Baked Cranberry Orange Chicken
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
5 mins
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Cook Time
45 mins
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Servings
6
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Calories
288 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Dinner
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Cuisine
American
Baked Cranberry Orange Chicken
Description
Baked Cranberry Orange Chicken combines chicken breasts with a vibrant sauce blending cranberry sauce, fresh orange zest and juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, and rosemary. The sauce is blended until combined and poured over the chicken before baking at 400°F. Fresh cranberries can be added on top for extra texture and tartness. If chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pounding them ensures even cooking.
The sauce balances sweet acidity from cranberry and orange with savory garlic and soy flavors plus herbal notes from rosemary. Baking in a single pan makes this dish convenient. The chicken develops a flavorful coating while remaining moist. Leftovers can be stored airtight in the fridge for up to five days or frozen for three months.
This recipe favors using cranberry sauce rather than whole cranberries for consistent flavor and texture. Homemade cranberry sauces such as red wine cranberry, cranberry currant, or apple cider cranberry sauce are suitable, or a preferred store-bought canned sauce may be used.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breast with or without skin; or use bone-in breasts, or bone-in/boneless chicken thighs, boneless
- 1 cup cranberry sauce read the Tip in the blog post about this; must be cranberry sauce either leftover homemade or canned; don't just use whole cranberries
- 1 teaspoon orange zest from 1 medium to large orange
- ½ cup orange juice from the same medium to large orange
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce lite
- 1 tablespoon garlic or to taste, minced
- 1 teaspoon rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
- ½ cup cranberries for sprinkling before baking; optional but recommended, fresh
- rosemary for adding to baking dish or for garnishing; optional but recommended, sprigs, fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F, spray a 9x13-inch baking dish or casserole dish (or similar sized, ~2.5 quarts) with cooking spray, pay the chicken with a paper towel, and place it in the baking dish; set aside momentarily. Chicken Tips - If your chicken is quite thick on one end, and thin on the other (as chicken breasts often are), make sure to pound it to a uniform thickness so it cooks evenly. If your chicken is quite thick in general, pound it so it's thinner so that the interior cooks through before the outside burns.
- To the canister of a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients (through pepper), and pulse a few times to combine or blend as desired, leaving as much texture (or not) to the sauce. Taste it, and for your palate, if it needs any seasoning adjustments, i.e. a pinch of sugar, more soy, more garlic, more salt, more rosemary, etc. add it now.
- Evenly pour the sauce over the chicken, evenly sprinkle a handful of fresh cranberries in the pan (optional), place a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme in the pan (optional), and bake the chicken, uncovered, for about 40 to 60 minutes. Baking Tips - Chicken is safe to eat when the internal temp has reached 165F. However, depending on if you're using breasts, thighs, boneless or bone-in, baking times may range widely. Therefore, keep an eye on your chicken, and use a digital thermometer to check the temp. I like to pull my chicken at about 160F and then let it rest for 5-10 minutes on the counter, allowing the natural juices to redistribute and the internal temp to come up to a safe 165F. If at any point during baking the cranberry sauce is starting to burn, cover the pan with a sheet of foil.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before optionally garnishing with additional fresh cranberries, orange or lemon slices, sprigs of fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or sage. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Use cranberry sauce (homemade or canned) rather than whole cranberries for the sauce base.
- Leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days or can be frozen up to 3 months; reheat gently in the microwave.
- For even cooking, pound chicken breasts to uniform thickness before baking.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 288 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 288kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 29g | 10% |
| Protein | 25g | 50% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 0.01g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 72mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 745mg | 31% |
| Potassium | 513mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 23g | 46% |
| Vitamin A | 107IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 14mg | 16% |
| Calcium | 20mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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