Cranberry Stuffed Chicken Recipes

CRANBERRY-STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute the celery, onion and cranberries in 1/2 cup butter until tender. Stir in the garlic, croutons, cornbread stuffing and enough broth to moisten; set aside. , Place chicken with breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage; sprinkle over inside and outside of chicken. Loosely stuff with cranberry mixture. Melt remaining butter; brush over chicken. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° for chicken and 165° for the stuffing, basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove chicken from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.

CRANBERRY-GORGONZOLA STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a small bowl, combine cheese and cranberries. Spoon 1/4 cup cheese mixture down the center of each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks., Place walnuts and parsley in a food processor; cover and process until ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl; stir in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine eggs and mustard. Place flour in a third shallow bowl. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in egg mixture and coat with walnut mixture., Place seam side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks.

CAPE COD CRANBERRY STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• If using two one-pound breasts, butterfly the breast open then pound to ¼ inch thick. Once pounded, cut into two equal pieces. Repeat for second breast yielding four pieces.
• If using 8-ounce breasts, pound each to ¼ inch. The pounded-out breasts should be about eight inches long and six or seven inches wide.
• Keep refrigerated until later.
• In a large saute pan or skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and once melted and frothy, add onions, celery, garlic and dried cranberries and saute for five minutes. Add celery salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and stir.
• Add half of the stock and half of the cream and once hot, reduce to low and add bread and cranberry sauce and stir and mix to break up the bread and melt the cranberry sauce.
• Mixture should be soft and spreadable. If not, add more bread or stock to get correct consistency.
• Taste and season more if needed.
• Pour out onto a large dish and refrigerate to cool.
• Wash and dry the pan out and set back on the stove for later.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the filling is cool, lay out one pounded breast and run one quarter of the filling from one end to the other, keeping an inch free along one outer long edge. *
• Start with the free edge away from you and roll the chicken over the filling and end on the free edge.
• Repeat for the remaining filling and chicken.
• Turn each over one at a time and using toothpicks, close the seam by piercing through one side to the other. I ran 8-10 toothpicks through each roll.
• In the large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter along with the two tablespoons of olive oil.
• Once hot, add chicken seam side down and brown. Using a long spatula, like a fish turner, flip each roll over and brown the other side. I cooked mine for about three minutes per side.
• Add remaining stock and cream into the pan and over the chicken, cover and place in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove cover and cook five more minutes then remove.
• While chicken is cooking, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and once melted, add flour and cook over low for about three minutes stirring with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be slightly tan in color and no longer smell like raw flour. Set this aside off heat.
• Once the chicken is out of the oven, transfer to a clean cutting board and pour all liquid (and any stuffing pieces that fell out) into the pan with the butter flour mixture, whisking vigorously. Return heat to medium heat and add gravy color and cranberry sauce and whisk again. Taste and only add salt and pepper if needed.
• Slice the chicken rolls into thick slices and serve with the sauce over our Cranberry Rice Pilaf.

APPLE, CRANBERRY, AND FETA STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Heat 1 teaspoon water in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the diced apple until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix the cooked apple, cranberries, shallots, feta and a splash of the chicken stock and set aside.
• Cut a deep horizontal pocket in the side of each chicken breast. Make the pocket as large as you can without piercing the top or bottom of the breast. Place 1/4 of the apple mixture in the pocket of each chicken breast. Secure the pocket with toothpicks threading along the side to close.
• Heat the remaing 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a heavy oven-proof skillet until it begins to smoke. Cook each side of the chicken until golden brown.
• Add the vinegar and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer the chicken for 2 or 3 minutes per side until cooked through.
• Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm. Continue to cook the sauce until it is reduced to a thick syrup.
• Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over each chicken breast to serve.

SUNNY'S EASY CHEESE AND CRANBERRY STUFFED CHICKEN WITH CRANBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• Make and freeze the stuffing: Mash together the goat cheese, shredded cheese, cranberries, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl with a fork. (You can use your hands to mix it really well.) Taste a 'lil bit and add a pinch of salt if needed. Divide the cheese mixture into four sections and shape into torpedo-like logs a bit shorter than the length of the chicken breasts. Wrap each in plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Prepare the chicken: Use a paring knife to cut a pocket into the short, fat end of a chicken breast, that will run through much of the length of the breast, without cutting all the way through. It may take a few strokes with the knife. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Remove the stuffing from the freezer and insert one log in each pocket. If necessary, trim the logs to fit into the pockets. Secure the openings with toothpicks.
• Season and grill the chicken: Preheat the grill for direct and indirect grilling at 350 degrees F and oil the grates.
• Brush olive oil on the chicken and sprinkle on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken over the direct heat of the grill and cook until a peek beneath reveals grill marks, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and place over the indirect heat of the grill to finish. Remove when a check with a thermometer shows the chicken to be at around 155 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill and tent with aluminum foil for 5 to 10 minutes. The temperature of the chicken should increase to 165 degrees F.
• Make the glaze: Combine the chicken stock, cranberries, honey, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the toothpicks from the chicken, transfer to plates, and serve each with a spoon of glaze over the top.