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Easy Slow-Cooker Cranberry Chicken (It’s Freezer-Friendly Too!)

This cranberry chicken recipe whips up in minutes with just a few basic ingredients, it’s freezer & slow cooker friendly too!

It is my sincere belief that you can never have too many foolproof chicken recipes up your sleeve. This flavor-packed simple cranberry chicken recipe  is another favorite “cheater” freezer meal–easy, delicious, practically mess-free, and freezer + crock pot friendly. What more do you need?

To make it as part of a freezer cooking day, just split the sauce & chicken into multiple bags, then throw it right into the freezer–no cooking required! Making it ahead of time is not necessary, though, as it is equally delicious just marinated at room temperature. And don’t let the simplicity of the cranberry chicken recipe fool you–this is one moist & flavorful meal that your family will absolutely go crazy for!

You can use any type of chicken but my family much prefers the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are a darker, juicier meat and also tend to be cheaper than the boneless skinless breasts.

Easy Slow-Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Here is what you need:

2 cans whole cranberry sauce
1 8oz bottle French dressing or Raspberry Vinaigrette
1 cup chicken broth
1 package onion soup mix
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped onion (optional)
3-4lbs boneless, skinless chicken

Step 1: Chop onion and set aside.

Step 2: In large bowl whisk together cranberry sauce, dressing, chicken broth, soup mix, chopped onion, salt, and pepper.

Step 3: Divide chicken into two gallon size freezer bags. Be sure tobags!

Step 4: Divide cranberry mixture into freezer bags over chicken. Freeze until needed.

Step 5: Thaw; pour contents into slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or place in casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

5 from 1 vote
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Simple Cranberry Chicken Recipe

This moist, delicious chicken is full of flavor and uses just a handful of simple ingredients!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Simple Cranberry Chicken
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  • 2 cans whole cranberry sauce
  • 1 8 oz bottle French dressing or Raspberry Vinaigrette
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 package onion soup mix
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion optional
  • 3-4 lbs boneless skinless chicken

Instructions

  1. Chop onion and set aside.
  2. In large bowl whisk together cranberry sauce, dressing, chicken broth, soup mix, chopped onion, salt, and pepper.
  3. Divide chicken into two gallon size freezer bags. Be sure to label bags!
  4. Divide cranberry mixture into freezer bags over chicken. Freeze until needed.
  5. Thaw; pour contents into slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or place in casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. 

Recipe Notes

If using slow cooker, cook 4-5 hrs on low or 2-3 hours on high.

Want more fabulous freezer meals? Here are some of our favorites!

 

Ruth Soukup

Ruth Soukup is dedicated to helping people everywhere create a life they love by follwing their dreams and achieving their biggest goals. She is the host of the wildly popular Do It Scared podcast, as well as the founder of Living Well Spending Less® and Elite Blog Academy®. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including Do It Scared®: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Obstacles, and Create a Life You Love, which was the inspiration for this book. She lives in Florida with her husband Chuck, and 2 daughters Maggie & Annie.

View Comments

  • Looks really delicious, thanks for recipe try to cook :)

  • Hmm I have leftover cranberries in my freezer...I'll bet I can tweak this to use them up.

  • I love this, a freezer meal that is also slow cooker friendly, two of my favorite things. I work full time, and my husband doesn't even get home until 8pm. With the 9 month old and 4 year old to take care of after work (which means getting home at 6pm) this is a great meal to make ahead in the morning, I can even get it ready for the freezer over the weekend. I can't wait to see more!

  • That looks delicious! Never occurred to me to use cranberry sauce as a sort of marinade--great idea!

  • It's in the crock pot now! I had some cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving and chicken that I didn't have plans for yet, and voila, dinner is served. I will cook some rice and make a salad too. Thanks for the dinner suggestion :-)

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Ruth Soukup

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