Roasted Chicken with Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Chicken with Cranberry Sauce served with
 Mashed White Beans and a green salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Recipe from Everyday Food Great Food Fast

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is so easy that you can have this on a weeknight.  It’s so tasty and pretty that you can serve it at a small weekend dinner party.  The original recipe called for roasting bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.  I roasted a whole chicken instead and used the extra meat for a chicken salad the next day.  The sauce can be made a day in advance and chilled. Just before serving, reheat it on top of the stove or in the microwave.  While the chicken roasts in the oven, you’ll have time to make MashedWhite Beans and a green salad with CranberryVinaigrette, all Husband-Tested Recipes.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 small onion, unpeeled and cut into quarters

2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

1 sprig of fresh sage or rosemary (optional)

¼ cup white wine or chicken broth

1 ½ to 2 lbs. whole chicken

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

½ teaspoon dried sage or 1 Tablespoon fresh sage (Other reviewers substituted rosemary.)

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup fresh cranberries

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 Tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Rinse chicken and pat it dry.  Place it on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle it with thyme, Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Salt and pepper the cavity.  Place the onion, the garlic and fresh herbs (if using) inside the cavity. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes pouring the wine or broth on the baking sheet about halfway through the cooking time. The chicken is done when the temperature on a meat thermometer reaches 160 F degrees.  Set the chicken aside to rest.  Do not discard any juices that have collected.  Meanwhile, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add sage and remaining ½ teaspoon thyme; cook 1 minute. Add broth; simmer until reduced to 1½ cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain mixture; return to saucepan.  Add cranberries and sugar to the saucepan; boil until berries burst, 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in cornstarch mixture; return to a boil. Cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. (If the sauce doesn’t thicken to the consistency of thin gravy, add another teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon of water.) Remove from heat (sauce will thicken a bit more as it stands). Season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, carve up the chicken and drizzle the pieces with the juices that collected at the bottom of the baking pan.  Serve the chicken with the cranberry sauce.