Easy and literally bursting with flavor this Cranberry Chicken is a quick weeknight meal that is ready in under 30 minutes and feeds the whole family.
This time of year cranberries are one thing that I really love to bake and COOK with. Yes, I love using cranberries for cooking along with sweet recipes as well.
A lot of people usually make desserts with cranberries, but savory is amazing too. If you are looking for a delicious cranberry dessert recipe you can check out my Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, Cranberry Orange Layer Cake or these Cranberry Bliss Donuts.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- You can use already trimmed thin cut chicken breasts or split your own breasts to have chicken breast halves.
- The chicken cooks in the sauce which imparts flavor onto the chicken and coats it deliciously.
- Everything is made in one pan making it an easy recipe to whip up and clean up.
What I love about this Cranberry Chicken recipe is that the sauce really thickens up while it cooks and the flavors are mild and sweet which complement the chicken so well.
We normally serve this with rice, or that is what has always been suggested growing up, but you can also serve it with a side of mashed potatoes, salad, etc.
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY CHICKEN, STEP BY STEP:
- In shallow dish whisk together your flour and pepper and dredge your chicken and set aside.
- In large pan melt your butter and add your chicken and lightly brown on each side, remove from pan and set aside to keep warm.
- In same pan add water, cranberries, brown sugar, nutmeg and red wine vinegar and cook over medium heat until cranberries start to burst.
- Add your chicken back to pan and cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, coating your chicken with sauce throughout cooking until sauce is reduced and chicken is cooked through.
Such an easy recipe! I mean seriously, this kind of screams holiday’s to me. We make this in the fall and winter a lot, mainly because we can’t find cranberries other than in the winter months.
They should really change that, because cranberry flavored recipes are to die for, seriously. This Cranberry Chicken is just the tip of the iceberg.
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY CHICKEN IS DONE?
Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It is good to keep a kitchen thermometer on hand, which will easily tell you the temperature of any meat or dish.
This is one kitchen tool that I highly recommend having. Since the chicken breast for this Cranberry Chicken are thinner it will be done a lot sooner, also because you browned your chicken before hand it cooks the outside quicker leaving the inside to be done.
I’m all about simplicity around here and that is exactly what this Cranberry Chicken is, simple easy and tasty, even the kids love it.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING CRANBERRY CHICKEN:
- You can use trimmed thin cut chicken breasts or split your own chicken breasts into halves.
- You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.
- The red win vinegar is optional but gives it a nice little offset to the sweetness of this recipe.
- This can be served alone or over white rice (as we traditionally serve it).
- Garnish with any herb you’s like we like the flavor of thyme with this recipe, rosemary is also delicious.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
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Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients
- 5-6 thin cut trimmed boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 Tbs butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
- Fresh sprigs of thyme or rosemary
Instructions
- In shallow bowl or plate whisk together your flour and pepper and dredge your chicken coating both sides and set aside on plate.
- In large pan melt your butter and add your chicken and lightly brown on each side, remove from pan and set aside.
- In same pan add water, cranberries, brown sugar, nutmeg and red wine vinegar and cook over medium heat until cranberries burst.
- Add your chicken back to pan and cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, coating your chicken with sauce and slightly pressing your cranberries down to smash throughout cooking until sauce is reduced and chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees F.
- Garnish chicken with thyme or rosemary and additional salt and pepper to your liking.
Notes
- You can use trimmed thin cut chicken breasts or split your own chicken breasts into halves.
- You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.
- The red win vinegar is optional but gives it a nice little offset to the sweetness of this recipe.
- This can be served alone or over white rice (as we traditionally serve it).
- Garnish with any herb you's like we like the flavor of thyme with this recipe, rosemary is also delicious.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Lori
This recipe is so simple and so delicious. I make this at least once a month. I had to buy a lot of bags of cranberries so I can freeze them for the summer months when I can’t get them.
Holly Garcia
This has fast become one of my absolute favorite recipes. I am always looking for great recipes to make with cranberries and this is the best I have found. It can be a little sweet but all you have to do is adjust the sugar to what you like. Love it!
Barby
Surprisingly easy and very good!
Rebecca goar
Very delicious
Linda
So juicy and delicious! Very easy to make!