Gluten free Cranberry Orange Chicken is a sweet, sticky oven-baked dish everyone will love. Smart gluten free cooks stock only one soy sauce in their pantry and it's gluten free. Trying to keep a gluten-filled version and a gluten-free version is just crazy making. You need easy dishes the whole family will enjoy and this is one to add to the list.
I most often serve this chicken with plain white rice to sop up the sauce and any green vegetable. To make a special holiday dinner serve gluten free cornbread-chorizo stuffing on the side with sweet and white scalloped potatoes. This make-ahead frozen pumpkin mousse would be a satisfying end to a delicious meal that didn't involve turkey.
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Ingredients
Four ingredient recipes like this are a lifesaver for busy people and stocking your pantry with the right ingredients is the secret.
- Bone-in chicken thighs - Using bone-in chicken takes longer to cook and that is what creates the delicious sticky sweet sauce you want.
- Canned whole cranberry sauce - It's easy to get a few cans into your pantry to have on hand for fall recipes like this.
- Honey - The long cooking time and the honey is what creates a sticky sauce.
- Frozen orange juice concentrate - I keep a can of orange juice concentrate in the freezer for all my recipes that call for orange juice. (See below for my list!)
- Gluten free soy sauce - There are many gluten free brands of soy sauce available. Try a few different ones and if you're turned off by the list of ingredients then you're ready to have a soy sauce vs tamari tasting night and find something better.
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Instructions
Time saver & Dish saver - Some cooks take pride in using the least amount of dishes when they cook and I can relate to that. Whenever I can I measure ingredients right into my 4-cup pyrex measuring cup and heat the mixture in the microwave. I know the recipe says to simmer the sauce for 5 minutes but I sometimes skip that instruction and I'm happy with the results.
Substitutions
Bone-in Turkey Legs - Substitute turkey legs for the chicken and cook longer until the meat measures 175°F with a digital thermometer.
Boneless chicken thighs or turkey breast - Substitute the bone-in chicken with either boneless chicken or a boneless turkey breast. Both should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F measured with a meat thermometer. To ensure you have a sticky sauce you should simmer it for 10 minutes before pouring it over the meat and baking.
Orange juice concentrate - Substitute with the zest and finely chopped peel of two fresh oranges.
Storage
Saucy dishes like this freeze well and last in the freezer for 2-3 months. Smart cooks double recipes like this and freeze portions in the sizes they know they'll want.
Top Tip: Friendsgiving
Rethinking holiday dinners. This dish isn't fancy or difficult and that's exactly what makes it appealing to students and anyone who doesn't want to cook a whole turkey or doesn't like turkey. You can still kick-it-up-a-notch and make a fabulous feast with the suggestions I listed under the picture at the top of this post.
Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 bone-in chicken thighs
CRANBERRY ORANGE SAUCE
- 1 can whole cranberry sauce (14 oz/397 g)
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup orange juice concentrate*
- ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine sauce ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, decrease heat and simmer 5 minutes.
- Put chicken in large baking dish and pour sauce over top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1-1½ hours basting chicken with sauce half way through the cooking time.
Notes
Nutrition
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More Recipe Using Frozen Orange Juice
- My recipe for Overnight oats uses orange juice.
- This homemade gluten free granola combines honey and orange juice that helps the ingredients stay together for the texture I love.
- Pumpkin-ginger muffins is a big recipe I make every fall with orange juice from my freezer.
- I make Cranberry Orange muffins when I have fresh cranberries and orange is the magic combo.
- Cumin Lime Chicken is an easy Mexican-inspired recipe I've been making for years and orange juice is in the sauce.
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