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Front shot of cast iron baking dish with cranberry chicken
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4.95 from 17 votes

Dump-and-Bake Cranberry Chicken

This 5-ingredient Dump-and-Bake Cranberry Chicken is a cozy, easy dinner recipe that's perfect for cool nights!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword Baked Chicken Breasts, cranberry chicken, oven baked chicken breast recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 - 6 people
Calories 543.6kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 lbs. total)
  • 8 ounces (about 1 cup) French, Russian or Catalina salad dressing
  • 1 (14 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix seasoning
  • Zest from ½ of an orange

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Place chicken in the prepared dish. In a separate bowl, stir together salad dressing, cranberry sauce, dry onion soup mix seasoning and orange zest. Pour sauce over chicken.
  • Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Notes

  • Have leftover homemade cranberry sauce? Omit the canned sauce and use 1 1/2 cups of homemade whole berry sauce.
  • I used Ken's Country French dressing, but you can substitute with Catalina dressing or Russian dressing if you prefer.
  • When zesting the orange, be sure that you only scrape off the outer peel -- this is where all of the essential oils and flavors are found. You do not want to scrape off the white pith, since it has a bitter taste.
  • Total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. The type of baking dish that you use can also impact the cooking time (dark, nonstick metal pans or a cast iron pan will cook the meat faster than a ceramic or glass dish, for instance). As a result, a meat thermometer is the best way to know when your chicken is done. The meat is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
  • Instead of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts, substitute with about 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The thighs will cook faster than the breasts, so remove the cover after about 15-20 minutes before continuing to bake for the final 15 minutes.
  • Nutrition information provided is based on all of the sauce in the pan. If you do not consume all of the sauce, nutrition facts will vary drastically.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 543.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.9g | Protein: 52.5g | Fat: 18.9g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 775.8mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 28.9g | Vitamin C: 0.9mg