Sometimes it's nice to serve something over the holidays that is festive, but isn't turkey, ham, or the same-old, same-old. And since most of us are so busy, it's nice to have dishes that take very little hands-on time. Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Chicken is one such dish. It's fancy enough for company, yet requires only about 15 minutes hands-on time. The cranberries in the yummy sauce look festive, and also make the chicken very tender. This chicken should be served over plain rice, which can be made either in the slow cooker or rice cooker so it doesn't need watching. Surely there are better things on your agenda than spending time in the kitchen.

If you plan to be gone from home longer than four hours, which is about the perfect amount of time for the chicken to cook, either put the slow cooker on a timer, or use frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts so they will take longer to cook. Use a very sharp knife tip to remove any veins or blood spots before putting the breasts in the slow cooker. The recipe can be doubled or even tripled if necessary for larger groups.

6 Servings

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
3 to 4 cups fresh cranberries

Sauce
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large jalapeno pepper, cored and seeded

1. Clean the chicken breasts, removing any veins, fat, etc.; cut them into serving-size pieces and arrange them in the bottom of a 3-4 quart slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper; sprinkle the onion flakes over.
3. Rinse the cranberries and pour over the chicken.
4. Mix the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and pour over all.
5. Cover, set the slow cooker to low, and let cook 3-5 hours or just until the chicken is cooked through.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 353 Calories from Fat 87
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 25% Protein 42% Carb. 34%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 102 mg
Sodium 95 mg
Total Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 37 g

Vitamin A 31% Vitamin C 80% Calcium 0% Iron 11%