Cranberry Roasted Chicken

Move over turkey, this cranberry roast chicken is making its way in. This chicken is roasted to perfection with delicious flavors of orange, cranberry, and sage. All of the wonderful flavors of the holidays in one wonderful dish. You can pair this with any of your family’s favorite side dishes for a complete meal.

I typically start the night before by brining the chicken for optimum flavor and to allow the meat to maintain the juices and flavors of the brine. If you do not have time to brine the meat you can season the chicken however you like. For instance, you can add butter underneath the skin and directly on the meat for added flavor.

However you choose to do so it is going to be delicious…especially the gravy. Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C. Canned Cranberry Sauce
3/4 C. Orange Juice
1/4 C. Maple Syrup
2 Cloves Gallic – sliced
1 Inch Piece of Ginger – peeled and sliced
1/2 Tsp. Ground Or Rubbed Sage
Salt and pepper – to taste
1 Whole Chicken – patted dry
1/2 C. Chicken stock
Melted Butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
   Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place in a roasting pan or Dutch oven.
2. Brush the chicken with the melted butter ( I brine my chicken or turkey so see notes) and season the chicken with salt and pepper or the seasonings of choice.
3. Add the chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan and cover with with foil or a lid.
4. Roast for 20 minutes.
5. In the meantime, you can make the sauce. In a blender combine the orange juice, cranberry, garlic, ginger, sage, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. About 2 to 3 minutes. ( You can pour this mixture into a saucepan and bring it to a boil reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half).
6. Pour the mixture into 2 separate bowls and set aside. (one for basting raw chicken and one for when the chicken is done)
7. After 20 minutes of cooking remove the chicken and baste with the cranberry mixture. Cover and roast for another 20 minutes. Remove and baste the chicken again cover with the foil or lid and place back into the oven for another 20 minutes of cooking. This should total out to be 1 hour of cooking time.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven and baste the chicken with the other bowl of the basting liquid.
9. Place back into the oven for another 15 minutes or so to cook and get browned and cooked through. You can check the temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. This is between the leg and thigh. It should read 160 to 165*.
10. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
    For the gravy. I add 2 tbsp of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of water and mix well. Remove the chicken from the sauce and bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Slowly whisk in a little of the cornstarch mixture until you get the desired thickness you want. Remove from the heat and pour into a gravy boat for serving.

• TO BRINE A CHICKEN – MY METHOD: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup of sugar. Remove from the heat once the salt and sugar have dissolved and add 2 sprigs of rosemary, 1 bundle of thyme, and 2 tbsp. peppercorns, 2-inch pieces of ginger that have been sliced, 4 cloves garlic that have been sliced, and 1 orange that has been quartered plus the juice. Let steep for 10 minutes to cool. To a large container that can hold a whole chicken plus liquid add the chicken, the cooled liquid, and enough water to just cover the chicken. Place in the fridge overnight. In the morning drain the chicken and pat dry before prepping to be cooked. Cook as desired.
• I recommend reducing the sauce down for more of a sticky glaze on the chicken but you don’t have to. You can baste the chicken with the sauce and make gravy at the end just before serving.
• I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and a roasted side dish. You can serve this however you like.
• This chicken also makes great chicken salad and pretty awesome chicken sandwiches.