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This easy cranberry chicken recipe is a flavorful, sweet, and savory dinner idea. It is perfect for busy nights or festive meals, and only 5 minutes prep time!
A Quick, Elegant, and Festive Family Favorite
This cranberry chicken recipe is a quick and easy meal that everyone in the family loves! It is a simple meal that makes a statement – the chicken is baked to perfection in a savory sweet cranberry sauce that is infused with with sweet bursts of dried cranberries and toasted pecan pieces. It is sure to impress your guests!
Cranberry chicken looks so elegant and beautiful like a Christmas dinner! It has all the flavor, uses easy ingredients, and is baked in under an hour! The sweetness of cranberries and the savory flavor of chicken combine perfectly for a comforting and fulfilling family dinner. It is the perfect option for a refined festive meal or even a quick and simple meal! When I’m looking to make a fancy (yet easy) holiday dinner, this easy chicken recipe is a tried-and-true favorite!
Ingredients for Cranberry Chicken
The combination of ingredients for this cranberry chicken may seem unusual, but I promise, once it is all baked together, the flavor is HEAVENLY! It really is one of the easiest chicken recipes you will ever make!
- Chicken – Start with four large boneless chicken breasts, cut in half. You should have enough chicken to fill a 9×13 baking dish.
- Cranberry sauce – I like to use a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce, but you can use leftover homemade sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- Dry onion soup mix – Use one packet of the dry onion soup mix. It has seasoning in it and flavor.
- Pecans – Chop pecans for a delicious crunch and texture.
- Craisins – These are soft dried cranberry that adds a little more texture and flavor to the cranberry mixture.
- Catalina salad dressing – It may sound crazy but you will use a whole bottle of Catalina salad dressing. We use a smaller bottle but for extra richness in flavor dump a larger bottle onto the chicken.
How to Make Cranberry Chicken
What’s nice about this recipe is that the ingredients are easy to find and most can be stored and used as pantry staples. Layer the ingredients together and bake it in the oven. The sauce and onion soup mix will cover the chicken and bake right into it, giving it a sweet and savory flavor in each bite!
- Prepare chicken – Arrange the chicken in a baking pan, prepped with some cooking spray. If you’re using thighs with skin, make sure to put the skin side down.
- Layer – Spread cranberry sauce all over the chicken in a nice, thick layer over each piece of chicken. Sprinkle the onion soup packet, chopped pecans, and dried cranberries over the chicken. Then pour the Catalina salad dressing over the top.
- Cover and bake – Lightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake – Uncover the chicken and bake again for 15 more minutes so the sauce thickens and becomes a shiny glaze.
- Serve – Serve the extra sauce in a bowl and spoon over the chicken when serving. You can also garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Tips for the Best Cranberry Chicken
Follow these quick and simple tips to help make this easy cranberry chicken recipe! Make a complete meal out of it too!
- Quality chicken – Make sure that you have good-quality chicken breasts. Look for chicken breasts that are uniform in size to help ensure they are baked evenly.
- Don’t overcook – Overcooking the chicken can lead to dry and tough chicken breasts. Use a meat thermometer to ensure a moist and tender chicken every time.
- Meat thermometer – Chicken needs to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit for proper serving temperature.
- Citrus flavor – Add in a zesty citrus flavor with orange juice. Orange juice adds a refreshing flavor that helps balance out the sweetness of the cranberry sauce.
- Sides – Take this easy dinner recipe and serve it over rice or mashed potatoes and green beans or a green salad. The red and green look so pretty together and very festive!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sugar aside, cranberries themselves are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Try our low-sugar cranberry sauce for all the flavor but less sugar!
Season with salt and pepper before adding the rest of the ingredients. The cranberry sauce, onion packet, and salad dressing will add a variety of flavors that will complement the chicken.
Yes! You can substitute with bone-in chicken or chicken thighs if you prefer. You may need to adjust the cooking times.
It is best to thaw the chicken prior to baking it with this cranberry chicken recipe.
Leftover Cranberry Chicken
If you are lucky, you may end up with leftovers for the next day. Follow these quick and easy tips for properly storing the leftover cranberry chicken:
- Storing – Place leftover cranberry chicken in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for three to five days.
- Freezing – Store leftovers in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator and warm up either in the microwave or oven.
- Reheating – Place the chicken in the microwave or bake in the oven until it is heated through. Save extra sauce and pour it over the top of the chicken for added flavor.
READ MORE: 35+ Chicken Breast Recipes
Other Yummy Cranberry Recipes
Cranberry sauce is so delicious with all that sweet and tangy flavor! It is bright and colorful and adds the perfect touch to so many types of appetizers, bread, and even side dishes. Try these delicious recipes that feature cranberries for a colorful and flavorful meal!
Cranberry Cheese Ball
Cranberry Salsa
Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread
Sausage Stuffing
Cranberry Brie Bites
Sugared Cranberries
How to Make Cranberry Chicken
Cranberry Chicken
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
- 1 can cranberry sauce whole berry
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup craisins
- 1 bottle Catalina dressing
Instructions
- Place chicken in baking pan. Generously spread cranberry sauce over the chicken.
- Sprinkle onion soup mix, pecans, and craisins over the chicken. Pour Catalina dressing over top.
- Bake lightly covered with foil at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
- Tip: Spoon extra sauce over the chicken and rice or mashed potatoes when serving.
Notes
- Use four large boneless chicken breasts, cut in half – you can substitute with bone-in chicken or chicken thighs if you prefer. You should have enough chicken to fill a 9×13 baking dish.
- Arrange the chicken in a baking pan, prepped with some cooking spray. If you’re using thighs with skin, make sure to put the skin side down.
- Serve the extra sauce in a bowl and spoon over the chicken when serving. You can also garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
I can’t wait to try this this week, but is there anything I can substitute for the onion soup mix because I’ve tried that mix in pot roast and It’s sort of makes my stomach unsteady😱 Maybe I could just leave it out or add some other spices what do you think? Thank you for help because it looks absolutely wonderful.
You could possibly add about 1/4 cup soy sauce and then some fresh diced onion to taste. I would mix it into the dressing before pouring it over the chicken. Hope this helps!
I’m a beginner. What are CRAISINS?
Craisins are dried cranberries. They are usually found near the raisins and other dried fruit. Hope this helps!
I am new to the recipe method for cooking and want to try this. I not sure exactly how much dressing?? A small bottle or large bottle. And can I use walnuts in place of pecans?
We use the 16 ounce bottle of dressing, and yes I think walnuts would be fine!
I’ve never tried this combo before, but I LOVED it! That savory fruity sweet flavor combo was delicious! Thank you!
I love cranberry so much that I buy in bulk during the holidays so I can have them all year, so I knew I was gonna love this! I was not disappointed, this is amazing!
Tried this for dinner last night and it didn’t disappoint! Easily, a new favorite recipe!
This looks amazing! I love cranberry on turkey so I can’t wait to try it on chicken!
It does come together very nicely!! Love the crunch from the nuts & the sauce with chicken is amazing!
love this site
I made this for once-a-year family get together this Christmas and it was a super hit! Everyone loved it so much that I made it for a vegetarian dinner later using Worthington’s Fry Chik instead of the chicken and everything else exactly as shown. It was deeelicious! My family consists of adult children, grandchildtren and great grandchildren. It’s nice to know that they still think I’m a great cook! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
HEY COOKS! Make sure to double the Nutritional Info, unless you’re feeding eight 5 yr. olds! Everyone I know ordinarily eats 1/2 chicken breast. Here, you’re cutting the half chicken breast into yet another half. This might work if you’re feeding eight 5 yr. olds, but not for a normal adult. I DO pay close attention to Nutritional info, and I find this recipe to be extremely high in calories, etc., for ONLY the (unreasonable) portion size. It does sound tasty, though.
I would love to make this ahead of time and freeze it. Is this something that can be done with this recipe?
We haven’t tried freezing it before. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
This was absolutely divine! My husband swears it is gourmet, 5-star restaurant dining. Thank you so much for this exquisite recipe! I made it exactly as you described – fork tender and simply “moreish “!
So glad you liked this chicken! It’s so fun to see people’s reaction to this recipe because they are like “this is amazing, what’s in it?!” and after we tell them how simple the ingredients are they are always surprised! So easy, right? Thanks for taking the time to comment!