Cranberry Balsamic Chicken
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This one-pan-wonder Cranberry Balsamic Chicken recipe is healthy and simple, with a sauce so delicious you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- The chicken will turns incredibly tender and flavorful.
- This marinade is everything. It’s tangy because of the balsamic and dried cranberries, and a little bit sweet because of the maple syrup. It’s a little sweeter than our other Balsamic Chicken Marinade.
- This dish is best when prepared ahead of time so it has time to marinate.
- It’s a one dish meal. (You might also like our 6-Ingredient Recipes)
Ingredients Needed
- Marinade Ingredients: Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt & pepper
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
- Dried cranberries
- Optional but delicious: Goat cheese crumbles
How to Make Cranberry Balsamic Chicken
Make the Marinade:
Whisk together your olive oil, balsamic, maple syrup, garlic, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper.
Add the Cranberries:
Stir in some dried cranberries.
Those cranberries will break down in the balsamic vinegar and flavor the whole marinade.
Add in Chicken and Brussels Sprouts:
Add the chicken breasts and Brussels sprouts to the marinade, rolling everything around, and giving your chicken and sprouts a nice little marinade bath.
Marinate:
Tuck it all in nicely, cover it, and let it hang out in the fridge for at least a few hours.
After baking, the meal was such a hit that it became a regular in our dinner lineup. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is as easy to prepare as it is tasty.
Serve it with Wheat Dinner Rolls, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, or Skillet Green Beans for a tasty meal.
FAQs
Chicken is done when it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
If you don’t want the Brussels in the dish, would suggest making a sheet pan of Roasted Vegetables as a side instead.
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Cranberry Balsamic Chicken
This Cranberry Balsamic Chicken is super simple to make and full of flavor. The delicious combination of the tangy balsamic with the sweet maple syrup and cranberries will make this chicken dish a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste*
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste*
- 3–4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups (or more to your preference) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- Optional for serving: Goat cheese crumbles
*Original recipe called for 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, but updated on 4/14/22 after retesting.
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Instructions
- Whisk together oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Add chicken, Brussels sprouts, and cranberries to the marinade, and mix until everything is evenly coated.
- Cover dish and store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Bake uncovered at 375°F for 30 minutes (or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F or no longer has any pink inside). Taste and season with more salt and pepper as desired. Top with goat cheese crumbles, if desired.
Notes/Tips
- If you don’t want Brussels Sprouts, consider making a side dish or Roasted Vegetables instead.
- Chicken thighs would also work.
- We don’t suggest freezing this one. It turned out too soggy in our tests.
About the Author
Alyssa is a former English teacher turned stay-at-home mama. She married her high school sweetheart and still thinks he’s dreamy. She likes to write about, talk about, make, and most importantly eat delicious, nourishing food.
I’ve been making this for years and my family loves it. My daughter doesn’t care much for Brussel sprouts so I have subbed it with broccoli or I’ll do a mix of Brussel sprouts and broccoli. I’m making it again for dinner tonight with broccoli included and my 8 year old is super excited. This is one of the few ways my husband likes Brussel Sprouts, as well.
Hi Sarah! So glad to hear about this winning recipe for your family. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and note the substitutions you make sometimes!
I haven’t made this yet but I’m willing to be adventurous and try something completely new and out of the box.
This is one of my family’s favorites. I hope you like it as much as we do!
I rarely ever comment on recipes I try, but had to make an exception this time because this was AMAZING! The sweet & savory flavor components in this dish are so good! Loved the Brussels sprouts but hubby did not so next time I will try green beans or asparagus. Love that it’s freezer friendly, too! Will definitely make again. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hi Kristin! This is one of my family’s favorite dishes as well. I’ve never thought to try a different veggie. Not all of us like Brussels Sprouts, but a few do, so I just usually steam broccoli or something for the others. I would love to know how it turns out if you do try green beans or asparagus! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
This is one of my favorite recipes for a weeknight meal with no menu plan. (I know… the horror!) what takes the longest is chopping Brussels sprouts so how many I use directly correlates to how much time I have! While I do love crispy Brussels sprouts when baked and sautéed, it might be good to note for some people that these don’t crisp up much. The cabbage living members of my family love it this way. The others just eat the chicken and cranberries!
I’ve made this several times and keep sending the recipe to friends. It’s fantastic! Even my husband loves it.
Great! Thanks for taking the time to share that with us!
Looks delicious! Is it possible to cut down on the oil without compromising the recipe? Do you think I could do 1/4 cup and still be okay??
I think that would be fine. Hope you enjoy it!
I’m unclear – do you cook the chicken ahead of time (you said it’s best cooked ahead of time) or put it with the Brussels sprouts and sauce raw and then cook it all together?
Thanks
It all goes in raw and baked together. Thanks for the question. I’ll go back and read through the recipe and update to make clearer.
Love the combination of flavors here. How would I adjust the cooking time if I wanted to do this in a slow cooker? Thank you.
Chicken breasts take 2.5-3.5 hours to cook in the slow cooker (they are done when they register 165°F internally). I haven’t tested Brussels sprouts in there, but I would imagine they would take about 3 hours or so (until tender). Hope that helps.
Does this go in the oven still covered?
Good question! You will bake this uncovered. I just updated the directions to make this clearer.
Any suggestions for a substitute for brussel sprouts?
Hmm, I’m not sure without test it. I just like to roast a big pan of veggies separately, usually.
I just made this and substituted green beans for the brussel sprouts. It turned out great.
Yum! Thanks for sharing about your swap. Sounds delicious, Diane.
Have you tried using frozen brussels for this? I’m wanting it to be a freezer meal.
No we haven’t, but sounds like an idea worth trying.
I tried this recipe last week, and it was such a hit in my house w/my husband and two boys. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear that. Thanks for sharing, Tracy.
Can you substitute fresh or frozen cranberries for dried?
This is Alyssa’s recipe, but my thought is that dried cranberries have added sugar which cuts back the acidic taste that fresh cranberries are known for. I also think the fresh/frozen kind will contribute quite a bit of extra liquid. If you’re ok risking those two caveats, then go for it. Fresh cranberries would definitely be a healthier substitute.