Cranberry Chicken
This one is a family favorite. My mother got it years ago, shortly before I got married, from I-don’t-know-where and she liked it so much that she taught it to the caterer of my wedding and had him make it for the meal!
Since then I save it especially for this time of year. It’s simple but very special. This recipe makes enough for two whole chickens.
Ingredients
2 chickens, cut into eighths, skinned
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion, sliced thin
Sauce
1 can cranberry sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup real French dressing (recipe to follow)
1 can of the cranberry cans of water
French Dressing
In a hand blender or immersion blender jar, blend together until smooth the following:
1 small onion
½ cup canola oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2-3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Spray two 9×13 baking pans or one large pan with baking spray.
Place the flour with the spices in a plastic bag. Put each piece of chicken into the bag and shake to coat it evenly. Lay the coated chicken pieces in the pan.
Put all the sauce ingredients into a large bowl. Mash them together with a potato masher or a fork to break up the lumps of cranberry sauce somewhat. You can use a bought jar of French dressing but since I didn’t have any, I made the dressing myself in a hand blender jar. (There are also no preservatives in your dressing this way.) Pour the sauce over the chicken and top it with the onion slices.
Bake the chicken uncovered for 75 minutes on bake, not convection, not broil. Check the chicken when it’s been in the oven about half the time. If it looks like it may dry out to you, baste it and then cover it for the rest of the baking time.
Another great Rosh Hashana (or any time, for that matter) quickie idea for a side dish to do with this chicken is to add a bag of frozen baby carrots to the pan before laying the chicken pieces down. When it’s done cooking, you will have a delicious chicken plus a carrot side dish to serve it with.
