Easy Dump-And-Bake Cranberry Chicken To The Rescue

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Nothing This Simple Should Taste So Good

It’s 5 p.m., everyone’s hungry, and you need a homemade dinner they’ll actually eat. This easy cranberry chicken goes together in minutes, then bakes in an irresistible sweet, tangy, and savory sauce the whole family will love.

Just put the chicken in a baking dish, stir together the simple sauce, and pour it over the top. The oven does the rest while you make rice, toss a salad—or simply put your feet up for a few precious minutes.

You don’t even need to be a cranberry lover. When our youngest granddaughter tried it, she announced, “I’m not a cranberry person, but this is great!” And that may be the best review this family-favorite recipe has ever received.

What To Serve With Cranberry Chicken

Serve this saucy cranberry chicken over hot rice, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles to soak up every delicious drop. Add steamed green beans, broccoli, or a simple tossed salad, and dinner is done.

How To Make This Awesome Cranberry Chicken

You need just four simple ingredients, about 10 minutes of hands-on time, and one hour in the oven to put this delicious main dish on the table. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but boneless chicken thighs would work well, too.

• Prepare the chicken. Trim the chicken and cut it into serving-size pieces. Arrange the pieces in a lightly greased or sprayed baking dish.
• Mix the sauce. Stir together one package of onion soup mix, one cup of your favorite French-style dressing, and one 15.25-ounce can of whole-berry cranberry sauce.
• Pour and bake. Pour the cranberry mixture evenly over the chicken. Bake at 350°F for about one hour or until the chicken is fully cooked.
• Check the temperature. Chicken is safely cooked when the thickest part reaches 165°F. An instant-read thermometer takes away the guesswork, helping you avoid both undercooked chicken and dry, stringy chicken breasts. This one is quite budget-friendly—ask Santa to put one in your stocking!

Tasty Variations For Cranberry Chicken

This forgiving recipe is easy to change using what you already have or the flavors your family enjoys.

• Try another dressing. Russian, Western, creamy French, California French, or Catalina dressing will all work well. If you live in Nebraska, our beloved [Dorothy Lynch dressing] is another delicious choice!
• Change the fruity flavor. Replace the cranberry sauce with orange marmalade or peach or apricot preserves. I prefer jam or preserves rather than jelly because the little pieces of fruit add flavor and texture to the sauce.
• Make it in your slow cooker. Combine everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 2.5 hours. Cooking times can vary, so use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches 165°F.
• Thicken the sauce if needed. Slow-cooker sauce may be thinner than oven-baked sauce. Before serving, stir in a cornstarch-and-water slurry and let it cook until the sauce thickens.

Serve your Cranberry Chicken and plenty of that wonderful sauce over hot rice, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or stuffing.

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

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Yield: 8 servings

4-Ingredient Cranberry Chicken

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A chicken dish that's quick and easy to make with so many ways to serve it. This recipe will become a family favorite.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into serving-size pieces
• One cup of French-style salad dressing
• One packet of instant onion soup mix
• One 15.25-ounce can of whole berry cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix onion soup, cranberry sauce, and French dressing in a bowl.
3. Trim chicken as needed, cut it into serving-size pieces, and place it into a lightly greased baking pan.
4. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and bake for about an hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Notes

You can also cook this in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-2.5 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Thicken the sauce as needed with a slurry of cornstarch and water.

Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing, as mentioned in the post, does not contain high fructose corn syrup.

Mealtime comes around so quickly it can feel overwhelming! That's why it's good to have a few go-to recipes that are easy, tasty, and fast. Here are a few of my most popular recipes perfect for busy weeknights and working parents:

Easy Runza Casserole - This quick and delicious, family-friendly casserole has all the flavors of a traditional Runza and is ready in a fraction of the time.

American Goulash - A quick and easy main dish you make in one pan, starting with a pound of ground beef. Tasty, kid-friendly comfort food.

Easy Weeknight Chili Cheese Dog Bake - A new twist on two old favorites! Wrap hot dogs with a slice of cheese in a triangle of crescent roll dough, and bake in a casserole surrounded by chili! An easy weeknight dinner, sure to be a hit with the whole family.

Hamburger Pie - Here's a cozy vintage dish: hamburger pie. It uses the most basic ingredients in the kitchen, and everyone loves it. Hamburger pie is a complete meal in a pan!

If you make this Cranberry Chicken recipe, please tell me how it turned out! If you enjoyed a post, I'd love it if you would leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review or a comment. It really helps others find my recipes- because you are exactly the kind of cooks I write for! We like to eat well without a lot of fuss!

Love, GB (Betty Streff)

Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.

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