Here’s a simple, flavorful Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken recipe — tangy, slightly sweet, and perfect for an easy dinner.
🍗 Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken (Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (12 oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare the sauce
- In a bowl, combine cranberries, orange juice, chicken broth, honey, garlic, onion, mustard, salt, pepper, and thyme.
2️⃣ Add chicken to slow cooker
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a 4–6 qt slow cooker.
3️⃣ Pour sauce over chicken
- Spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the chicken.
4️⃣ Cook
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through (internal temp 165°F / 74°C).
5️⃣ Optional thickening
- If the sauce is too thin, remove chicken, transfer sauce to a small pot, and simmer 5–10 minutes until thickened.
- Pour sauce over chicken before serving.
6️⃣ Serve
- Great over rice, mashed potatoes, or quinoa. Garnish with extra thyme or orange zest.
🔥 Tips
- Frozen chicken works fine — just increase cooking time slightly.
- Add chopped apples or cranberries for a sweeter, fruity twist.
- For a richer flavor, stir in a splash of red wine before cooking.
I can also give a crockpot version with a creamy cranberry sauce if you want a smoother, almost gravy-like dish.
Do you want me to share that version too?
