicken is cooking, use a knife to supreme the grapefruit (cut out the grapefruit sections from the skin and pith). Watch this video on how to supreme a grapefruit.
Flip the thighs over so the skin side is up and add the pancetta, white wine, grapefruit and cream. Remove from heat.
Place skillet directly in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and drizzle the honey evenly over each thigh. Place back in the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of 160F degrees.
Remove, garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.

The best grapefruit for this dish is going to be a sweeter variety like the Oro Blanco. The red grapefruit tend to be the most bitter, and a pink grapefruit is a good in-between alternative.
Chicken broth can be substituted for the white wine if desired.
It is important to brown the chicken before placing it in the oven. The browned chicken has a deeper flavor, and it's what gives us that beautiful, delicious crisp skin.
The pomegranate seeds are optional, but add a delicious pop of tart flavor.