Description
Cranberry Orange Chicken sizzles with tangy-sweet perfection straight from your trusty skillet. Tender chicken breasts dance with zesty orange and tart cranberries, creating a simple dinner that feels like a warm culinary hug.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1.25 teaspoons kosher salt
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce:
- 1.5 cups cranberries
- 0.67 cup orange juice
- 0.25 cup pure maple syrup
- 0.25 cup light brown sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt
Garnish:
- 1 orange (for optional slices)
Cooking:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Dry 6 chicken thighs thoroughly with paper towels. Mix 1¼ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend evenly across both sides of your chicken thighs.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully place chicken thighs in a single layer across the skillet. Cook for exactly 5 minutes without moving them.
- Flip chicken thighs and continue cooking another 5 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Transfer chicken to a plate. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to maintain warmth.
- Reduce skillet heat to medium-low. Add 1½ cups cranberries, ⅔ cup orange juice, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons orange zest, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Simmer sauce for 10 minutes, gently crushing cranberries and scraping pan’s browned bits.
- Return chicken to skillet, nestling pieces into the sauce. Spoon sauce over each thigh and heat for 1 minute.
Notes
- Pat the chicken thoroughly to ensure a crispy exterior that helps develop a beautiful golden-brown crust.
- Use a meat thermometer to guarantee perfectly cooked chicken without guesswork, checking for the 165°F internal temperature mark.
- For a low-carb version, replace maple syrup with a sugar-free alternative and reduce the brown sugar to minimize carbohydrate content.
- Fresh cranberries work best, but frozen can be substituted – just allow slightly more cooking time to break down the berries and create the sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Category: Sautéed
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 270 kcal
- Sugar: 19 g
- Sodium: 390 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg