Easy Cranberry Baked Chicken Thighs

Method

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. 2

   Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Season tops and bottoms of the chicken thighs with garlic salt and black pepper. Cut the orange in half, take one of the halves and slice it into quarter inch slices. Leave the other half whole, you will use it later.

3. 3

   In the bottom of a cast iron or heavy bottomed pan melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, place the chicken thighs in the hot pan skin side down.

4. 4

   Brown the chicken in the pan until the skin is golden then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

5. 5

   Reduce heat to medium and add the fresh cranberries and sprigs of rosemary to the hot pan, sauté for 1-2 minutes then add in the cranberry juice, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to get up all of the bits from frying the chicken.

6. 6

   Zest the second half of the orange into the cranberry mixture, then squeezed the juice from that half of the orange into the mixture as well.

7. 7

   Add in the brown sugar, garlic salt, onion powder, and paprika stir well and let simmer on medium low for 10 minutes.

8. 8

   Remove the pan from the heat, carefully spoon out about half a cup of the cranberry pan sauce and set aside. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up this time.

9. 9

   Spoon some of the reserved cranberry pan sauce over the top of the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes baste the chicken with the remaining reserved cranberry pan sauce.

10. 10

    Cook for another 25 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F, remove from the oven. Garnish with the fresh orange quarters, fresh thyme, extra cranberry sauce and rosemary. Serve warm!