A Deliciously Tangy Cranberry Chicken Bake for Dinner Tonight
If you’re looking for a new and exciting way to prepare chicken for dinner, you’ve landed on a recipe that is unbelievably easy and packed with a fantastic, unique flavor.
We’re making a cranberry chicken bake, a dish that brilliantly combines savory, sweet, and tangy notes into a meal your whole family will love.
This recipe could not be simpler. It’s built on a surprising but incredibly delicious sauce made from just a few pantry staples, including whole berry cranberry sauce and French onion soup mix.
We’ll pour this magical, savory-sweet glaze over tender chicken breasts and bake until everything is cooked through, bubbly, and fragrant. The sauce caramelizes slightly, creating a beautiful and flavorful coating for the juicy chicken.
This is the perfect one-pan wonder for a busy weeknight when you need something simple yet impressive. Let’s get our baking dishes ready for a truly effortless and delicious meal.
Quick Recipe Snapshot
Here’s a quick look at how incredibly fast this flavorful chicken dinner comes together.
| Prep time | Cook time | Total time | Yield | Skill level | Spice level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 45-55 minutes | 1 hour | 4-6 servings | Easy | Mild |
Ingredients
This simple, flavorful recipe relies on a few smart pantry shortcuts to create a spectacular sauce.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: 4-6 breasts (about 2-3 lbs), pounded to an even thickness for even cooking. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- 2-3 servings: 2-3 breasts
- 4-6 servings: 4-6 breasts
- For the Tangy Cranberry Sauce:
- Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce: 1 (14 oz) can. It’s important to use the whole berry kind, not the jellied sauce.
- Catalina or French Salad Dressing: 1 (8 oz) bottle. This provides the signature tangy, sweet, and savory base.
- Dry Onion Soup Mix: 1 (1 oz) packet.
- For Serving:
- Freshly chopped parsley or scallions for garnish.
The Flavor Architects A Look at the Ingredients
- Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce: This is the heart of the sauce, providing a wonderful tartness, a jammy sweetness, and a beautiful texture from the whole berries.
- Catalina/French Dressing: This is the secret weapon. Its unique flavor profile—tangy, sweet, and slightly spiced with paprika—forms the complex and savory base of the glaze and gives it its signature color.
- Dry Onion Soup Mix: A classic pantry shortcut, this packet is packed with dehydrated onions and savory beef bouillon flavor, which adds a deep, umami-richness to the sauce that perfectly complements the chicken.
- Chicken: The mild flavor of the chicken breast is the perfect canvas, allowing it to soak up all the bold, tangy, and sweet flavors of the sauce as it bakes.
Essential Tools
This is a simple one-pan recipe that requires minimal equipment.
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Meat mallet or rolling pin (for pounding chicken)
Cooking Instructions
This crowd-pleasing dinner is one of the easiest recipes you can make, with just a few minutes of active prep time.
Step 1: Prepare the Chicken and Oven
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. If your chicken breasts are very thick in parts, it’s a good idea to place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them to a more even thickness, about ¾-inch.
This is an important step to ensure all the chicken cooks at the same rate. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and arrange them in a single layer in your prepared baking dish.
Step 2: Create the Savory Cranberry Glaze
Now, prepare the incredibly simple yet flavorful sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the entire can of whole berry cranberry sauce, the bottle of Catalina or French dressing, and the packet of dry onion soup mix.
Use a whisk to stir everything together until it is well-combined. The mixture will be thick, fragrant, and a beautiful deep red color. That’s it—your delicious, multi-layered sauce is ready.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake
Pour the prepared cranberry sauce mixture evenly over the top of the chicken breasts in the baking dish. Use a spatula to make sure each piece of chicken is completely covered in the sauce.
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes. The sauce will bubble and thicken, and the chicken will become incredibly tender and juicy.
Step 4: Rest and Serve
You’ll know the chicken is done when it is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F (74°C). Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the chicken rest in the sauce for about 5-10 minutes.
This allows the juices in the chicken to redistribute, ensuring a tender result. Serve the cranberry chicken hot, spooning a generous amount of the delicious pan sauce over each piece. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or chopped scallions for a pop of fresh color and flavor.
Recipe Variations
This simple 3-ingredient sauce is a great base for your own creative touches.
- Make it Spicy: For a spicy cranberry chicken, add 1-2 teaspoons of sriracha or a ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce before pouring it over the chicken.
- Add Some Crunch: Sprinkle ½ cup of toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts over the top of the casserole during the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Slow Cooker Version: This recipe is perfect for the slow cooker. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, pour the sauce over top, and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Serving Suggestions
This saucy and flavorful chicken pairs wonderfully with simple sides that can soak up the delicious glaze.
- Fluffy Rice: Serve the chicken and a generous spoonful of the sauce over a bed of hot, steamed white or brown rice.
- Mashed Potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes are a perfect, comforting base for the tangy and sweet chicken.
- Egg Noodles: Simple buttered egg noodles are another fantastic option.
- Steamed Green Beans or Broccoli: A simple side of steamed green vegetables provides a fresh, crisp contrast to the rich sauce.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Leftovers are fantastic as the chicken continues to marinate in the flavorful sauce.
- Storage: Let the chicken cool completely. Store it in an airtight container, along with the sauce, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions gently in the microwave or in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water until warmed through.
Common Mistakes & Fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| My chicken is dry. | You likely overcooked it, or your chicken breasts were uneven in thickness. Pounding the chicken to an even thickness is a very helpful step. Also, start checking for doneness at the 45-minute mark with a meat thermometer. |
| The sauce seems thin. | The sauce will naturally thicken as it bakes and will thicken more as it cools slightly after coming out of the oven. If you still want it thicker, you can carefully pour the pan sauce into a small saucepan and simmer it for a few minutes on the stove. |
| The top of the sauce burned. | The sugars in the cranberry sauce and dressing can caramelize and burn if your oven runs hot. If you notice the top getting too dark, you can loosely tent the baking dish with a piece of aluminum foil for the remaining cook time. |
| The flavor is a little too sweet for me. | Different brands of dressing have different sweetness levels. To cut the sweetness, you can add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the sauce before baking to add a bit more tangy acidity. |
FAQs
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes, absolutely! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs would be incredibly moist and delicious in this recipe.
They may require an extra 5-10 minutes of cooking time, so just be sure to cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Can I use jellied cranberry sauce?
It is not recommended. Whole berry cranberry sauce is important for this recipe as the berries add texture and a brighter, tarter flavor. Jellied cranberry sauce is much sweeter and will result in a very different final consistency.
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
While it’s best served fresh, you can assemble the dish ahead of time.
Place the chicken in the dish and pour the sauce over top, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to eat, you may need to add about 10 minutes to the baking time since it’s starting from cold.
Enjoy Your Effortless and Delicious Dinner!
You are now ready to make an incredibly easy cranberry chicken dish that is packed with a surprising amount of flavor.
This recipe is a true testament to the power of a few smart pantry staples to create a meal that is both unique and comforting. I hope you and your family love it!
