Cranberry Glazed Chicken Breast

I had a huge 1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken breast waiting to become dinner. My daughter Lindsey requested I make Chicken Corn Soup which will have to wait until tomorrow. Because as I was rummaging through the fridge I realized that I had some leftover fresh cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. Yes, I said Thanksgiving. I make it once a year and freeze the leftovers in small containers to use for my turkey sandwiches throughout the rest of the year. Delish!

My mind started cooking before I did and the next thing I knew I was making a cranberry glazed chicken instead of soup.


This is a fast and easy dinner that’s ready in about 30 minutes or less. I generously salted and peppered the chicken then heated a skillet over med high heat. When the pan was nice and hot I drizzled a couple of Tablespoons of oil in the pan and placed my chicken skin side down (if there was skin on the chicken) and let it brown for 5 minutes without touching it so it could get a tasty golden brown.

Then I flipped it over and turned off the heat; smeared about ½ cup of cranberry sauce over the chicken and placed the whole pan in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. (10 minutes if your chicken is smaller)

The salt and pepper along with the pan searing gave the chicken a lovely roasted flavor that made the chicken savory while the cranberry glaze added a nice layer of sweet (mango chutney would work well also).

There was about 2 Tbsp. of liquid that was released by the chicken in the pan which I spooned over each breast before serving with an extra dollop of cranberry sauce on the side.