These Cranberry Chicken Thighs are a delicious and easy, gorgeous dinner!

Cranberry Chicken Thighs are a delicious way to bring holiday flavor to the weeknights. Chicken thighs are seared and then cooked in a delicious sauce of cranberry sauce, orange juice, garlic and brown sugar. This meal is easy but amazing and always impresses.

There is nothing I love more an easy dinner that I can just throw in a skillet and pop in the oven that everyone will love and this Cranberry Chicken is perfect.

I love that I can just throw everything in one pan and have a delicious, flavorful dinner that everyone really enjoys. Whenever I find a dinner that everyone in my house eats that is a score! And for it to be easy cleanup in one pan? That’s a double win for me! Lots of flavor for a few simple ingredients. This easy roasted cranberry chicken recipe is always a family favorite.

I love the Fall and although everyone associates Fall with pumpkin and apple we cannot forget about cranberries. I love using cranberries in my cooking when the weather gets cooler and this chicken goes great with the tartness of the cranberries.

This chicken is so flavorful and tender! This cooks up in a flavorful sauce of cranberry sauce, a touch of orange and just a few other ingredients which makes this sauce amazing.

I love that you can customize this to your family’s taste, make it spicy, change up the protein, add your favorite seasonings, you can totally make this recipe your own. This is one of my favorite things to make on busy weeknights or perfect for a Christmas dinner.

This is also a perfect holiday dinner, it is so pretty with it’s red color and it goes perfect over a bed of mashed potatoes or savory stuffing. These tender chicken thighs make a great dinner during the holiday season.

It also is impressive, the tender chicken in that thick, rich, sweet sauce with the tart kick of cranberry is just delightful and you can certainly entertain with this recipe. The crispy chicken thighs look gorgeous served in the pan with the tart cranberries and orange slices, so festive. Your guests will be wowed!

This is a great chicken thigh recipe with minimal ingredients that will please the entire family. This easy recipe is a great way to make a quick holiday meal.

Next time you want an easy slow cooker dinner that tastes delicious and is full of flavor just throw these ingredients together you will have an amazing dinner in no time!

I promise your whole family will love these Cranberry Chicken Thighs.

You will want to make this dinner again and again! We do!

RECIPE FAQS

Can I use any other protein?

Yes, you could use bone in chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs or breasts or even pork chops. Just adjust cooking times accordingly.

What should I serve this with?

We loved this piled high on fluffy mashed potatoes but it is fabulous over rice or even on buns like a sandwich. The cranberry sauce also makes it great for serving with stuffing. You can top this with some fresh rosemary.

Can I make this spicy?

You can add red pepper flakes, jalapenos or sriracha to give this a kick.

Ingredients

Bone-in chicken thighs – You can use bone in breasts or boneless skinless chicken breasts as well.
Butter – You need just a little to help the chicken brown.
Garlic Salt – This adds a little flavor to the chicken.
Cranberry Sauce – I like to use the jellied variety but you can use whole berry too!
Orange Juice – Just a splash to add a little flavor to this chicken.
Onion Soup Mix- This adds a great savory flavor.
Brown Sugar – Helps sweeten everything up just a bit!
Garlic Minced – Garlic makes everything better, you can use fresh or jarred.
Orange Slices- These just make the dish look stunning and add a little more flavor.
Cranberries – Fresh cranberries really make this dish gorgeous but are optional!

How to make Cranberry Chicken Thighs

In a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat add your butter.
Sprinkle the garlic salt and pepper over the chicken thighs.
Sear the chicken thighs in the skillet skin side down for 5 minutes or until the skin is brown and crispy.
Remove the chicken from the pan. We are not looking to cook the chicken through here just crisp the skin.
To the drippings in the pan add your cranberry sauce, soup mix, orange juice, brown sugar and garlic. Whisk to combine.
Place the chicken thighs back in the pan skin side up.
Add your orange slices.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Garnish with parsley and fresh cranberries.
Serve!
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Want more Cranberry Recipes? Check these out!

Cranberry Chicken Thighs

Name: Cranberry Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 chicken thighs; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 teaspoon garlic salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 (14 ounce) can cranberry sauce; 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix; ½ cup orange juice; ½ cup brown sugar; 2 cloves garlic minced; Orange, sliced; Fresh cranberries and parsley for garnish

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Cranberry Chicken Thighs are a delicious way to bring holiday flavor to the weeknights. Chicken thighs are seared and then cooked in a delicious sauce of cranberry sauce, orange juice, garlic and brown sugar. This meal is easy but amazing and always impresses.

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 ounce) can cranberry sauce
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
½ cup orange juice
½ cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic minced
Orange, sliced
Fresh cranberries and parsley for garnish

Instructions

In a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat add your butter.
Sprinkle the garlic salt and pepper over the chicken thighs.
Sear the chicken thighs in the skillet skin side down for 5 minutes or until the skin is brown and crispy.
Remove the chicken from the pan. We are not looking to cook the chicken through here just crisp the skin.
To the drippings in the pan add your cranberry sauce, orange juice, brown sugar and garlic. Whisk to combine.
Place the chicken thighs back in the pan skin side up.
Add your orange slices.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Garnish with parsley and fresh cranberries.
Serve!

Notes

You can use jellied or whole berry cranberry sauce.

You can also add a tablespoon of dijon mustard to the sauce for a little kick.
This is great over mashed potatoes, rice or stuffing.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 480Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 177mgSodium: 629mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 34gProtein: 32g

Cranberry Chicken Thighs