This simple and easy pan seared chicken thighs with cranberry sauce recipe is a festive and low key way to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner or a special fall or winter celebration.
The cranberry sauce / relish goes well with chicken thighs or breasts.
Use Chicken Thighs or Breasts with Cranberry Sauce
Don't like or have chicken thighs? No problem! Use chicken breast instead with the cranberry sauce.
Chicken breasts are leaner and cook much faster than chicken thighs. Sear them first and cook them until the juices run clear and internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165.
Cooking time for chicken breasts will vary depending on size and thickness.
Cooking Chicken Thighs For The Cranberry Sauce
Pan fried chicken thighs are a "go-to" dinner option a couple times a month in our home because they are so tasty, moist, tender, and versatile.
Generally, the pan has to be pre-heated before searing chicken. Chicken thighs have so much fat and collagen that the pan doesn't need to be pre-heated.
Likewise, you may not need any additional oil, fat, or butter depending on how you want the chicken to taste. More butter = richer.
It's difficult to overcook chicken thighs because of their higher fat content. They sear beautifully and create a nice fond in the pan.
Make the Cranberry Sauce for Chicken
Cranberry orange sauce is a staple of Thanksgiving and holiday / fall recipes. It is easy to make with 5 total ingredients and two of them being water and salt.
This cranberry sauce is a great recipe as is, but get creative with spices. Add a cinnamon stick or a bit of pumpkin pie spice, all spice, or cardamom.
Cranberries are bitter or tart. The addition of sugar mellows the bitterness / tartness.
If you are sensitive to sweet, start with less sugar, taste it, and add a little more. I end up adding at least ½ teaspoon of salt to my cranberry sauce, but recommend you start with ¼ tsp.
Use fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe. Any orange will work but seedless navel oranges are the sweetest in my opinion.
Cranberry sauce can be served hot or cold.
Easy Chicken With Cranberry Sauce Recipe FAQS
Like cranberry sauce? Double the recipe so you have some at the dinner table.
Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools and can be made the day before. The sugar acts as a preservative so it will last a couple weeks in the refrigerator.
Eat cranberry sauce on buttery toast for breakfast, serve with peanut butter sandwiches in place of jelly, freeze for later, or make this cute little crostini toasts recipe.
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Pan Seared Chicken Thighs with Cranberry Sauce
This simple and easy pan fried chicken thighs with cranberry sauce (relish) recipe is a festive and low key way to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner or a special fall or winter celebration. The cranberry sauce goes well with seared chicken thighs or breasts.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Instructions
- Instructions for Cranberry Sauce (double this recipe if you want leftover sauce)
- Zest half of the orange and set zest aside for garnish. Juice half of the orange.
- Add cranberries, sugar, orange juice and ¼ cup water to small pot. Stir, cover and bring to a boil.
- Uncover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook (stirring occasionally) ~12 minutes or until cranberries are audibly and visually "popping" and sauce is thickened.
- If sauce is too thick, add water 2 tablespoon at a time until desired thickness (note: sauce will continue to thicken as it cools).
- Add salt to taste. Garnish with desired amount of fresh orange zest.
- Instructions for Chicken:
- Salt and pepper chicken thighs
- Place in a 10 - 12" skillet (I prefer non-stick) and cook uncovered on medium-high heat ~6-8 minutes on the top side (the side you will present on the plate) or until golden brown.
- Flip, reduce heat a wee bit, and cook covered ~ 6 minutes. Add olive oil or butter at this point if needed or desired (this will make it richer).
- Flip back to the presentation side, increase heat a wee bit, and sear uncovered again for ~ 3 minutes or until it looks beautifully browned.
- Plate the cranberry relish and serve chicken on top of it. Garnish with any extra chopped rosemary or orange zest if you have it. Salt to taste. Happy eating! Beckie
Notes
- Use chicken breast if you don't like chicken thighs. Chicken breasts will cook much faster then thighs depending on the size or thickness of the chicken breast.
- Like cranberry sauce? Double the recipe so you have some at the dinner table. Eat it on buttery toast for breakfast, serve with peanut butter sandwiches in place of jelly, or make crostini's.
- Cranberry sauce stays good in fridge ~ 2 weeks.
- Most recipes, the pan has to be pre-heated before searing the meat. Chicken thighs have so much fat and collagen that you don't need to pre-heat the pan and you may not need any additional oil, fat, or butter depending on how you want it to taste. More butter = richer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten Free
Serving Suggestion
Serve chicken with cranberry sauce with complementary festive Thanksgiving recipes like:
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If you like chicken and cranberry sauce then check out these fruit and meat recipes.
Things In My Kitchen:
- Wide Zester - I love the visualness of this zesters wide citrus strings.
- Old School Juicer - Had a version of this juicer since I moved out of my parents house. LONG TIME!
- 12" and 9" Kitchen Tongs - stainless steel. Use tongs all day every day cooking.
- 12" non-stick pan with lid - generally fits 8 chicken thighs or ~ 2 pounds.
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