Keto Radish Recipes – Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Radishes

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Keto Radish Recipes make fast use of this healthful and antioxidant-rich vegetable in an easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Radishes!

One cup of radishes has 2g of net carbs versus 41g of net carbs in potatoes, making them a great alternative to potatoes when following a keto diet or a low carb diet!

With thanks and great appreciation, this recipe modified from the original at Eating Well Magazine!

Keto Radish Recipes – Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Radishes

In my ongoing pursuit to bridge delicious with healthy, I have experimented with radishes to a large extent recently.

Springtime is, of course, the BEST time to delight in the colors and surprisingly slightly-sweet-when-roasted flavor of this ambiguous little vegetable.

I could begin this post with the merits of consuming radishes…but I, like many, am always seemingly more hyper-focused on the way things taste before how healthy they may or may not be.

There does HAVE TO BE a balance in one’s life though, that I admit fully. As in one week I may share with you my method for Country Fried Steak, and that same week, I am personally balancing my own healthy intake with dishes the recipe I bring forth today.

Life in the kitchen and around the family dinner table can be challenging, especially because kids and adults alike have likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Enter stage left, the radish.

A cheerful cherub of a vege, the radish is cleverly disguised by a lovely hue of red or pink or purple. Bite into it however, and unless you are a lover of the raw radishes peppery bite, it may well be the last time it fools you.

Ingredients for Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Radishes

• bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• Kosher salt
• black pepper
• fresh red or pink radishes, not daikon radishes (and their tops if you purchase radishes with tops)
• red onions
• crème fraîche
• Dijon mustard
• a fresh lemon
• fresh chives
• capers

How This Recipe Came About…

I experienced a few Keto radish recipes while traveling. I don’t think I realized they were Keto, or even healthy for that matter.

The idea of radishes for breakfast was foreign to me, but one Keto radish recipe stood out. I read a description on a menu for radish home fries, the curious little root vegetables doused in avocado oil and roasted on a baking sheet with all sorts of dried herbs and spices added during the high temperature bake.

They were served ‘loaded.’ Loaded radishes emerged from the kitchen of this tiny mom and pop with melted Cheddar cheese, sour cream, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, green onions, and fresh herbs.

They were supposed to “the perfect side dish” to my scrambled eggs but really stood up as the main dish in my opinion. A rather complete Keto breakfast served with a lovely house-made turkey sausage.

Regardless, I knew just based on how they tasted, that if I could get past knowing I was eating a radish, these tiny gems would make a great substitute for potatoes in both oven roasts and air fryer recipes.

What Are the Benefits of Eating Radishes?

Radishes are a root vegetable that are very low in carbs. Radish benefits mean you can enjoy in lieu of potatoes cooked in several ways such as air fried or roasted in the oven.

One cup of radishes contains 2 grams of carbs (net carbs) and can be part of a low-carb, Keto weight loss diet since they are low in sugar and calories. They also offer a reduced risk for diabetes because they contain the chemical compounds glucosinolate and isothiocyanate that help to regulate blood sugar levels.

Eating radishes also enhances your body’s natural production of adiponectin, a hormone which, at high levels, can help to protect against insulin resistance. Calcium and potassium together help lower high blood pressure and reduce risks for heart disease, and radishes are chock full of these two key nutrients.

I could go on, citing the studies and repeating the benefits, but summarizing all of it doesn’t really offer you, the reader and eater, an idea of how Keto radish recipes roasted in this way, taste. Let me assure you, prepared just right, they may just begin to land on your grocery list a bit more often. Me? I grow from seed when planting my outdoor herb garden.

What Are Some Keto Radish Recipes for Good Health?

Whether as a healthy side dish or a key ingredient in a tasty main dish, for best results, treat the radish as you would the potato.

• Roast radishes alongside chicken as in the delish dish I am sharing today, or dress with garlic and cheese and air fry until crispy for Crispy Garlic Parmesan Radishes.
• Combine with reduced real maple syrup, half cooked air fryer bacon, and roasted Brussels sprouts for a filling Maple Kissed Radish and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.
• Dice raw and add a few tablespoons to a classic Southern potato salad recipe or a creamy egg salad sandwich for an added peppery crunch.
• Toss well seasoned red radishes with olive oil and Kosher salt and grill on the barbecue, cut side down to 10 to 12 minutes before tossing to brown on all sides. Serve as an easy low carb side to grilled steaks and ribs.

How Do You Prepare Radishes to Eat?

Soak first in ice water for a couple of hours to increase the overall crispness of radishes. If fortunate enough to get your hands on radishes intact and with their greens, wash well, then slice off the both the root tips and the tops.

Prepare as indicated in the printable recipe card of the method you are following. And yes, those radish greens are edible and quite an addition to salads or roasted right along with the radish itself.

Unfortunately, when purchasing at the grocer, they do not always come intact with their tops, rather bagged only the radishes themselves. This is an indicator to me that they could also be a bit too old…

For the purposes of this recipe, I am including the radish greens as ‘optional’ in the event you do not have access to radishes complete with their tops. The prep time with the tops is exactly the same as without.

How Long Will Radishes Last in the Refrigerator?

The best thing about radishes is that they keep well under refrigeration, a week to 10 days in some cases. If I am lucky and purchase with their tops, I wash them intact, soak them in ice water for at least two hours, then dry well and add to a paper towel-lined zippered plastic bag and pop into my fridge.

Without their tops, I wash, soak in ice water for a couple of hours, dry well, and pop into glass jars with tight-fitting lids. I can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks before I need to be concerned with them going soft.

Radishes As A Potato Substitute?

Yes. I know, right? Radishes???

To begin with, the two are entirely different tastes. BUT…technically, you’re comparing a raw radish with a cooked potato, so the playing field is not level to begin with.

Cooked radishes lose something. That peppery sharpness that they are known for raw all but disappears when they are roasted at high heat.

Browned, with a slight crust that covers the cut, exposed flesh, and minus that pungent spicy flavor, they do take on a subtle potato-like texture which can offer that pleasing mouthfeel Keto and low carb dieters CRAVE.

How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Radishes?

Prepare the Chicken

Begin an hour before cooking by trimming excess skin from 4 to 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1 3/4 to 2-pounds in total. In a small bowl, combine some garlic powder with onion powder, Kosher salt, and ground black pepper.

Lay the thighs atop a sheet of parchment paper and brush both sides with just about a tablespoon of olive oil between them. You want them coated lightly, NOT SATURATED or you will not promote browning and crisping.

Sprinkle both sides of all of the chicken pieces with the dry mixture and allow to come to room temperature while you prepare a handful of radishes and red onions.

Prepare the Radishes and Red Onions

You’ll need about 5 cups of fresh radishes for this recipe. Wash them and use a sharp knife to cut the root tip off as well as the greens if they are present.

Note that the greens may be added to this recipe if you wish not to discard them, otherwise consider using like lettuce in salads or add to sandwiches.

I keep the teeny tiny radishes whole but like to halve the larger radishes. Halving and exposing the flesh helps them attain a lovely, browned crispness as they roast.

Add the prepared radishes and a couple of red onions that you have cut into wedges to a small bowl and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and some additional Kosher salt and black pepper.

Prepare to Roast

Adjust a rack to the upper one third position and preheat your oven to 450°F. Pull the largest rimmed sheet pan you have and place it on the counter. Normally, for cleanup purposes, I’d instruct you to line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, but not today, not in this method.

For this recipe, a huge part of the end product is the method in which the chicken is roasted and moreover, the way the radishes are roasted.

Arrange the chicken and vegetables in a single layer atop the baking sheet, turning the fleshy side of the radishes cut side down against the metal. I also place the chicken skin side down to begin against the metal.

Only when the oven is fully preheated will you place the rimmed baking sheet inside. Roast for 20 minutes.

At the 20-minute mark, use kitchen tongs to carefully loosen the chicken pieces from the sheet pan and flip them to skin side up. By roasting skin side down to start, the skin gets a head start on a perfect crisp.

If using radish greens (optional), add them now and pop back into the hot oven until the chicken reads 165°F when probed with an instant read thermometer. Be sure to take the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone.

At any point toward the end of the roast, you may use a spatula to loosen and turn the radishes to promote browning all over. That golden crispness offers a potato-like texture and similarity surprising foodies and cooking aficionados of all levels.

Whisk Up a Lemony Crème Fraîche Accompaniment to Keto Radish Recipes

This bit is just a little something extra but sets this dish on its end! Grab a fresh lemon and both zest it and juice it.

In a small bowl, whisk together a half cup of crème fraîche with some good quality Dijon mustard, about a teaspoon of the lemon zest, and about a teaspoon of the lemon juice. Smooth it out while whisking and add to it a full tablespoon of freshly snipped chives and even scatter some capers and a light drizzle of olive oil.

Taste for the need to adjust the lemon zest and/or juice and add if required, smoothing as you whisk. Spoon into tiny bowls and place atop each plate to be served alongside the crisped chicken thighs and roasted Keto radishes.

Modifying the Norm to Make It Not Entirely Average…

So, this tip automatically cancels the Keto aspect of this dish, but makes an oh-so-Heavenly roasted radish side dish! Add a cup of REAL maple syrup to a small saucepan and reduce it over medium low heat by a little over a half.

The maple syrup will be very viscous, very thick. Cut the heat and add in a tablespoon of salted butter until melted and very well incorporated. Drizzle the thick mixture atop the sheet pan ensemble during the last 5 to 8 minutes of oven time and switch the oven to broil. {{{AHHH}}}

Crispy. Crunchy. Sweet. Savory. Dear gosh folks, the aroma alone!

Perhaps no longer Keto, but still very healthful as a whole.

If wanting to modify but remain Keto, consider adding a Keto-friendly cooked bulk sausage to the finished dish. Or finishing with smoked bacon pieces. Phenom…

What to Serve with Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Radishes?

Honestly, nothing. Along with the lemony crème fraîche sauce, also Keto, this is a one pan dinner.

If I had to pair it with something, I’d go green salad all the way and go so far as to serve the chicken, vege, and lemony crème fraîche atop the salad negating the need for a fancy dressing.