Description
Sweet, savory, and oh-so-tender and juicy, this Balsamic Roasted Cranberry Chicken Recipe is a sweet and savory dinner perfect for the holidays. Made in the oven or air fryer in minutes.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/3 cup fresh cranberries or previously frozen and thawed
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 clove)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cranberry Chicken
- 2 1/2 pounds bone in, skin on chicken thighs (4 to 6 chicken thighs) *see notes for substitutes
- 1/2 cup – 1 cup fresh cranberries or previously frozen and thawed
- 1 Tablespoon each maple syrup and balsamic vinegar mixed together to coat chicken during roasting
- Optional Toppings- fresh thyme leaves, dried herbs or ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the marinade ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- In a bowl (or Ziplock bag), coat the chicken thighs in the marinade.
- Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hrs. (Marinating overnight creates great flavor!)
- Once marinated, preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Remove chicken from the fridge and sprinkle with desired amount of cranberries before baking. Bake uncovered skin side down for 25-35 minutes depending on the size of chicken thighs.
- Remove and turn skin side up. Check for doneness. Then brush each chicken skin with the maple syrup/balsamic vinegar combo.
- Depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs, either bake a little longer skin side up, then broil. Or if chicken is almost done and not pink, then skip extra baking and just broil for 2-3 minutes or until skin is crispy (see notes) and chicken is cooked evenly. Make sure the internal temperature of the thickest chicken thigh reaches 165 F.
- Remove cooked chicken from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- When plating, spoon the pan sauce over each chicken thigh and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and a dash of black pepper.
Notes
Alternative Method – AIR FRYER – Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Remove chicken from marinade and place skin side down in the air fryer basket. Do not add cranberries or marinade to the air fryer. If you choose, you can place the cranberries in a small pan in the oven to roast until softened and then add them to the finished dish. Air fry chicken for 14-15 minutes depending on size of chicken thigh. Then turn chicken over so the skin side is up and brush with balsamic/maple mixture. Bake for another 2 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Place optional roasted cranberries on top, sprinkle with thyme leaves and season to taste.
Meal Prep Tips – Prepare the marinated chicken hours before, then bake later in the day or the next day
Substitute Tips – If using skinless chicken, the cooking time will be anywhere from 20-35 minutes total. Check at 20 minutes for chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165F. No broiling needed.
Crispy Skin Tips – Pull the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest and get closer to room temperature while also air drying a bit. Also, do not overcrowd the pan. Placing 3 or 4 pieces of chicken into a pan that is too small basically steams the chicken instead of roasting it. After roasting (before broiling), dry the skin as much as possible. Then place it back in the oven on broil and let it crisp up that way.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main, Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5 oz chicken with skin an sauce
- Calories: 355
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 390mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 12.4g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 22.5g