This is a delicious and easy way to prepare chicken breasts. I like to serve the cooked sauce over mashed potatoes or rice.
I have made this with pork chops instead of chicken and it comes out great. You could also use a pork loin roast. When I first saw the recipe, the ingredients just didn't sound like they would go together, but I was intrigued. The concoction comes out tasting like a very mild barbecue sauce. Don't be afraid to try it! It is so nice to find a recipe that uses so few ingredients and ones that I usually have on hand.
Read MoreVery tender and sweet. It tastes a lot like barbeque chicken. I liked it, but I don't know when I'll be making it again.
Read MoreI have made this with pork chops instead of chicken and it comes out great. You could also use a pork loin roast. When I first saw the recipe, the ingredients just didn't sound like they would go together, but I was intrigued. The concoction comes out tasting like a very mild barbecue sauce. Don't be afraid to try it! It is so nice to find a recipe that uses so few ingredients and ones that I usually have on hand.
I have to tell you, I didn't change a thing with this recipe and I think this recipe is the best I have gotten on any website. I LOVED IT!!!!! Not only was it totally yummy but the smell of it cooking made me drool all day. I would have never thought of putting these ingredients together but boy, it sure works. Thank you, momof2boys.
I made this last night for Christmas Eve. I used a whole chicken, 1 can cranberry & about 2 cups fresh cranberries, 1 package onion soup & a little water. I left out the Catalina. It was DELISH and a huge hit! Using the fresh berries eliminated the problem other reviews had with berries (sauce) being too mushy & not staying whole. It's a festive, easy and yummy dish.
Simple and good. I love when a recipe uses practical items, and especially love it when all I have to do is throw it in the crockpot awhile. I did turn up the crock pot to high for the first couple hours, then backed it down to low. Chicken was cooked PERFECTLY. Next time, we're going to add a can of chunked pineapple, per my husband's recommendation.
sweet and yummy, next time I will cut the mixture in half....it was too much for 4 breasts.
Hubby put this in the crock pot today, and it was wonderful. Love the combination of flavors. Over rice with salad...simple and delicious.
Made this for a Sunday dinner and everyone loved it. Sauce wasn't overly sweet, it was unbelievably easy, and I made it as written. Didn't have any fresh chicken, so I used pre-cooked, frozen chicken breast patties. Slow cooked on high for 3 1/2 hours - beautiful! Will now be in our Sunday dinner rotation!
This tastes just like the oven version, so it was a hit with us! I used chicken tenders and did reduce the catalina dressing to 8oz. b/c that's the way I make the oven version. The smell/taste of this always reminds me of and Asian-y or Chinese-y type of dish, so I served 'Asian Coconut Rice' and 'Garlic Broccoli" (except used green beans), both from this site...a great match! Served the chicken and sauce over the rice~YUM! Loved that I was able to do this in the slow cooker and get the same results. A great new way for me to make this yummy chicken! Thanks for sharing. :)
Got this recipe a couple of years ago and have made it with meatballs for potluck at work Everyone wanted the recipe and could not believe how easy it was. Great stuff! As for people lecturing everyone on calorie counts and how the world is so fat why bother coming to a recipe site? Check out recipe sites for low calorie, heart, diabetes recipes etc. The rest of us just want good recipes to serve our families.
I have this same recipe for the oven. Reduce Catalina salad dressing to 8 oz. Bake uncovered, one hour at 350 degrees. Comes out perfect!
All I would do is add more chicken. I have a lot of leftover sauce now. Also, When it was done cooking I added a flour/water mix to thicken the sauce.
I was skeptical because it doesn't sound like the ingredients work, but this turned out wonderfully. I can't believe how easy it is. The person who wrote the bad review four years ago was mistaken about the calories. Catalina dressing has half the calories of regular dressing, and the liquid is plentiful and just used as a sauce. I wouldn't say it's for people on a diet, but it's not a problem to eat the chicken and a few tablespoons of sauce. It's certainly not cause for flipping out about obesity. I've seen worse "diet" foods. That review should be removed. They never even tried the recipe and skewed the ratings.
TY for this recipe. I had it ata friends house and she wouldn't give me the recipe.
Very tender and sweet. It tastes a lot like barbeque chicken. I liked it, but I don't know when I'll be making it again.
This was a wonderfully easy and yummy recipe for items that I happened to have on hand. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and was a definate hit with the family.... Will make again!
I was so happy I planned to make this for tonight's dinner because I had a crazy day and this is so easy to make. Catalina dressing is very sweet so I only used half a bottle of the fat free version. I still ended up with plenty of sauce that was just sweet enough to complement the tartness of the cranberry sauce. Overall I thought it was pretty darn good considering how incredibly easy it is. Definitely make mashed potatoes or rice to serve with it. You can add in an extra piece of chicken or two since this recipe makes plenty of sauce.
I have been using this recipe for about 25 years. It makes enough sauce for 10 chicken legs seperated. I also use French salad dressing and add a tin of mandarin oranges undrained. After putting the chicken in the crockpot or an oven dish (350 for 1-1/2 hours) I SPRINKLE THE CHICKEN GENEROUSLY WITH CURRY POWDER AND GARDLIC POWDER, plus some pepper, then add the sauce mixture. I turns out great over rice or pasta. I have to say that it took me a long time to try this dish because of the unusual ingredients but when I did try it, it became a "keeper".
This chicken was great! I didn't use a slow cooker but baked it @350 for 50 minutes. Fantastick!
I tried this recipe yesterday and it tastes great! It does produce a bit too much sauce for 4 chicken breasts, so next time I think I will just use half the bottle of Catalina dressing. I threw in a small package of chopped walnuts (since I love cranberries and walnuts). Served it over white rice for dinner last night, and today I have leftovers that I chopped up for use in a sandwich. Yum! I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the excess sauce.
I have been making this for years and I have to say it is always a hit with my family. Couldn't be easier. I've cooked it in the oven as well as in the crockpot. If you can find bacon French dressing instead of Catalina it's even better.
The recipe couldn't be easier!!! But the flavor is a bit strong and odd. The chicken does end up pretty moist and tastes great over rice. I put mine with carribean peas and rice and it worked great.
this is an old recipe that i've enjoyed in the past, but please, please read the nutritional info. it's a killer.
I made this with a pork tenderloin. I thought it was okay. I tasted too much Catalina dressing and not enough cranberry. I made the recipe exactly as instructed. If I make it again, I think I may try to add some brown sugar to it and decrease the dressing. It just didn't hit the mark for me.
Easy. Simple ingredients and prep time. Family loved it. Unique flavor. Excellent! It does yield a lot of sauce. Maybe could cut back on dressing. Added walnuts and tossed in some dried cranberries at the end and put some canned pinapple tidbits on top to dress it up and it was great!
I can not say enough for the ease, the simplicity and the flavor of this recipe! My kids call it the "Candy Chicken". This is a true winner! Thank you!
This recipe was so easy and it was so good. I used egg noodles and put the sauce over them. My family said " You can make this again". It was a very good choice and very simple thing to make. I would make no changes to the recipe.
This is a standby at our house. Just fine to omit the salad dressing too. Yummy with a wild rice pilaf. I've been making this recipe for 15 years and am surprised anyone else has heard about it. Like the idea of adding walnuts as another review suggested.
Oh, my! This recipe is *really* good! We have made it twice, now. The first time we didn't have Catalina dressing so we substituted French dressing. The second time, we did have Catalina dressing on hand. Both times, the results were fabulous with the Catalina dressing version being just a touch spicier. Great on rice (white or brown).
Delicious! Another variation is to use Russian dressing, apricot preserves and dry onion soup mix. Good with boneless pork, too.
My family thought this OK. I'm giving it a high of 3 stars because maybe it cooked too long, but the breasts were a bit too tough and while the sauce wasn't bad initially it gave a very strange after taste. My husband specifically told me to PLEASE not try this recipe ever again. Just not for our family.
I really enjoy this recipe. Very easy and tasty. I have also done this with russian dressing in place of the catalina and apricot preserves in place of the cranberry sauce. I like the original the best but it is fun to mix it up a little.
I followed the directions exactly, and I agree with one reviewer that it tastes like a mild barbecue sauce, but something about the sauce (maybe the onion soup mix) made everything smell weird, metallic or something. It was good, but I really wish I knew what to do to make it smell better.
I made this last night with some pork chops I had frozen. The sauce was delicious! I also threw in some apple slices and it was a nice compliment to the flavors. I served it over rice with asparagus, cornbread, small salad on the side. I overcooked the pork a little bit (1hr on high, then 3 hrs low) but that was my fault-not the recipes. Will eat again!
My mom has been baking this recipe for 15 years with French dressing. I absolutely love it
This is a really old recipe - I remember my mom making it in the '70s. It's very sweet.
This was tasty. I used chicken breast cut into large pieces and served on a bed of rice. I had the rice cooker out so I used the top tray to steam some green beans to serve on the side. Don't expect a strong cranberry taste, the cranberries mix with the seasonings and dressing to create something very different. I will make this again, next time with pork.
This was great and very easy to put together. I used pre-frozen chicken tenders, and put them in frozen - still only took 5 hours on Low. and it was perfect. almost reminds me of the chinese food red sauce. servied with rice and green beans
Ease of prep: 5 stars Taste: 3 stars Way too much sauce. Try decreasing the amount of dressing.
I didn’t have the Catalina dressing, so made it with just the cranberry sauce and onion mix. Delicious!
outstanding!!! wife said "Best dish I have made yet"! Thank you for a very easy recipe! I did not make any changes.
I have been making Cranberry Chicken (this recipe ) in the oven for 25+ years - it was my moms recipe. I never thought to try it in the slow cooker! Will definitely try. Only have done it with both chicken parts and breasts - in the oven the breasts will dry out if you overcook. Can imaging in the slow cooker. Another tip - if you marinate the chicken in the sauce overnight it is even more flavorful.
Unfortunately, this meal was not appetizing at all! I was excited about it being so easy, but couldn't get over the horrible smell that came from this meal. While the chicken itself was ok, the "soup" it was in was not. Kept thinking I had done something wrong, but I hadn't. This meal went in the trash.
I'm a new cook and find it hard to put flavours together that my daughter will love. This is very easy to make and one that I can remember by heart how to make.
Pretty good! To those giving it a bad rating due to the fat/calories...it's very easy to use low or fat free dressing! And if you leave it out altogether as a few suggested, there's really very little fat in it.
I followed the recipe to the "T" and found this to be a very strange and unpleasant blend of flavors!
We've had this recipe for years, except we bake it in an oven until done. The name of our recipe is "Tasting is Believing Chicken", because of the wierd ingredient combination. It goes good with a nice rice pilaf.
I followed the recipe exactly except I only used 3 breast halves as I was not sure about it. I wanted to try it because it looked simple and I love cranberry sauce. But no one in my family really liked the finished product of this unusual combination of ingredients. The cranberry taste is completely lost in the Catalina and onion soup flavor. I shredded the finished cooked chicken and served it on buns. The chicken had a vinegary taste, somewhat reminiscent of barbecue. We all agreed that while it was edible, we like traditional barbecued chicken much much better than this. I will not make this again.
I made this for dinner tonight. I followed the recipe exactly and I loved it!!!. It is easy to put together, low cost, and delicious to boot. What a great fall meal is what my husband said. My son, was here for dinner, asked what was in it I told him whole cranberry sauce he said yuk, he wasn't eatting. After he tasted it, he also said it was delish!! (he is not a child by any stretch) lol. Served over rice with a salad. Perfecto!!!
It’s terrific! No changes to the recipe except less cooking time is needed in my slow cooker. We really like this!
I made this per the original recipe and followed all the directions as written. The flavor was good but the presentation lacks. The cranberries break down and are lost in the dressing. I now know why there is no picture of this recipe once finished. Very uber easy to throw together and forget for 6 hours. I will be using all the leftover chicken for possible chicken enchiladas as my guests didn't eat much. I would suggest making homemade cranberry sauce but I couldn't as cranberries are in our markets here yet. I used the store brand and wished I used the name brand. Maybe some of the cranberries would have stayed whole.
I did not have catalina dressing so looked up recipe for it on here and made my own. My family loved this chicken and I had none leftover.
This recipe was OK but I would prefer to grill the chicken next time then brush with the sauce. Or warm the sauce on its own and use it for dipping, etc. It is very sweet and rich. Will try a lighter version next time.
Really delicious... I followed the tips from another reviewer and added 2 cups of fresh cranberries in addition to the canned. It came out perfect...not too sweet, with a hint of tang left in the cranberries. I omitted the salad dressing and added 1/3 cup water to the soup mix; when the fresh cranberries cook down, they release a fair bit of water.
My entire family loved this! Which is so rare!! I didn't change a thing to the original recipe. I was a little skeptical of this recipe because the ingredients are a little strange. I tasted the ingredients after I first mixed them together. The mixture didn't taste too great. But I added the chicken and let the crockpot do it's thing. Six hours later, it tasted amazing! Honestly it tastes a little like orange chicken. That what my family calls it. Four thumbs up from us!!!!! Yay!!!!
I tried this because the ingredients seemed a strange combination to me. It was delicious! Served with brown rice. It is definitely one that will be repeated.
The only reason I gave this recipe 2 stars was in case I did something wrong. My chicken turned out kind of gross. I don't want to use this recipe again.
I had to try this because it sounded so strange, and it turned out... weird. It was sort of like sweet and sour chicken. If I made this again I think I would serve it with broccoli and rice for sort of a Chinese feel.
Very simple and was delicious. Makes lots of sauce so next time cutting that back to just half.
Told my family I was going to the store and what did they want me to get…my 13 year-old son asked me to “get the stuff to make that new chicken.” His thoughts were not about snack food but about this chicken dish. My family loved this simple recipe…the leftovers were fought over. My family prefers dark meat so this time will try with thighs. Did not use the slow cooker as my work day is too long according to directions. I followed advice from other reviews and put in oven at 375 until done, (about 45 minutes) other than that I did not change a thing. Delicious and very easy week day dinner.
One of my favorite things my mom would make for us to eat. Love this over some egg noodles too!
This is a great recipe. I've made it for years in the oven. Used to call it dump chicken. Smart idea to make it in the crock pot.
This is the very best chicken I have had in a long time. I may try it with turkey also. This is also so easy and so flavorful.
But whoa! Too much Catalina dressing. Made it 2nd time reduced the dressing to 3/4 cup. Much better
This was good, and we would repeat it. It was a bit of an odd combination, but was a tasty suprise. I made enough for 2 dinners and it was better the first day.
Followed recipe with a few minor changes, had 5 chicken breasts instead of 4. Used Kraft Asian Sesame dressing instead of Catalina. Served over brown long grain rice. The chicken just tore apart it was so moist, the sauce in the slow cooker was great on the rice. Great flavours, will do this again and again. Very easy!
I changed one thing - I used an 8 oz. bottle of Catalina dressing instead of 16 oz. It's what I had on hand, and I believe I've seen this recipe before written that way. It's great with 8 oz., and it made plenty of sauce for 3 breasts and 4 or 5 thighs. I cooked a bit longer than the recipe stated since the thighs were bone-in. Served over mashed potatoes, and it was great. Love the way the house smells while it's cooking, too!
I ddin't change a thing. Recipe works as is. It's good for a weeknight when you want to come home and feel like "someone" cooked for you.
This turned out great! Fantastic flavor that somehow doesn't taste too much like cranberries or catalina dressing. And as always, using the crock pot meant no dry chicken. Definitely a new staple. Thanks!
Made as is except bone in breasts. It was delicious. Not quite like bbq, not quite sweet and sour; similar, but something quite unique! It was a bit greasy, so I skimmed it off and added cornstarch to thicken. Makes way too much sauce, but it’s really good mixed with rice. Will make again.
This recipe is flavorful and easy. What more could you ask for? I made it exactly according to the recipe and it turned out great. I served it over spaghetti with Brussels sprouts as a side dish and it made for a wonderful dinner. The sauce is great over pasta. I saved the remaining sauce to serve over pasta for another meal.
I've made this for years and it's a great easy recipe. Works great in the oven at as well. 350 degree for 45 mins for boneless and 60 min for bone-in chicken
Great reviews, I was concerned adding in catilina dressing because we seem dependent on prepared foods full of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, so when I saw the review that left out the dressing and added fresh berries I could see this recipe change to one I would try. Thanks!
I wish that I hadn't waited so long to try this; it was fantastic. As others suggested, I used only 8 ounces of the dressing, and I think that was a wise revision. I chose to slow bake bone-in thighs and wings in a glass baking dish, sealed with foil, at 190°. After they were tender, about 5 hours, I carefully moved them to a broiler pan, and broiled them a few minutes to brown the skin. I thickened the sauce with corn starch. Very tasty, and will definitely make it again.
While this is easy & flavorful the oven version tastes better in my opinion. These amounts create a lot of sauce and works well for 8 or so pieces of chicken. I’ve been making this for years. The original versions were called Funky Chicken. Some called for Catalina dressing, others French. I got the recipe from my mother-in- law 40+ years ago after she made it for us one evening. (Use drummettes/and or chicken wings for a great appetizer!)
Turned out great. Added pineapples like someone suggestion. I liked it but it's quite sweet and my fiancé didn't enjoy it as much as I did. He ended up leaving a bit of chicken and I could tell he didn't really like it. I won't be making it again since like I said it's a bit sweet an unique but this recipe was correct and I'm glad I made it just because it was different and easy to make.
This was SO easy to make! I did throw the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot frozen (in a big, frozen-together chunk no less!) with everything else on top and cooked for 1 and a half hours on high then switched to low for 4 more hours. Worked like a charm! I also used chicken tenderloins but other than that I followed the recipe. It was very sweet so I wouldn't make it very often but since it's so simple and not half bad, I'll keep this recipe on hand. The sauce reminded me of Chinese restaurant sweet and sour sauce.
Made this for a company dinner and it was gone in a heartbeat....everyone loved it and wanted the recipe!! The only change I made was that I used boneless, skinless chix thighs due to price considerations.....excellent outcome!!!
I made this exactly as the recipe says. Chicken was very good and tender. I might cut the sauce part in half next time, a lot of left over sauce, or add something to thicken it, it was very liquidy.
We really enjoyed this recipe. It is very good served with toasted pecans.
I made this but prepped and froze 6 more servings for later. I mixed the 8oz Catalina dressing, 15oz whole cranberry sauce, and packet of onion soup mix. Placed 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1 whole, split) in a freezer bag and poured about 1 cup of the sauce mixture over the chicken and froze. The sauce was enough to make 8 servings. I thaw and place in baking pan. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes. Add a pan of roasted veggies and you have a wonderful meal.
I have made this several times. I use Turkey breast tenderloins and add a little dijon and some orange marmalade.
