Cranberry chicken is a perfect mix of savory with a little bit of sweet and tangy. It only takes a couple of minutes to put together and comes out of the oven tender and flavorful.
If you are looking for a tasty but easy dinner option, you are in the right place. Baked cranberry chicken is made from ingredients you can keep on hand and the prep work is so easy.
Where We Got the Recipe
My mother-in-law is the one who introduced us to this recipe. Her sister, Andi, had shared it with her and she thought it was a real winner.
She tried convincing us to make it a couple of times, but the ingredients just sounded so strange together. So finally she just made it for us one night and then we were all convinced.
I had everything on hand to make it except the Catalina dressing. Luckily we make homemade dressing when we make Frito salad, so I just sized it down and it worked perfect.
You could also use a sweet French dressing or Russian dressing if you can’t find Catalina. They are similar and would work well in this recipe.
We like serving this chicken with rice, mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles. It’s nice to have a simple starchy side to soak up some of the sauce.
Recipe for Homemade Catalina Dressing
Of course, you can use store bought salad dressing if you want. If you don’t have any on hand, it is easy to make with pantry staples.
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients and stir until combined.
This is a great recipe to use up an extra can of cranberry sauce from the holidays. Or course you can use homemade cranberry sauce. Just use 1½ to two cups of your favorite sauce.
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You can also try different kinds of preserves if you want. I have seen something similar made with apricot preserves and it looked fabulous.
No matter how you decide to do it, just make sure to try this recipe. It is such a simple way to get a tasty meal on the table.
Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients
- 14 oz. cranberry sauce
- 1 oz. package dry onion soup mix
- 8 oz. Catalina dressing
- 4 chicken breasts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13" baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 14 oz. cranberry sauce, 1 oz. package dry onion soup mix, and 8 oz. Catalina dressing.
- Arrange 4 chicken breasts in baking dish and pour cranberry sauce over the top.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the center registers 165°F on a meat thermometer.
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I had totally forgotten about this recipe! I always loved it. Will have to try it again. Thanks for sharing recipe.
Yay! It’s always fun to go back to old favorites that kind of fell off the rotation.
Tried this other night and my Wife and I really enjoyed it. I made it per the directions, (as well as the dressing). Egg noodles for the side with a vinegar and oil mixed greens salad.
I’ll be making this again!
Sounds like a perfect meal, I am so glad you liked it!
I’ve done this with apricot jam but never the cranberry. Yum and thanks for the homemade Catalina sauce recipe. Saved!
Oooh, apricot jam sounds delicious too!