🍗 What Makes This Recipe So Good
This cranberry rosemary chicken is, in a word, amazing. It’s super easy. It’s on the more-nutritious side of most holiday cooking. And it’s made right in one baking dish. Well, one baking dish and one blender, but still. It also happens to include a few of my favorite ingredients: cranberries, fresh rosemary, juicy chicken thighs, and dry white wine. Basically it’s winter on a plate and I love it. It’s perfect for dinner parties or holiday meals with extended family. Cranberry rosemary chicken looks and tastes super luxurious and indulgent on the surface. Secretly? It uses fewer than 10 ingredients and doesn’t take much effort at all. The oven does most of the work for you! Serve it with something green like roasted kale, Italian green beans, or tender-crisp asparagus and a side of mashed potatoes? Guaranteed to impress. Need to meet a variety of dietary needs? Cranberry rosemary chicken will absolutely work for most of your guests! It’s naturally dairy free, gluten free, and grain free. It’s super low in carbs and it’s paleo-friendly. We’ve also included easy options to make it Whole30-compatible or keto-friendly if needed. Unfortunately, there’s no good way to make this dish work for vegetarian or vegan guests, so it’s not a magic solution for everyone.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
It’s no secret that cranberries are pretty tart. If you’ve never cooked with whole cranberries before, you might be surprised just how tart they are. The maple syrup helps offset that flavor, though! You can also sprinkle a little salt onto the whole cranberries to bring out their natural sweetness. Over-cooking the cranberries only adds to the bitterness, so be careful with the cook time. If you use a high-speed blender, you may notice your marinade is much more pink than what’s in our photos. Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. We used a standard blender and blended just until everything was smooth. A high-speed blender will just emulsify the ingredients much more thoroughly. It’ll still taste great! Because this recipe uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, the chicken comes out irresistibly juicy and moist, with the most delectable crisp skin. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken breasts will work, too, with a little adjustment. They won’t need to cook as long, so be sure to reduce the cook time to accommodate. For best results, always go by the internal temperature and not the clock!
🥘 More Must-Make Holiday Recipes
One-Pan Holiday Meal Butternut Squash Casserole Truffle Mashed Potatoes Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole Grilled Spatchcock Turkey with Gravy Great Grandma’s Sausage Stuffing Leftover Turkey Poutine Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole Crockpot Baked Brie Dip Cheesy Spinach Casserole Apple Cider Sangria Accordion Potatoes
