Cranberry Chicken
Cranberry Chicken marinated in onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and French dressing, then baked.
Cranberry Chicken marinated in onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and French dressing, then baked.
- Carbohydrate 38.95 g
- Cholesterol 821.28 mg
- Fat 129.5834 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 328.8794 g
- Saturated Fat 18.7928 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1666g)
- Sodium 3010.4 mg
- Sugar 38.95 g
- Trans Fat 28.9228 g
- Calories 2700 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the chicken breasts in a glass or non-reactive baking dish.
- Stir the onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and French dressing together in a bowl until well blended. Pour over the chicken breasts. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Remove plastic wrap from the baking dish, and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Bake chicken in preheated oven until top is bubbly and slightly browned, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Using a glass or non-reactive baking dish for the marination phase prevents unwanted metallic flavors from developing when high-acid ingredients like French dressing interact with reactive metals such as aluminum. Acidic marinades tenderize poultry proteins by breaking down tough connective tissues, yet leaving lean chicken breasts in this vinegar-heavy mixture for too long can result in a mushy surface texture rather than a firm bite. Thoroughly blending the jellied cranberry sauce with the dry onion soup mix and French dressing before pouring it over the meat ensures that the dehydrated onion flakes hydrate evenly during the eight-hour refrigeration window instead of clumping on top of the poultry. Without this initial whisking step, pockets of dry seasoning will scorch during the baking process.
Covering the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil during the first portion of the one-hour-and-fifteen-minute baking cycle traps steam, allowing the interior of the chicken breasts to reach a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit without burning the sugary exterior. Removing the foil for the final fifteen minutes lets excess moisture evaporate, concentrating the fruit sugars until the top develops a bubbly, slightly browned appearance at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While canned jellied cranberry sauce provides a smooth, uniform consistency that emulsifies cleanly with the oil and vinegar in the dressing, substituting whole berry cranberry sauce yields a more rustic texture with distinct fruit pieces that behave differently under heat.
