Cranberry Rooster Recipe – Rachel Cooks®

My love for boneless skinless rooster breasts runs deep—I all the time maintain them readily available within the freezer for fast and straightforward dinners. They’re so versatile—throw them in soup, marinate them, grill them, stuff them, or smother them in a scrumptious sauce, as on this cranberry rooster recipe.

Whereas we all know cranberries are a wonderful pairing with herb roasted turkey, they’re simply as scrumptious with turkey’s cousin, the common-or-garden rooster. (Are turkeys and chickens cousins? Possibly they’re distant cousins that solely see one another sometimes at weddings the place they make awkward dialog throughout cocktail hour.) You need to use recent cranberries once they’re in season, however since you can too purchase frozen cranberries today, this actually is a year-round sort of recipe.

The entire dish comes collectively in a single pan so it’s straightforward, however the flavors make it really feel like one thing a bit extra particular than your commonplace weeknight rooster dinner. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to serve this cranberry rooster to visitors!

The Greatest Cranberry Rooster

No processed elements. Many cranberry rooster recipes use canned cranberry sauce, Catalina dressing, and onion soup combine. My model is made with extra healthful elements—no soup packets wanted. It solely takes a bit extra effort and the tip end result tastes wonderful. This actually is considered one of my favourite recipes!

Simple to make. This recipe requires minimal prep work, simply chopping the onion and garlic, and far of the cooking is hands-off within the oven. The seasonings come proper out of your pantry.

Excellent steadiness of flavors. The maple syrup pairs completely with the tart cranberries, making a balanced sauce that enhances the rooster fantastically. In the event you love sweet-and-savory dishes like pork tenderloin with apples and onions, you’ll get pleasure from cranberry rooster too!

Ingredient Notes

• Boneless skinless rooster breasts: Typically boneless skinless rooster breasts are gigantic; they normally will be minimize in half to make two 6 oz. servings. A smaller piece of rooster cooks way more evenly.
• All-purpose flour: The rooster is dredged in seasoned flour so that you simply get a pleasant browned exterior and loads of taste.
• Seasonings: I take advantage of a mix of straightforward pantry elements: kosher salt, coarse floor black pepper, dried thyme, and crushed rosemary.
• Olive oil: The rooster breasts are evenly browned within the skillet earlier than baking. Use any oil you want to make use of for cooking.
• Onion and garlic: A yellow cooking onion is your best option for this recipe as a result of it has a finer texture. In the event you use one other sort of onion, mince it finely so there aren’t large chunks of onion within the sauce (except you favor that!). The onion and garlic add a pleasant savory distinction to the candy and tart flavors within the dish.
• Recent or frozen cranberries: Recent or frozen berries are extra tart than canned as a result of there’s no added sugar (you’ll add your personal sweeteners to the recipe). They soften throughout the cooking course of and change into virtually jam-like.
• Rooster broth: Use a high-quality broth or home made.
• Maple syrup: Select actual maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Darker maple syrups have a extra strong taste, in order that they’re price in search of out.
• Brown sugar: You need to use both mild or darkish; darkish brown sugar has a stronger molasses taste.
• Dijon mustard: This provides sharp, tangy taste and depth to the sauce.
• Optionally available garnish: Recent parsley or rosemary.

Methods to Make Cranberry Rooster

Put together. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Whisk the flour and seasonings in a medium-sized bowl. Put the rooster items within the bowl and dredge them with the flour combination till your entire floor of every piece is coated (or you’ll be able to sprinkle it on). Don’t discard the leftover flour combination. It serves double obligation and can assist to thicken the sauce.

Sear the rooster. Warmth the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high warmth. As soon as the oil is shimmering, rigorously add the rooster breasts and cook dinner for 3 minutes per facet to brown them. They received’t be cooked all over. Take away the rooster from the skillet when you make the sauce.

Cook dinner the aromatics. Scale back the warmth to medium and add the onion. Cook dinner till it’s softened, then stir within the garlic and extra seasoned flour combination. Cook dinner for a minute extra, till the garlic is aromatic and the flour is toasted to take away its uncooked taste.

Make the cranberry sauce. Add the rooster broth, maple syrup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard and deglaze the pan by scraping the underside with a picket spoon. Add the cranberries and cook dinner for 7 to eight minutes, or till the berries burst and the sauce is barely thickened. 

Bake. Nestle the rooster again into the sauce, then place the pan within the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to twenty minutes, or till the rooster reaches 165ºF on an immediate learn thermometer.

Relaxation. Let the rooster relaxation for five to 10 minutes to permit the juices to reincorporate, then spoon sauce excessive and serve with recent herbs for garnish.

Suggestions and Variations

Stir the cranberries typically. When left alone, cranberries will pop and spatter in your stovetop. Stirring typically helps management that; you can too use a picket spoon to crush the berries towards the facet of the pan to stop the popping too.

Use a meat thermometer. That is vital! Boneless, skinless rooster breast is simple to overcook and one of the best ways to stop that is to observe the temperature slightly than the time. 

Strive it with turkey breast. You possibly can swap in 6-ounce parts of turkey breast for the rooster breasts on this recipe.

Serving Options

Fridge: Retailer leftover cranberry rooster in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. 

Freezer: This dish may also be frozen for as much as 3 months. Place it in a freezer bag with the sauce and press out the surplus air, or retailer it in an hermetic container. (I choose freezer baggage as a result of they take up much less house within the freezer and do a greater job at stopping freezer burn.)

To reheat: Place the rooster and sauce in an oven-safe dish, cowl it with foil, and heat in a 350ºF oven till heated by way of. Alternatively, you’ll be able to reheat it within the microwave, but it surely’s extra possible that the rooster will find yourself rubbery this manner.

• Preheat oven to 375°F.

• In a medium-sized bowl, combine collectively flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Add rooster to the bowl one piece at a time, and coat each side of the rooster with the flour combination (alternatively, you’ll be able to sprinkle the flour combination on to your rooster). Reserve any additional seasoned flour that doesn’t adhere to the rooster. You may be utilizing it to thicken the sauce.

  4 boneless skinless rooster breasts, about 6 oz. every, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse floor black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon crushed rosemary

• In a big oven-safe skillet, warmth the olive oil over medium-high warmth. As soon as scorching, add the rooster breasts and cook dinner for 3 minutes per facet, till golden brown. The rooster is not going to be absolutely cooked. Take away the rooster from the skillet to a clear plate, and put aside.

  2 tablespoons olive oil

• In the identical skillet, scale back the warmth to medium. Add the onion, cooking till softened and aromatic, 2 to three minutes. Add garlic and remaining seasoned flour combination from the rooster, and cook dinner, stirring, for 1 minute.

  ½ cup diced yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Add rooster broth, maple syrup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard to the skillet. Stir, scraping any brown bits off the underside of the pan. Add cranberries and produce combination to a simmer. Enable the sauce to cook dinner for 7 to eight minutes, till the cranberries soften and start to burst, and the sauce thickens barely.

  ½ cup rooster broth, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 cups recent or frozen cranberries

• Add the rooster again to the pan, nestling it into the sauce.

• Fastidiously transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 15 to twenty minutes, or till the rooster is cooked by way of (inside temperature ought to attain 165°F).

• Take away the pan from the oven and let the rooster relaxation for a few minutes earlier than serving. Spoon sauce over rooster and serve.

• Rooster: Typically boneless skinless rooster breasts are fairly giant and will be minimize in half to make two 6 oz. parts which cook dinner extra evenly than very giant items of rooster. You possibly can additionally substitute boneless skinless rooster thighs, in the event you choose.
• Cranberry turkey: This recipe could possibly be made with raw turkey breast, minimize into 6 oz. parts.
• Storage: Leftover cranberry rooster will be refrigerated for as much as 4 days in a coated container. It freezes nicely, too, in a freezer bag, for as much as 3 months. 

Serving: 1breast, Energy: 279kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 11g, Fats: 9g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 6g, Trans Fats: 0.01g, Ldl cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 398mg, Potassium: 337mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 56IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 1mg

Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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