Messy, sweet, and sticky.
No, I am not talking about my kids…although they have been known to fit that description from time-to-time.
I’m talking about yet another Urban Legend recipe: Catalina-Cranberry Chicken.
I first had this chicken when I was a kid at my best friend’s house. Back then, we simply called it “red chicken” because it was, in fact, red chicken. Her mom used to make it in big batches and leave it on the counter as an after-school snack. That might sound weird, but with two older brothers who each had a million friends who ate two or three pieces each BEFORE dinner, that chicken always disappeared. All of you with sons 12 and over know what I’m talking about.
I was thinking about that chicken about a year ago when my family had grown weary of my arsenal of chicken recipes. I had no idea what was in it, how it was made, or anything else about it, other than the fact that it was red and sweet.
After a ton of searching and trying different recipes, I finally found it. And it was as good as I remembered it, if not better. And it was easier than I could have ever anticipated.
My family loved it and I proceeded to give out the recipe as if I had discovered the best thing since sliced bread. Apparently, I was not the first to hear about this dish. Apparently, everyone and their mom have been making it for years.
Here it is, just in case (like me) you were a little late jumping on the Red Chicken bandwagon.
Catalina-Cranberry Chicken
Courtesy of Kraft Canada
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into eighths…or the equivalent (I use all chicken thighs)
1 bottle Catalina dressing
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
Directions.
Place chicken in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish
In a large bowl, mix the other 3 ingredients and pour over chicken.
Marinate for about an hour, covered, in the fridge.
Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.
Turn up the heat to 415 for 10 more minutes for the skin to get a bit crispy and brown.
