cranberry citrus rosemary chicken

Photo by The Culinary Nest

It’s the holiday season and that deserves a dish full of holiday vibes, beauty and most of all, flavors. This chicken is not only a showstopper but it is so incredibly simple to make.

I love love love tender, juicy slow-roasted chicken that falls off the bones and is infused with flavors. This recipe uses savory ingredients such as garlic, onion, paprika, and rosemary but then has the bright and sweet flavors of the lemon wedges and cranberries that rounds it out perfectly. You could also get extra sassy and use other citrus options like oranges!

I highly recommend using skin-on, bone-in chicken but if you prefer skinless & boneless, that is totally fine too! Just reduce the cooking time to about 25-30 minutes or until cooked to 165˚F using a meat thermometer.

Recipe by: The Culinary Nest

MAKES

6 servings

Prep TIme: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cranberries

3 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

1 yellow onion, diced

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

3 lemons (2 quartered, 1 sliced into 6 rounds- seeds removed)

6 sprigs rosemary

1-2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon paprika

EVOO

Salt & Pepper

METHOD

1. In a bowl, macerate add the cranberries, white wine vinegar and brown sugar. Mix well and set aside (at least for 10 minutes, this step helps break down the cranberries to help them soften and cook).

2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Prepare a roasting pan or large glass casserole dish by spraying it with cooking oil. Next, pour in the 1-2 cups of chicken stock (just enough to cover the bottom of your pan with about 1/4” liquid) and evenly spread out the diced onion in the bottom of the roasting pan and set aside.

3. Remove all packaging from the chicken and pat completely dry with paper towel. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and place the chicken breast side up into the roasting pan. Gently lift the skin on a chicken breast just enough to slide a good pinch of minced garlic underneath and spread it out as evenly as you can. Repeat this on each chicken breast. Then sprinkle the paprika over the dish, seasoning each chicken breast evenly.

4. Place the quartered lemons (or oranges!) in between the chicken pieces where there is space. Lay a lemon round on top of each chicken breast and then repeat the same step with the rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the each chicken breast liberally (about 1 teaspoon each) with olive oil to ensure even cooking and browning.

5. Last, fill the spaces between the breasts with the macerated cranberries.

6. Place the roasting pan in the oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the internal temperature reached 165˚F. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes prior to serving (don’t skip! This helps the chicken soak back up the juices it lost during the roasting process!).