Cranberry Chicken...a favorite in my home!
PSA: The only recipe in this category you will fine from Adrienne!!
I will start by saying I don't cook...well I rarely cook. I think I could enjoy cooking, but I definitely have not had much time to experiment with it. I can follow a recipe like anyone else, but I am not the type to come up with my own creations. I have many friends and coworkers who are great cooks, so I have tried to learn a little, I have been the queen of take-out over the years, and it would be super common for me to just call home when I was leaving work to see what I could pick up for dinner. Cooking for me would usually only be on the weekend or occasionally on a Friday night if I got home at a reasonable time. For the past 16 years, Friday has been one of my days in surgery. One Friday easily 10 years ago, my good friend and assistant at the time told me about a dinner she liked to make and assured me it was quick and easy. As we worked together to repair the patient's torn rotator cuff tendon, she told me how to make this dish. She knew me well and realized if it wasn't quick and easy, I wouldn't be trying it.😉
I simplified her recipe even more and made it my own. I randomly picked some easy side dishes to put with it, and with that, one of my kids' favorite meals was born. In fact they have even asked me to make it when they have friends over, and it is a crowd pleaser! So hopefully you can give it a try and see what your kids think😊
Ingredients:
I have a family of 5, so these amounts work great for us...usually with a little leftover chicken
1. chicken breasts: 2 packages
(I prefer the thin sliced variety and two packages will usually be 8-10 thin sliced breasts)
2. ketchup: 2 cups
3. dark brown sugar: 1 cup firmly packed
4. whole cranberry sauce: 2 cans
Preparation:
The chicken:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Use non-stick cooking spray on two pyrex dishes
3. Cook the chicken in these dishes until almost done (5-7 minutes)
The sauce:
1. In a large pan combine the ketchup and the brown sugar...stir until all the sugar is soft and mixed well
2. Add the 2 cans of whole cranberry sauce and stir
Even my younger daughter who doesn't like chicken loves this meal...it's definitely the sauce!!
Combine:
1. Remove chicken from the oven and drain any fluid from the dishes
2. Divide the sauce between the 2 dishes...just pour over the chicken or spoon it out over top
3. Return the chicken with the cranberry sauce to the oven and cook for about 5 more minutes
As mentioned earlier, I am not a cook, and it has to be easy for me to do it. This is a very easy and delicious way to spice up chicken. The first time I made this, I threw it together with corn and mashed potatoes. That has since become the specific meal my kids ask for. I keep it really easy with microwave side dishes. I usually add dinner rolls and sliced cranberry as well. Add whatever you like and enjoy! Give it a try...I can literally make this in 15 minutes and it never disappoints👍🏻
THE FINISHED PRODUCT!
