This dish is the gluten-free recipe that put my name on the map.
Okay. Maybe, not that extensive, but when my not-yet sister-in-law heard that my now-hubby was with someone who made this incredibly delicious cranberry chicken recipe, she knew exactly who her brother-in-law had hooked up with.
Confused?
Don't be. All that matters is that this sweet-and-spicy cranberry sauce will make your favorite cut of chicken taste like you've spent all day in the kitchen, even though you haven't.
It's super simple to make.
I just tossed everything into an electric skillet, and let the skillet do all the work for me. I only gave it a stir now and then.
But the smell . . .
The spicy aroma of cinnamon and allspice thoroughly merged with the small handful of chopped sweet red onions and those pungent cranberries made our entire basement apartment smell like:
Christmas!
Well, I finally managed to snap a photo of this incredibly delicious chicken recipe, so you get to experience the whole mouthwatering adventure that makes this easy gluten-free dinner a keeper.
This Cranberry Chicken Began as a Group Home Recipe
Over a decade ago, I used to work in a group home for developmentally challenged adults. We were required to follow a specific menu, which often included recipes that we had to follow exactly.
This cranberry chicken recipe was one of those dishes.
When we lived in California, fresh cranberries were not available year-round. They would disappear right after Thanksgiving.
Since this dish was on the winter menu, as well as fall, we used canned cranberry sauce to keep the calories consistent.
It was also served over fluffy mashed potatoes.
I thought that was a super odd thing to do with cranberry sauce, but my co-workers insisted that I would love it that way. I was on a whole foods, carbohydrate-reduced diet at the time, so I only sampled a tiny bit, but I was shocked at just how good it was.
So good in fact, that I went right home and adapted the recipe to fit my needs.
When I first discovered this recipe, fresh cranberries were not available year round, so I had to figure out how to store them for the recipe. I didn't want to only make Cranberry Chicken in the fall.
Fresh cranberries would pop up in the vegetable section of the grocery store sometime in October, and would disappear right after Thanksgiving. I had to purchase enough fresh cranberries to last throughout the year.
In addition, stores tend to put holiday foods on sale to compete with other stores, so I always wait until the berries go on sale for Thanksgiving and then pick up 6 to 8 packages. The berries used to come in 1 pound bags, the perfect size for freezing.
I simply tossed them into the freezer as is.
When manufacturers started packing the cranberries in 12 ounce bags, rather than a pound, I adjusted the recipe to take advantage of the smaller size bag.
However, last year, we purchased our cranberries at Costco. When they went on sale for Thanksgiving, I picked up a couple of jumbo-sized bags and divided the berries evenly into 12 freezer-thick zip-lock bags, and froze them that way.
Although, fresh cranberries are available in Utah and Texas, year round, they only come in tiny 8 ounce bags now and cost quite a bit more than the bargain price we paid at Costco.
I froze 12 bags because that gave me enough berries for cranberry sauce to go on the side of our summer meals, as well.
Cranberries are very tart, so they take a lot of sweetener to make them edible. If you're reducing your carbohydrates, you can simply substitute the cane sugar in the recipe for your favorite sugar substitute.
I use pure cane sugar in this recipe, rather than an off-brand because non-cane sugars are made from sugar beets.
I just don't feel well if I eat too much beet sugar.
Most commercial products use beet sugar because it's cheaper, so I try to stick to pure cane sugar for my gluten-free cooking, whenever possible, to cut down on the beet-sugar load.
Cranberries have enough natural pectin to thicken the sauce without having to add any thickeners.
However, if you are using chicken that has been pre-frozen by the manufacturer and thawed out by the grocery store, it will release a large amount of water as it cooks.
If that happens, simply thicken the sauce with a little gluten-free cornstarch. Although, cornstarch shows up in standard gluten-free lists as being fine across all brands, most brands of cornstarch are processed on shared equipment, so I stick with Argo (also called Argo Kingsford), since it works for me.
Makes 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients:
Once the berries are simmering and hot, carefully add the chicken thighs, skin-side up. You could remove the skin before hand if you like, but the chicken tends to fall apart when you simmer it that way.
At this point, the sauce won't be thick. It will thicken as the chicken cooks.
Cover the pan, lower the heat to a mid-simmer, and let it cook for half an hour. Turn the chicken over, give the sauce a stir, and put the lid back on the pot. Let it cook for about 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over, and stir again.
Put the lid back on the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.
You don't want to overcook the chicken, so an hour is about right for chicken legs and thighs. For breasts, you'll want to watch it closer and call it quits when the chicken is just barely cooked through, so it won't dry out. The cooking time will depend on how thick the breasts are and whether they are boneless, or not.
One time, hubby was a bit late getting home, so I let it cook for an hour and 20 minutes. The chicken was slightly tough after cooking that long. I should have turned the skillet down to warm once the hour was up.
I serve this with mashed potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables.
When we lived in California, fresh cranberries were not available year-round. They would disappear right after Thanksgiving.
Since this dish was on the winter menu, as well as fall, we used canned cranberry sauce to keep the calories consistent.
It was also served over fluffy mashed potatoes.
I thought that was a super odd thing to do with cranberry sauce, but my co-workers insisted that I would love it that way. I was on a whole foods, carbohydrate-reduced diet at the time, so I only sampled a tiny bit, but I was shocked at just how good it was.
So good in fact, that I went right home and adapted the recipe to fit my needs.
How to Store Fresh Cranberries
When I first discovered this recipe, fresh cranberries were not available year round, so I had to figure out how to store them for the recipe. I didn't want to only make Cranberry Chicken in the fall.
Fresh cranberries would pop up in the vegetable section of the grocery store sometime in October, and would disappear right after Thanksgiving. I had to purchase enough fresh cranberries to last throughout the year.
In addition, stores tend to put holiday foods on sale to compete with other stores, so I always wait until the berries go on sale for Thanksgiving and then pick up 6 to 8 packages. The berries used to come in 1 pound bags, the perfect size for freezing.
I simply tossed them into the freezer as is.
When manufacturers started packing the cranberries in 12 ounce bags, rather than a pound, I adjusted the recipe to take advantage of the smaller size bag.
However, last year, we purchased our cranberries at Costco. When they went on sale for Thanksgiving, I picked up a couple of jumbo-sized bags and divided the berries evenly into 12 freezer-thick zip-lock bags, and froze them that way.
Although, fresh cranberries are available in Utah and Texas, year round, they only come in tiny 8 ounce bags now and cost quite a bit more than the bargain price we paid at Costco.
I froze 12 bags because that gave me enough berries for cranberry sauce to go on the side of our summer meals, as well.
Gluten-Free Notes
Cranberries are very tart, so they take a lot of sweetener to make them edible. If you're reducing your carbohydrates, you can simply substitute the cane sugar in the recipe for your favorite sugar substitute.
I use pure cane sugar in this recipe, rather than an off-brand because non-cane sugars are made from sugar beets.
I just don't feel well if I eat too much beet sugar.
Most commercial products use beet sugar because it's cheaper, so I try to stick to pure cane sugar for my gluten-free cooking, whenever possible, to cut down on the beet-sugar load.
Cranberries have enough natural pectin to thicken the sauce without having to add any thickeners.
However, if you are using chicken that has been pre-frozen by the manufacturer and thawed out by the grocery store, it will release a large amount of water as it cooks.
If that happens, simply thicken the sauce with a little gluten-free cornstarch. Although, cornstarch shows up in standard gluten-free lists as being fine across all brands, most brands of cornstarch are processed on shared equipment, so I stick with Argo (also called Argo Kingsford), since it works for me.
Gluten-Free Cranberry Chicken
Makes 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces of fresh cranberries, thaw if frozen
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple or orange juice
- 1 cup pure cane sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet red onion
- 4 to 6 chicken thighs
Once the berries are simmering and hot, carefully add the chicken thighs, skin-side up. You could remove the skin before hand if you like, but the chicken tends to fall apart when you simmer it that way.
At this point, the sauce won't be thick. It will thicken as the chicken cooks.
Cover the pan, lower the heat to a mid-simmer, and let it cook for half an hour. Turn the chicken over, give the sauce a stir, and put the lid back on the pot. Let it cook for about 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over, and stir again.
Put the lid back on the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.
You don't want to overcook the chicken, so an hour is about right for chicken legs and thighs. For breasts, you'll want to watch it closer and call it quits when the chicken is just barely cooked through, so it won't dry out. The cooking time will depend on how thick the breasts are and whether they are boneless, or not.
One time, hubby was a bit late getting home, so I let it cook for an hour and 20 minutes. The chicken was slightly tough after cooking that long. I should have turned the skillet down to warm once the hour was up.
I serve this with mashed potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables.
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