Easy Pan Seared Chicken with Cranberry Sauce
This simple and easy pan fried chicken 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.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
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 Tbsp 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.