A festive and easy meal, this Cranberry Chicken recipe is made with juicy, crispy chicken thighs and a delicious tart and savory sauce. The whole thing is made in one pan, and ready in about half an hour.
This quick and simple Cranberry Chicken recipe is a unique and delicious way to prepare bone-in chicken thighs.
Maybe you’re in the mood for a Thanksgiving-like meal without the hassle of roasting a turkey. Or maybe you already did Thanksgiving dinner, complete with fresh cranberry sauce, and you have an extra bag of cranberries sitting in your fridge looking for a purpose.
It doesn’t matter why you’re here. But I’m glad that you are! You’re going to love making chicken with cranberries using this easy 35-minute chicken dinner recipe that is just bursting with fresh, tart, juicy flavors.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s made with chicken thighs – Many of my easy chicken recipes call for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but this one works best with bone-in thighs with the skin still on! We’ll pan-sear these inexpensive chicken cuts so that the skin gets wonderfully crispy.
- Exciting and delicious flavors – These juicy chicken thighs are nestled into a sweet, tangy cranberry sauce that is just bursting with juicy flavor.
- It’s easy! From start to finish, cranberry chicken is ready in about 35 minutes and it’s made in just one large oven-proof skillet, so dishes will be a breeze.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make chicken thighs with cranberries:
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs: I really love crisping up the skin on the thighs, and the bones keep the meat moist and flavorful. This recipe will work with boneless thighs too though.
- Fresh Cranberries: Look for these in the grocery store all throughout the fall and winter months. If you can’t find fresh cranberries, frozen ones will be fine too.
- Brown Sugar: On their own, cranberries are quite tart. A bit of brown sugar helps to balance the flavors of the sauce.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and paprika perfectly season the chicken, while the sauce benefits from fresh rosemary and fresh garlic.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Cranberry Chicken
Get ready by preheating the oven to 350°F (180°C). You’ll need a large oven-proof skillet handy too.
- Prep the Chicken Thighs: Trim away any excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs and dry them with paper towels. Season the chicken on both sides with kosher salt, black pepper, and paprika
- Sear: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, or for about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. There’s no need to sear the other side, as we’ll be finishing the chicken in the oven.
- Start the Sauce: Pour out the fat from the chicken, leaving about 1 teaspoon in the skillet. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour the cranberry juice into the skillet to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the fresh cranberries, brown sugar, lemon juice, and chopped rosemary. Stir to combine.
- Bake: Return the chicken thighs to the skillet, placing them skin side up on top of the cranberry mixture. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F (74°C).
- Serve: Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes. Spoon the cranberry sauce over the chicken just before serving so that the skin stays crispy.
Tip!
If your skillet isn’t oven proof, be sure to transfer the cranberry mixture and chicken to a baking dish instead of putting the pan directly in the oven.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the Sauce: If the sauce seems too tart, add a bit more brown sugar until it’s to your liking. You can always add more or less salt and pepper as you’re cooking too.
- Instead of Brown Sugar, you can sweeten this recipe with honey or maple syrup.
- Other flavors: Play around with seasonings here if you like! A bit of ginger, allspice, or thyme would all be delicious with cranberries and chicken.
Storing Tips
Leftover cranberry chicken can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days. You’ll lose a bit of that crispy chicken skin, but it will still taste amazing! In fact, this sauce gets even better with time.
What To Serve With Cranberry Chicken
This meal goes well with a variety of different side dishes. Try some of these:
Potatoes: To make this meal super filling and satisfying, serve it with potatoes! Sour cream mashed potatoes or roasted fingerling potatoes would be amazing.
Vegetables: Roasted root vegetables or your favorite steamed veggies. A simple salad is also the perfect side.
For dessert, try my easy Earthquake Cake, or delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this recipe with boneless chicken thighs?
You can, but the cooking time will be less. I suggest searing the boneless chicken in the skillet until it is fully cooked. Then cook the cranberry sauce on the stove until the cranberries are soft before adding the chicken back to warm through.
How Do I know when chicken thighs are done?
Use an instant read thermometer to ensure that the temperature of the chicken is 165°F (74°C). It’s difficult to overcook bone-in chicken thighs, so don’t stress if the temperature has gone past that.
Is there something I can use in place of cranberries?
I’ve seen similar recipes using fresh or frozen cherries and blueberries, but I have not tried it myself- yet!
Is cranberry chicken a holiday meal?
If you’re cooking for just a few this year, I think that this dish is exactly festive enough to be the main event at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! Cranberries add an important flavor to holiday meals, and this dish has plenty of them.
More Easy Holiday Dinner Recipes
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A bag of fresh cranberries makes this chicken dinner amazingly flavorful! Save this recipe (Pin it!)for the next time you see cranberries on sale or the next time you run out of new and exciting chicken dinner ideas.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Cranberry Chicken
Equipment
- Ovenproof skillet
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 g) chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on, about 6
- 2 cups (225 g) fresh cranberries 8 ounces
- ½ cup (120 ml) cranberry juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons (37.5) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), or 160°C if using a fan oven. Trim any excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Then, sprinkle the ground paprika evenly over them.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. There’s no need to sear the other side.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Pour out the excess fat, leaving about 1 teaspoon in the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Pour the cranberry juice into the skillet to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the fresh cranberries, brown sugar, lemon juice, and chopped rosemary. Stir to combine.
- Return the chicken thighs to the skillet if it’s oven proof (or transfer to a baking dish), placing them skin-side up on top of the cranberry mixture. Ensure the skin isn’t submerged in the liquid to keep it crispy.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Serve the chicken thighs with the cranberry sauce spooned over or alongside them.
Notes:
- Adjust the Sauce: If the sauce seems too tart, add a bit more brown sugar until it’s to your liking. You can always add more or less salt and pepper as you’re cooking too.
- Instead of Brown Sugar, you can sweeten this recipe with honey or maple syrup.
- Other flavors: Play around with seasonings here if you like! A bit of ginger, allspice, or thyme would all be delicious with cranberries and chicken.
- To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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