This cranberry chicken recipe is baked in the oven for a festive, show-stopping dinner that takes little effort to prepare! Garlic, rosemary, and tangy fresh cranberries bring boldly aromatic and savory-sweet flavor you’ll love.
This cranberry chicken recipe, with its vibrant red cranberries and golden-brown chicken, boasts the wow-factor of holiday roasts like Cornish game hens, leg of lamb and whole roasted chicken. But it comes together in under an hour and requires very little tending to. It’s a beautiful centerpiece for a holiday party, but easy enough to add to your weeknight dinner rotation.
To get the best color and flavor, I quickly sear the chicken on the stove. It may seem like an added step (and you can skip it if you’re short on time) but the crispy skin is worth the extra dish. From there, I layer in a baking dish with carrots, celery, and a bright and savory mix of garlic, lemon, rosemary, and paprika.
Simply throw it in your oven and wait as the chicken bubbles, making a delicious sauce with the chicken’s drippings. The cranberries soak up all the flavor, becoming tender and so juicy. Make sure to spoon plenty of sauce over top, and serve with crusty bread or rosemary focaccia for dipping.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Cranberry Chicken
This cranberry chicken recipe uses easy to find ingredients and pantry staples for a festive holiday dish that doesn’t cost a fortune. Here’s what you need:
- Cranberries: The star ingredient that lends a festive touch, while also adding brightness. I prefer fresh for the best flavor and texture, but you can use frozen cranberries if you’d like.
- Brown sugar: Candies the cranberries, balancing their harsh tartness.
- White wine vinegar: Adds a burst of acidity for a depth of flavor, both in the marinade and the candied cranberries. You can substitute with Champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Chicken: 6 pieces bone-in skin on chicken (I used 2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs)
- Flavor-makers: Garlic, rosemary and sweet paprika bring a bold amount of sweet, savory, and aromatic flavor to the meat. Salt and black pepper enhance the flavor.
- Olive oil: Enriches the marinade. Use a full bodied, high quality extra virgin variety. Any of the oils from our shop would work well, but I especially love the richness and subtle peppery notes of our Greek Private Reserve with this recipe.
- Lemon: I use the whole fruit, with the juice adding acidity and the rind adding an aromatic, slightly bitter quality.
- Fresh vegetables: Onion and celery make for a nice foundational flavor for the broth and aromatics as teh chicken bakes. It’s the same concept as a classic (or Mediterranean-style) chicken soup.
- Broth: 1/2 cup of liquid in the pan evaporates into steam, tenderizing the chicken as it bakes. Chicken broth (homemade or store bought) will add a fuller flavor, but water works well too.
How to Make This Cranberry Chicken Recipe
Perfectly sweet and tangy cranberries, piney rosemary, and a bold amount of garlic builds loads of flavor without much fuss. Here’s how you make cranberry chicken:
- Make the sugared cranberries. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups of cranberries, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar. Set aside to soften.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry, then rub on both sides with 6-8 minced garlic cloves, 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried), 1 teaspoon paprika, and a good pinch or two of salt and pepper. Lift the skin and push the seasoning underneath the skin.
- Make the marinade. To a large bowl or deep dish, add 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped onion, and 2 tablespoons of the white wine vinegar. Slice a lemon in half and squeeze in the juice, then add both of the juiced lemon halves.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken and use your hands to work everything together. Set aside to marinate just for 15 minutes or so.
- Get ready to cook. While your chicken marinates, preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken.
- Sear the chicken. When your oven is hot and the chicken has marinated for at least 15 minutes, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the skin releases from the pan and turns golden brown, about 7 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Do this in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, adding the seared chicken to the prepared baking dish as you go.
- Layer. To the baking dish with the chicken, add the onions, celery, lemon halves and any liquid from the marinade. Pour in the chicken broth or water, then top with the sugared cranberries.
- Bake and enjoy. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.
What to Serve With Cranberry Chicken
If you’re using this cranberry chicken as the centerpiece for a special dinner, kick off the party with blood orange cocktails with vodka and rosemary.
From there, try classic holiday sides with a fun Mediterranean Dish-twist! I would stick to savory dishes to complement the sweet and tart notes of the chicken. Shaved brussels sprouts salad, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and stuffed onions with fragrant rice and pine nuts all come to mind.
And, whether you’re outfitting a weeknight dinner or holiday party, you’ll want some crusty bread, rice, or rosemary focaccia to take advantage of the delicious pan sauce.
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Baked Cranberry Chicken with Rosemary
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
- 6 bone-in skin on chicken pieces (I used 2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs, about 2 1/4 pounds in total)
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary), plus rosemary sprigs for garnish
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for searing the chicken
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
Instructions
- Make the sugared cranberries. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar. Set aside to soften while you prepare the chicken.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry, then rub on both sides with the garlic, rosemary, paprika, and a good pinch or two of salt and pepper. Make sure to lift the skin and push the seasoning underneath the skin.
- Marinate the chicken. To a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken, add the olive oil, celery, onions, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the white wine vinegar. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice, then add both of the juiced lemon halves. Add the chicken and use your hands to work everything together. Set aside to marinate just for 15 minutes or so.
- Get ready to cook. While your chicken marinates, preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Sear the chicken. When your oven is hot and the chicken has marinated for at least 15 minutes, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the skin releases from the pan and turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, adding the seared chicken to the baking dish as you go.
- Bake. Top the chicken with the sugared cranberries and any accumulated juices, then pour in the broth or water. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Serve. Garnish with a few rosemary sprigs, if you’d like, to dress it up a little before serving. Serve hot, spooning the juices and vegetables over top.
Video
Notes
- To use boneless, skinless chicken: I recommend chicken thighs. Begin by browning them for a couple minutes on each side. Adjust baking time; boneless thighs will take about 25 minutes to bake in the oven
- Frozen cranberries option: I love the flavor of fresh cranberries, but feel free to use frozen if you have them on hand.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
* This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2019, and has been recently updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
Delicious.?
Glad you liked it, Ruth!
I love your recipes, so healthy! Just a request though; when specifying “One lemon” or “A large onion”, etc. In a recipe, varies greatly at the supermarket. Lemons can vary from very small to large ones and make an inpact on the recipes’ end result, as well as onions celery, etc. Could you possibly made the measurements in teaspoon, cup, or more exact?
I love your healthy recipes.
Thank you, Phoronsie! I appreciate your kind note and the feedback 🙂
Made this for a large group so used skin in/bone in light and dark pieces. Used more garlic, rosemary and left out the celery. Used 3 Meyer lemons with rinds. Marinated the crannberries for a couple of hours, stirring occassionally. Served with the Lenanese rice. Everybody raved.
That’s awesome, Suzan! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Loved it and so did my guests it was a great Christmas dish we served with oven roasted pop tatie so fresh carrots with a honey sauce and germ beans done in parmigiana cheese and bread crumbs he’s presentation and color so good leftovers even tasted better although not much left we used boneless breasts on the thicker side
Karen, thank you so much for taking the time to share! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy New Year!
Would it be possible to use this on a whole chicken?
Hi Crystal. Apologies, I just saw your comment…I am not able to get to each comment on the day it’s posted, sometimes. Yes, you can use whole chicken, although I would cut the chicken up into portions.
Oh my goodness I made this for my in-laws for my first Christmas eve dinner that I have prepared and it was wonderful! Everyone loved it!
Amber, I am so so glad to hear it! Merry Christmas!
Hello Suzy, I’m making this dish for Christmas Eve dinner. Is there a limit to how long I should marinate the chicken?
Hi there, Antje! Great question. As you can imagine, I was off on Christmas eve and Christmas day to be with my family. I am sorry I missed your question. You can marinate the chicken overnight.
I am also cooking for dinner for a party of 20. Can you use a baking sheet instead?
Hi Karen! I am not sure why my answer hadn’t gone through before, but yes, you should be able to use whichever pan works for the amount of chicken you have. I hope you all enjoyed it.
This looks absolutely amazing ! Any suggestions if I was to make this in a slow cooker ?
Hi Hunter, I have not tried this in the slow-cooker but I imagine it’s possible. I’d say, still sear the chicken to brown the skins first before adding to the slow-cooker. And you may like to add a little more liquid. I’d do 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. But again, I have not tried this particular recipe in a slow-cooker. Enjoy
Can I prepare this the night before serving?
Sure, Nora. Cover well and store in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge a few minutes before reheating in the oven at 325 degrees F. I’d add a very little bit of liquid to the baking dish and cover with foil. Uncover and very briefly broil if you feel the skin has lost it’s crispiness.
Hi
I am making this tomorrow for Christmas dinner. Looks wonderful. However I do not have a cast iron skillet or baking pan. Can I substitute with what I do have?
Thanks!!
Wendy
Sure, Wendy! You can use whatever baking dish you have. Sear the chicken in a skillet and then transfer to the baking dish. Enjoy!
Could I make this ahead of time by doing all the steps except baking? Or, do you think it would get too dry?
Yes, Peggy. I think you can prepare it and refrigerate, tightly covered, then bake when you are ready.
Making this dish for Christmas and have 20 attending. Is it possible to make this in multiple foil pans vs cast iron?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m pretty sure it’s possible Nadine. Opt for heavier foil pans with the tall sides. Roasting time may differ, check by using a thermometer to determine doneness. Chicken’s internal temp needs to be at 165 degrees F +.
This looks just amazing!!
I’d love to make it for Christmas but can I reheat this dish? Some of my guest are coming a bit later!
Thank you~~!
It is possible to reheat this chicken, maybe adding a little liquid to the pan. But for best results, I’d prepare everything, but would probably bake it last just before serving.
Looks amazing! Can I used boneless chicken for this recipe?
Sure, Carolyn! You’ll adjust the cooking time accordingly 🙂
Hi Suzy! Thank you for sharing the recipe, the dish looks really really deli! Any idea if it is possible to substitute fresh cranberries though? It’s not available over here in my country except frozen ones. ): Apples maybe?
Hi Eden! Oooh, I love the idea of apples instead. Try like a sour apple like Granny Smith, if available. Or any apples. You’ll cut back on the sugar here, apples aren’t tart like cranberries, so you won’t probably need as much sugar. XOXO