Future
Sweet and Sour, Festive and Fast
This cranberry-orange chicken works just as well for a quiet Tuesday dinner as it does a Friday night gathering with friends.
Carolina Gelen’s cranberry-orange chicken.Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
As a festive main dish, chicken thighs may sound like a stretch. As opposed to, say, a glistening, bronze-skinned whole roasted bird, a panful of thighs can feel a little basic — not so much “Happy holidays!” as “Welp, it’s Tuesday.”
Leave it to Carolina Gelen to flip the script. With a sweet and sour pan sauce made from orange juice, cranberries and a cinnamon stick, her ruby-hued cranberry-orange chicken would be reason enough to have people over. The best part is, as festive as the dish is, it’s also easy. It’s the kind of thing to simmer up when you’re “just” having a few friends over after work but still plan to break out the bubbly or, as Carolina sagely suggests, a bottle of crisp white wine.
Featured Recipe
Cranberry-Orange Chicken
View Recipe →
(Chicken breast fans, we see you too! Here’s a roundup of our best chicken breast recipes for you to enjoy.)
You’ll find more cranberries down to party in Genevieve Ko’s shrimp cocktail with a tangy cranberry cocktail sauce, a double pink delight that employs tart cranberries in place of the usual sweet ketchup. A little horseradish lends its pungent bite, while maple syrup sneaks in a sweet yet sophisticated touch.
