Cran-Tastic Chicken
Combining sweet and savoury is a great way to kick your recipe up a notch. This process of balancing two different flavour types is called flavour layering, and has become a popular culinary trend. Flavour layering is a great way to enhance and showcase subtle flavours that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. This is one of the many reasons that chicken and cranberries are such a perfect match.
In North America, cranberries are harvested in the fall which is why we tend to see them most during the holiday season. But frozen or dried cranberries are available all year round, as are canned sauces and jellies. You can also freeze fresh cranberries for up to a year. And they don’t even need to be defrosted before you use them! So why not make cranberries a regular part of your menu? From cozy fall meals to fresh summer dishes, cranberries can bring any recipe to life.
Health Benefits
The benefits of cooking with cranberries extends beyond the magic of flavour layering. They are chock full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and offer a range of other health benefits, all of which have awarded cranberries the title of superfood. Raw cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, with just a half cup containing 10% of the daily recommended value. Cranberries also contain dietary fibre, calcium, potassium, zinc, and vitamin K. The vitamin E and cytokine proteins found in cranberries have anti-inflammatory properties which can reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cranberries are also known to lower the risk of urinary tract infections. Any way you look at it, cranberries are nothing but good for you!
Cooking Tips
There are many ways to make use of cranberries in the kitchen. Due to their tart nature, fresh cranberries are usually cooked down and sweetened before added to a recipe. They are naturally high in pectin, which makes them the perfect base for sauces or jellies, without requiring any additional thickener. Cranberry sauce pairs well with poultry dishes and makes an excellent sandwich or appetizer topping.
Dried cranberries are another great addition to your pantry. You can find dried cranberries at the grocery store, but be mindful of the added sugar content, which can vary between brands. It is also easy to dry your own at home using a dehydrator. This allows you to moderate the added sugar to your liking. If you don’t have a dehydrator, an oven works well, too. Simmer your cranberries on the stovetop with some sugar until they’ve all popped, then lay them out on a baking sheet lined first with paper towels and then parchment paper, and bake at 170º F for 7 to 8 hours.
Recipe Ideas
Here are nine of our favourite recipes uniting chicken and cranberries. Keep these in mind around the holidays – goodness knows there are enough leftover cranberries to get creative!
