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.
This recipe was well timed and served as some great inspiration. I’m a canner, and wanted to use up my last small jar of whole berry cranberry sauce from last fall. Instead of the maceration process, I combined the cup of sauce in a saucepan with a couple of Tbsp of vinegar (ended up using balsamic out of necessity), the cup of broth, and some chopped rosemary and kept it warm on a back burner while I browned the chicken as directed in the recipe. Spread them out in a wide Dutch oven then covered with the cranberry sauce and roasted. Oh my goodness it was all so good, just the right balance of fruity tartness and aromatics.
I paired this with a very simple pilaf with onion,carrot, celery and mushrooms. Perfect with the VM pan sauce. A keeper, thank you!
That sounds like an amazing meal! Thanks for taking the time to share here, Vera!
Hey Suzy,I do not understand why there was no reply to my comment from 3 Nov! It’s rather perplexing. My question: I want to replace the chicken w/a turkey breast and wonder whether you recommend that and, if so, what allowances and/or alterations should be made. Thank you. I hope to receive a response this time.
Michelle, this is a space for your comments. It doesn’t mean you will receive answers, especially demanding them. Use your own judgement, she wrote the recipe for chicken, not turkey.
Hi, Michelle. Sorry for the delay. We get many questions/comments on a daily basis, and some get lost in the shuffle, unfortunately. Thank you for checking back in. I think this would be great with a turkey breast. I have not personally tested this this way, so it’s hard for me to advise on specifics, but you can always us my Roast Turkey Breast recipe as a guide here.
I very much appreciate your response, Suzy, and coincidentally, had checked your recipe for roast turkey breast. I simply was unsure because, while the turkey breast is roasted, the chicken is baked, almost braised, in liquid. At any rate, I thank you for making the time to respond to me.
Carol, I was in no way demanding an answer, merely confused that every question but mine, both before and following, had received a response. If my query came off that way, I am most apologetic.
This turned out amazing!! It’s such a beautiful dish, too!
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! Thank you for another great recipe – I highly recommend it and will definitely make it again!
So glad, Deanne! Thank you!
Hi Suzy
If using dried cranberries should I soak them first in water or what do you suggest
Many thanks
Hi, Vicki. I have not personally tried this recipe with dried cranberries, but I’ve scrolled the comments here, and it sounds like a few other readers have used them with success, soaking first.
This dish 😋 has been a breath taker among my friends. Two weeks later and have repeated three times. Thanks!
Wonderful! Love to hear it!
Hi Suzy, this recipe sounds delicious. Would replacing the chicken pieces w/a turkey breast work and what adjustments would have to be made? Thank you for your assistance.
Can’t wait to try this looks amazing
Enjoy all you recipes
Thanks have a great day
Thanks, Sandra!
Hello Suzy, I look forward to making this recipe tonight. I will be using fresh Cornish hens instead of chicken pieces. Hopefully it will turn out as amazing as yours !!
Great idea! I would love to hear how it turns out with the Cornish hens!
What about exchanging the cranberries for pomegranate? I like cranberries but grow weary of them. I’m so in love with pomegranates.
Hi, Dianne! I’ve never tried that myself, but it sounds tasty!
Inspired by this recipe! Turned out amazing. Thank you for direction on how to cook with fresh cranberries. My first time and I’m obsessed. Excellent recipe
So glad you enjoyed it, Aubrey!
Would it be ok to use dried cranberries for this recipe? I’m from Malaysia and getting fresh cranberries can be tough.
Hi, Marilyn. Other readers have used dried cranberries here with success, so I would go ahead and give it a try!
I want to be sure I’m understanding the directions – how much white wine vinegar goes in with the cranberries and sugar? An amount is indicated further down in the recipe for the chicken, but not specified for the berries. Looking forward to making this!
Hi, Allie! I usually use approximately 1 TBSP for the cranberries. Enjoy!
I love your recipes, but my son-in-law will only eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts. How do I substitute those without drying them out?
Hi, Karen. You can cook at the same temperature, but remember that boneless chicken breasts will cook faster, so just keep a close eye on them. The exact timing will depend on your oven. I like to use a meat thermometer and cook until they reach and internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
I had some frozen cranberries left from the holidays and came across your recipe and i am so glad. This was amazing! I halved the recipe for my family and it was perfect. I only made one change, i zested and used the zest and the lemon juice both. Now i am going to be so sad if i have i cannot find cranberries for most of the year!
5 stars!!!
Thank you, Tanya!
I made this dish this evening and it was spectacular. I adapted it to go in the crockpot and I deemed it a success. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I cooked it for 4 hours on high in the crockpot, but I would do it for 3 hours because the chicken was so tender it fell apart. I did brown the chicken and used more paprika ( i say if one tsp, why not 2tsp). This was a delicious recipe and paired perfectly with mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!! It also made alot of food so I have tons of leftovers for the week.
Yay for leftovers!! Thanks for sharing your slow cooker variation!
I would like to compliment you on your precise directions. The presentation was beautiful and my dish looked just like the photo. However, prep was a lot of work and took longer than stated. We love Lebanese and Greek food but didn’t care for the flavors of this dish with the cranberries (also love cranberries) . I was intrigued by this recipe and excited to try it but won’t make it again. The Lebanese rice was very good and I will make it again in the future. Excited to try some of your other recipes! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for your feedback, Grace! Much appreciated.
Excellent. Entire family loved this recipe. I used pear-infused white balsamic vinegar instead. I also cooked the chicken at a lower temperature for a longer period of time and covered with aluminum foil. The steam, slow cooking made the chicken come out extremely tender and really absorbed all the flavors. The cranberries added a wonderful touch. Will definitely make this again.
Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!