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 leg of lamb or whole 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: ½ 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, ⅓ 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 ½ tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 ½ 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 ⅓ 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
- ⅓ 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 ¼ pounds in total)
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary), plus rosemary sprigs for garnish
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for searing the chicken
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lemon
- ½ 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.
How would you adjust this to use a whole chicken?
Hi, Dan. If using a whole bird, I recommend cutting it up into portions, and then cooking as instructed. It may take a bit longer to cook. I highly recommend keeping an eye on it and testing for doneness using a meat thermometer. It has finished cooking when the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165 degrees F. Enjoy!
I made this recipe for our son and daughter-in-law. My son recently requested the recipe. It is so appealing visually and simple and so good—I love the cranberries. I love The Mediterranean Dish and I’ve lost 55 lbs. in the last year! So glad I’m trying new dishes and losing weight.
Wow, Kerry! That is awesome! Congrats!
Hi Suzy
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I made it today. It was wonderful, just what we needed. All my family members agreed it was one of the best chicken recipes they've had in a long time. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe will be a must do for me. However, I have never seen commercially frozen cranberries. I do put a few bags of fresh cranberries in the freezer every Autumn. When using these frozen cranberries, should I omit the vinegar in the macerating process?
How could you prep this ahead for a dinner party? It looks delicious! I prefer to have things ready before guests arrive. I wouldn’t want to brown the chicken with guests in my kitchen. I’ll bet someone with more experience can answer my silly question. Thank you in advance.
Hello! It is possible to prepare this in advance. Then 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 its crispiness. If you're worried about it drying out, though, you could try preparing everything the day before, but waiting to actually bake until just before serving.
What would be a good substitute for rosemary in this recipe? I have a family member who is allergic to that herb.
Hi, Shirl. You could try thyme instead. Hope you enjoy it!
Eres fantástica! Gracias por compartir tus recetas.
Can I substitute Maple Syrup for the brown sugar. If so, how much should I use?
Hi, Dorey. Sure! That would probably work. It's not something we've tested before, so it's a bit hard to advise you on the quantity. If you give it a try, please stop back an share your thoughts!
Amazingly beautiful, incredibly delicious.
Instead of the onions and celery in this recipe I used sweet potatoes, yellow beetroot, purple and white carrot, thin slices of fennel and radishes and the end result was super sensational.
The macerated cranberries bring this recipe to a level that is unmatched.
THANK YOU Suzy!
Yum! Thanks for sharing your adaptations, Aussie!
Sounds delicious, but you pretty much changed the recipe. You should just go on ahead and post yours.
Every year, I make and can a batch of whole berry cranberry sauce for the holidays and gifts. I always hang in to a few just to find creative uses for it.
I ended up using one jar for this recipe, and it was a total success. After searing/browning the seasoned chicken pieces, I added the sauce and some broth to the pan and scraped up the bits before adding the chicken and veggies in. Threw in a bit of carrot and mushroom as well. The seasonings played so well off the orange and tart cranberry in the sauce. The sugar was already in the sauce. My family loved it. Thank you!
Can I freeze this after the initial searing of the chicken ? I want to give it to a friend who’s recovering from surgery and they won’t need it right away
Hi, Liz. I would recommend fully cooking this dish before freezing. Then your friend can thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in medium-heated oven with a little liquid.
I made this tonight for Valentines Day. It was fantastic! Thank you Suzy for another great dinner.
Thanks, Annette!
Hi Suzy. Found your site after a heart diagnosis moved me towards Mediterranean style eating. This recipe looked good and I had fresh cranberries. Substituted fennel and red onions for yellow onions and oranges for lemons because that’s what I had on hand. Fantastic! Next up, your turkey, spinach, and feta meatballs. After that, your chicken schwarma pita pockets.
Thanks for sharing, Chrissy! You will LOVE the shawarma!!
I made this last Sunday and my family loved it. The cranberries were a beautiful and tasty addition to the dish. It tasted as good as it looked, which says a lot as it was one of the most colorful meals I’ve made .
Thanks so much, Jane!
Turned out perfect. My husband loved it. The rice was fantastic.
Not a fan of this recipe. The cranberry with the lemon and the vinegar made for a very sour sauce , had hoped that it would be a more sweet and sour taste - have enjoyed other recipes from this site but we can’t win them all,