5 from 12 votes
Baked Cranberry Orange Chicken
Baked Cranberry Orange Chicken features chicken breasts baked with a tangy sauce made from cranberry sauce, orange zest and juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, garlic, and rosemary. The sauce coats the chicken delivering a balance of sweet, citrusy, savory, and herbal flavors. Fresh cranberries sprinkled before baking add burst of texture and bite. This dish offers a fragrant, flavorful main suitable for dinner.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Servings:
6
Calories:
288 kcal
Course:
Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine:
American
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.
Cup of Yum
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
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%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 288
% 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.