After making cranberry bread recently, I had a cup of cranberries left over. So, I went online and looked for a chicken recipe that would use them up. I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, but tweaked a couple of recipes and came up with this version.

It can be made tart or sweet, depending on your taste. We like it on the tart side, but you can add more sugar and cinnamon if you want. And, the recipe can be doubled easily. Next time, I think I’ll add a little fresh rosemary.

Apple Cranberry Chicken

Serves 2

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Fuji or Braeburn apple, peeled and diced

1 cup fresh cranberries

2 chicken breasts (6 ounces each), cut in bite-sized chunks

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prep all ingredients.

Heat butter over medium heat in a medium-sized frying pan. Add carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook about 5 minutes until they soften. Add balsamic vinegar and cook just enough to deglaze the pan.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, just until chicken is done.

Stir to coat all the ingredients in the sauce and serve with rice or noodles.

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