Cranberry Glazed Chicken

I have a dilemma. There is a beautiful bag of cranberries taunting me from my refrigerator. Every time I open my produce drawer, they call out to me, begging to be cooked and eaten. These aren't just any supermarket cranberries, mind you, but rather cranberries that were specially selected by my in-laws and shipped to us straight from a Cape Cod bog. I have big plans for these little gems. They are to go in the obligatory cranberry bread for Thanksgiving morning, and to be put into the fresh cranberry relish for Thanksgiving dinner. I really don't have many to spare...but tonight I could not resist their allure and so I made roasted chicken breasts with a cranberry glaze, using just a cup of the precious fruits. This recipe is adapted from Everyday Food.

Chicken with a Cranberry Glaze

Serves 4

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (or one large split turkey breast)

butter

dried sage

dried thyme

2 C chicken or turkey stock

1 onion, diced

1 C cranberries

1 t corn starch

Preheat oven to 400°.

Carefully lift skin on chicken breasts and sprinkle a pinch of sage and thyme and place 1 pat of butter. Replace skin over breast and sprinkle over a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast breasts for about 30-40 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160°.

Meanwhile, saute onion in 1 T butter until soft (about 8 minutes) in large sauce pan. Add about 1/2 t thyme and sage and stir for one minute. Add 2 C chicken or turkey stock and boil for about 10 minutes or until reduced slightly. Strain stock and then add cranberries and simmer until cranberries pop and soften, about 8 minutes. Make a slurry with 1 t corn starch and 1 t water. Stir to combine then whisk into sauce pan to thicken sauce.

Pour sauce over chicken and serve with rice or mashed potatoes.