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These Cranberry Orange Chicken Breasts are an incredibly flavorful dish that’s perfect for the holiday season! With bright citrus flavor, tart cranberries, and savory seasonings, you will love this quick and easy chicken recipe. It’s an excellent option for busy weeknights or for Christmas dinner, a meal sure to impress!
This cranberry orange chicken recipe, with its colorful cranberries, orange notes, and golden-brown chicken, looks so elegant and fancy! It comes together with very little effort in under 30 minutes. It’s a great entree for a holiday dinner because the bright cranberries and oranges make it so festive and gorgeous.
Add a garnish of fresh parsley, some orange wedges, and serve with healthy mashed potatoes and/or honey-glazed carrots for a complete meal!
Recipe Overview
Ingredients needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this dish. Full measurements are listed further down in the recipe card.
- Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts; however, you could use boneless chicken thighs. Just be aware that the cook time may be a bit different.
- Olive oil: You may use avocado oil.
- Seasonings: I seasoned the chicken with a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano.
- Orange: The juice and zest of an orange add incredible citrusy flavor.
- Shallots/Onions: Release a subtle sweetness to balance the acidity in the sauce.
- Cranberry sauce: Use leftover homemade cranberry sauce or store-bought.
- Garnish: For color and freshness, finish the dish with a garnish of freshly chopped parsley. You can also add a few fresh orange wedges to make everything look more festive.
How to make cranberry orange chicken
- Season the chicken: Pound the chicken to an even thickness, then rub with 1 tbsp oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and 1 tbsp orange zest.
- Cook the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle with the remaining tbsp of oil. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through and browned. Set aside.
- Cook the shallots and add orange juice: Sauté the shallots in the oil left in the pan and once golden, stir in the orange juice.
- Add the cranberry sauce: Cook the juice, deglazing the pan, for 2-3 minutes, then add the cranberry sauce and stir to combine.
- Finish the dish: Return the chicken into the pan and spoon with the cranberry sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.
Helpful tips
- Internal temperature: To ensure the chicken is fully cooked, I recommend checking that it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, using an instant-read thermometer.
- Pound the chicken: For even cooking, all of the chicken breasts should be approximately the same size. Use a meat tenderizer to pound them to an even thickness lightly. Making them a bit thinner will also help them cook more quickly without becoming dry.
- Do not constantly flip the meat: Be patient when cooking the chicken and allow it to sear in the pan without moving it around. The chicken will be able to get golden brown on all sides if you only flip it once.
- Deglazing the pan: When you’re deglazing the pan with the orange juice, do not discard the brown bits! The browned pieces left in the pan from searing the chicken and sautéing the shallots add extra flavor to the sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Whether or not you cook your chicken in the oven or on the stovetop depends on the recipe and is a matter of personal preference! It can be less work to pop your chicken in the oven, but the texture will turn out different. Oven-baked chicken can be juicy and tender, but stovetop chicken will be, too, with a delicious browned crust.
Yes, if you don’t have leftover cranberry sauce or don’t want to make it from scratch, then you can use your favorite store-bought cranberry sauce.
If you have a cast-iron pan, that is the best choice, but any heavy aluminum skillet will work as well. To get that perfectly seared exterior, don’t move the chicken around, and only flip one time.
Yes. Chicken thighs will work just fine. Just try to trim out some of the fat to reduce fat content. Also, the cooking time will be slightly less than for chicken breast.
Serving suggestions
This dish is excellent served with a variety of sides, from roasted vegetables to casseroles! Here are some options I love:
Storage recommendations
- Refrigerate: Make sure the dish has cooled completely, then transfer the chicken and sauce into an airtight container. It can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Completely cooled leftovers can be frozen for later. Transfer to an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Let the chicken and sauce thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat. Set the oven to 350°F and place everything in a baking dish. Warm to the desired temperature. You could also heat individual servings in a microwave.
More chicken recipes
- Rosemary Maple Glazed Chicken
- Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken
- Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
- Chicken Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce
- Salsa Fresca Baked Chicken Breast
- French Onion Chicken Skillet
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Cranberry Orange Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or avocado oil
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large orange, zested and squeezed (around 2/3 cup fresh orange juice)
- 2 shallots, finely chopped, or cooking onions
- 1 cup leftover cranberry sauce, homemade or store-bought is fine
Optional:
- freshly chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Pound the 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts to an even thickness, then rub with 1 tbsp of the 2 tablespoons olive oil , Kosher salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1 tbsp orange zest.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle with the remaining tbsp of oil. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through and browned. Set aside.
- Sauté the 2 shallots (cooking onions) in the oil left in the pan until golden, then stir in the orange juice from the 1 large orange.
- Cook the juice, deglazing the pan, for 2-3 minutes, then add the 1 cup leftover cranberry sauce and stir to combine.
- Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the cranberry sauce over it. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Refrigerate: Ensure the dish has cooled completely, then transfer the chicken and sauce into an airtight container. It can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Completely cooled leftovers can be frozen for later. Transfer to an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Let the chicken and sauce thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Set the oven to 350°F and place everything in a baking dish. Warm to the desired temperature. You could also heat individual servings in a microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
