Baked rosemary cranberry chicken thighs with roasted potatoes is the easiest holiday meal you’ll ever make. It’s so delicious and truly worthy of Thanksgiving or Christmas.
This post is sponsored by Klarbrunn.
Baked Cranberry Chicken Thighs
This recipe is basically magical. Have you ever wanted to make a holiday worthy dinner for just a few people, but didn’t want to go to the trouble of making tons of different dishes? If so, this Cranberry Chicken recipe is 100% the recipe you’ve been looking for.
It’s a super simple dinner recipe that you can literally throw together, and it will turn out absolutely perfect every single time.
Not gonna lie – I think this may be my new signature dish. I’m beyond excited to make it for my entire family because I know every single person is going to love it.
The cranberries macerate in the brown sugar and orange juice, and then they bake down with the orange zest to become the easiest version of cranberry sauce ever.
The potatoes and the chicken cook for the same amount of time, which might be my favorite part. No preparing different steps and adding things later, this really is a one and done meal. The potatoes are perfectly cooked and the chicken is juicy with a beautiful golden brown skin.
My favorite part? The sauce. The juice from the chicken combines with the juice from the cranberries to make the most incredible sauce ever. Spoon it over the rosemary infused chicken and it’s absolute perfection.
I’ve partnered up with Klarbrunn to bring you my new favorite holiday meal. It’s an absolutely perfect pairing with their Citrus Blend flavor because it brings out the orange notes in the cranberry sauce perfectly. You can find out where to buy Klarbrunn here.
Ingredients
This recipe only has 10 ingredients (technically 9 when you consider that orange zest and orange juice are both coming from the same orange), and I think that’s pretty incredible given how much flavor it has.
You’ll need bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, fresh cranberries, dark brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, red baby potatoes, olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, and dried rosemary.
How To Make It
Start by mixing together the fresh cranberries, dark brown sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Let that rest to macerate the cranberries. (See the recipe card below for the full printable recipe.)
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. This makes it super easy to transfer the sauce to a serving bowl later. Toss together the chicken, potatoes, oil, garlic, and salt. Arrange everything in a single layer, with the chicken skin side up.
Sprinkle the cranberries over the potatoes, and bake uncovered in the preheated oven. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
What To Serve With Cranberry Chicken
Honestly, this is a full meal on its own. If you want to make it stretch to serve more people, try serving it over rice or orzo, or with a side salad or a side of mashed potatoes. If you somehow manage to have leftovers, remove the meat from the bone to make an incredible sandwich.
Some side dishes that would taste great with it are:
- Moist Jiffy Cornbread
- Crockpot Green Beans with Bacon
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Italian Green Beans
- Traditional Soda Bread
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
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Chicken Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out our entire chicken recipes section! Some reader favorites that are holiday worth are:
BEST Cranberry Chicken Recipe
Baked rosemary cranberry chicken thighs with roasted potatoes is the easiest holiday meal you’ll ever make. It’s so delicious and truly worthy of Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (the juice of about 1/2 orange)
- 6 bone-in and skin on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
- 24 red baby potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 medium cloves garlic (diced by hand, not pressed through a garlic press)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. You want to use a baking sheet that's large enough to allow everything to be arranged in a single layer, but you don't want it to be so large that there's extra space (most ovens are a little tilted, and if the baking sheet has too much extra space, some of the sugar will travel to the low side of the baking sheet and burn). Lining the baking sheet with aluminum foil is important so that you’re able to easily transfer the sauce to a bowl to spoon over the chicken after it’s finished baking.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice. Let this rest while you prepare the chicken and potatoes.
- To the prepared baking sheet, add the chicken thighs, baby potatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Toss to coat.
- Make sure the chicken is skin side up, and place it between the potatoes so it’s all in one even layer.
- Sprinkle the dried rosemary evenly over the chicken and potatoes.
- Sprinkle the cranberries over the baking dish, trying to fill all the nooks and crannies with them. Move them around so that everything is in one layer. I sprinkle mine over the potatoes and avoid the chicken, because if the chicken is uncovered the skin will get golden and crispy.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F on an instant read meat thermometer and the skin is golden brown and crispy.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 579Total Fat: 33.5gCarbohydrates: 46.3gFiber: 1.4gSugar: 18.3gProtein: 23.4g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
This cranberry chicken recipe is an amazing simple dinner that will impress everyone and quickly become a family favorite!
