Cranberry-Ginger Chicken Bake
SERVES 4
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS When it comes to convenience, it’s hard to find an easier dish to pull together than a good old-fashioned chicken bake. Unfortunately, this dish has suffered the stigma of many pantry-ready meals: tinny, canned flavor in a watered-down, ersatz sauce. Our solution was to start with a base of intense flavor—sweet-tart cranberry sauce—that we could amp up with aromatics and herbs for a sauce that tasted out of this world, not out of a can. Orange zest and juice balanced the cranberries’ tartness, and garlic and ginger added a touch of heat. We started the sauce in a skillet by blooming, or deepening, the flavor of the aromatics in a bit of water, then we added the orange zest and juice and cranberry sauce, plus some minced thyme, and reduced it all until slightly thickened. With such an intensely flavored sauce, browning the chicken was an unnecessary step; we simply poured the sauce over our seasoned chicken breasts and slid the casserole dish into the oven. Twenty minutes later, we had a deceptively easy, yet robustly flavored, dinner that was ready for the table. See the Test Kitchen Tip that follows the recipe.
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1 |
orange |
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Fresh thyme |
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2 |
garlic cloves |
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Fresh ginger |
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2 |
(14-ounce) cans whole berry cranberry sauce |
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4 |
(6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts |
1. Adjust oven rack to top position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grate orange for ½ teaspoon zest, then squeeze for ½ cup juice. Mince 2 teaspoons thyme. Mince garlic, grate 2 teaspoons ginger, and combine with 2 tablespoons water in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minutes.
2. Stir orange zest and juice, thyme, cranberry sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper into saucepan. Simmer, stirring often, until mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Trim chicken, pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Lay chicken in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and pour cranberry mixture over top. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 20 minutes. Serve.