Cranberry Chicken is the perfect one dish chicken dinner! Tender and juicy chicken thighs baked in a flavor-packed sauce of Catalina dressing, whole berry cranberry sauce, onion soup mix, and red pepper flakes for just a hint of spice. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
Easy Cranberry Chicken Recipe
Of all the great one dish dinner recipes, this might just be our new favorite! It took mere minutes to toss the ingredients together and then it baked for an hour while homework was being done. Such a simple dinner recipe! You’ll love the sweet and savory cranberry sauce and fork-tender chicken.
Finding new and delicious yet easy to make dinner recipes can be a challenge, but we’ve got you covered! Here are a few of our favorites: Homemade Hamburger Helper | Slow Cooker Shrimp and Corn Chowder | Easy Air Fryer Pizza | Cheesy Taco Spaghetti | Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Cranberry Chicken (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the easy to print recipe card):
- Catalina salad dressing – use any brand you like.
- Dry onion soup mix – this ingredient adds wonderful savory flavor to the sauce.
- Whole-berry cranberry sauce – use canned or homemade cranberry sauce.
- Red pepper flakes – this ingredient is optional. It added just a little bit of heat to the sauce.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – this recipe can also be made with skinless chicken breast.
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Cranberry Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Catalina dressing, dry onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and red pepper flakes. Mix well, then pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper then place in the baking dish in a single layer.
- Turn the chicken thighs over to coated all sides well with the sauce.
- Bake the chicken uncovered for 1 hour or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F.
What to Serve with Cranberry Chicken
- Steamed white or brown rice
- Mashed potatoes
- Buttered egg noodles
- Tossed salad
- Oven roasted vegetables like asparagus, green beans, Brussel sprouts etc…
How to Store Leftovers
Store the leftover chicken in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The chicken can also be frozen for up to two months.
More Cranberry Recipes You’ll Love:
- Cranberry Apple Coleslaw
- Turkey Cranberry Sliders
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Cranberry Meatballs
- Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 ounce bottle Catalina salad dressing
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix (about 1.25 ounce)
- 15 ounce can whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Catalina dressing, dry onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and red pepper flakes. Mix well, then pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper then place in the baking dish in a single layer. Turn the chicken thighs over to coated all sides well with the sauce.
- Bake the chicken uncovered for 1 hour or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
Last Step:
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144 comments on “Cranberry Chicken”
This is delicious, I also make this with orange or apricot marmalade.
To replace the cranberry?
I make this often but in the crockpot. Its delicious.
I make this recipe all the time. Family favorite. Curious though if you ever tried to make this is crockpot and if so how long to cook and on low or high?
Hi Caryn. I haven’t tried this recipe in the crockpot but 4-6 hours on low or 1-2 on high should yield very similar results.
This is now a family favourite!
Yay! Thanks Maureen!
This was awesome! The only changes I made were using jellied cranberry sauce and I added a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar but it really wasn’t necessary. We also tried it with pork chops and tonight we made meatballs!
Thanks Becky!
I made it with pork chops as well. It was delicious, and has become one of our family favorites!
It was delicious, will definitely make this again!
Thanks Marie!
So delicious every time. Love it with white rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles. It freezes well too.
Thank you Susanne!
Wonderful recipe! The combination of ingredients was just amazing. We loved it and will definitely be making it again.
Thank you Carol!
So good
Thanks Nana C!
I did it in the slowcooker. Perfect everytime!!
Thanks Eric!
I thought I was going to watch a video on how to make the cranberry chicken dish, and it was a video on how to make cookies. Very misleading and disappointing -then just a bunch of commercials.
Hi Maxine. There is a how to video on the cranberry chicken in the recipe card near the bottom of the post.
Ah don’t be a killjoy