Mediterranean Chicken with Cranberry Honey Sauce
Mediterranean Chicken with Cranberry Honey Sauce is a flavorful and easy-to-make dish blending aromatic Mediterranean herbs with a sweet and tangy cranberry honey sauce. Juicy, golden chicken breasts are coated in a luscious sauce that balances savory and sweet notes, perfect for quick weeknight dinners or elegant meals to impress guests.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Searing and Simmering
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce (unsweetened or lightly sweetened)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Season the chicken breasts generously with salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Make the Cranberry Honey Sauce: In the same skillet, add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add cranberry sauce, honey, and fresh lemon juice, stirring well to combine and scraping up browned bits from the pan. Let the sauce simmer on low heat until it thickens slightly.
- Combine Chicken with Sauce: Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, spoon the cranberry honey sauce over them, and allow the chicken to warm in the sauce for 2-3 minutes so it absorbs the flavors.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the chicken. Serve the dish with your preferred sides and drizzle with any remaining sauce from the pan.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the chicken to keep it juicy and tender.
- Use good-quality olive oil for better flavor richness.
- Adjust honey and lemon juice to balance the sweet and tart flavors to your liking.
- Allow the sauce to reduce to a thicker consistency before adding the chicken back to maximize coating.
- Fresh herbs, such as parsley or rosemary, brighten the final dish more than dried herbs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with sauce
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
Keywords: Mediterranean chicken, cranberry honey sauce, easy chicken recipe, healthy dinner, weeknight meal, sweet and savory chicken
