Cranberry Glazed Barbeque Chicken Recipe

Still have some of that cranberry sauce that holds the shape of the can leftover from the holidays?  Surprisingly, there are several things you can do with it if you think creatively.

Cranberry Barbeque Glazed Chicken (Prep. time about 30 minutes. Serves two.)

1 C. canned gelled cranberry sauce

1 C. orange juice

3 Tb. brown sugar

1 Tb. prepared yellow mustard (Dijon can be substituted if you like)

olive oil (about 2-3 Tb.)

Pinch each of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper

2 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Season the chicken with the salt and black and cayenne peppers and rub in.  In a sauté pan, combine the cranberry sauce and orange juice, heating over medium heat.  Stir or whisk until the cranberry gel is melted and combined with the orange juice.  Stir in brown sugar and mustard, adjusting amounts to taste.  Remove from the heat.

Heat a grill pan or skillet over high heat until very hot.  Drizzle the skin-side of the chicken with olive oil and place, skin-side down in hot pan to sear. Once the skin side is dark brown and releases easily from the pan, turn over and sear the other side.  Once both sides are brown, transfer, skin-side up to an oven-safe pan if your skillet isn’t oven-proof.  Brush the top of the thighs with the sauce, reserving about ¼ cup .

Finish for about 15 minutes in the oven until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees.  Allow to rest out of the oven for about 5 minutes. It will continue to cook and the juices will move back into the meat. Serve with reserved sauce drizzled over the top or on the side.