Cook the chicken until it reads 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer and it will be tender and juicy.
I can’t quite put my finger on what makes this dish so delicious. As with all cooking, it is the harmonious blend of flavors. In this case, sweet apples and sweet potato, tangy and pungent bbq sauce, onions, carrots, zucchini, cranberries and the delicious drippings that result from all of them cooking together. Because the barbecue sauce plays a starring role, make sure to choose one you like. I prefer Kinder’s because it has a lingering hit of heat.
You’ll end up with a generous amount of veggies, but not to worry, they are so tasty that I doubt you’ll have leftovers.
A word about the size of the chicken breasts. If they are whole halves, not thin-sliced like I recommend, it will take much longer for them cook. In that case, you won’t need to cook the veggies separately for 10 minutes to begin the cooking process. It will take almost 45 minutes for them to cook through. I test for doneness with an instant read thermometer. (The best and only truly reliable instant read thermometer is made by Thermapen. Check it out under My Favorites.) It should read 160. At that point the chicken will still be very juicy.
Although a little time consuming to get into the oven, when it’s done you have a complete meal. And while it’s baking I clean up the kitchen so we can then sit down and enjoy a lovely dinner.
The photo was an after thought (after I’d already opened the package). I just thought you might want to see exactly what I bought. The chicken breast fillets were between 1/3 and 1/2 inch thick.
I prefer red apples because the skin is thinner than green ones and I like to leave the peel on.
After microwaving the potatoes, the easiest way to peel is run a spoon inside the peel and loosen the potato.
Then you can pull up on the potato and remove it.
Here is my dish ready to go in the oven.
Baked BBQ Chicken with Sweet Potato and Cranberries
1 medium sweet potato
3/4 cup chopped zucchini,
2 medium carrots, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium red apple, cored, and chopped
1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, such as Kinder’s
2 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken thin-cut fillets
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 7” x 11” baking dish.
2. Cut sweet potato in half and place in a microwave-safe dish. Pour in about 1/4 inch of water. Microwave covered with a sheet of wax paper on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until soft.
3. Meanwhile put zucchini, carrots, apple, and onion in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and toss with 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce.
4. Roast in oven for 10 minutes. Stir well.
5. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and brush both sides with barbecue sauce. Lay atop the veggies.
6. Remove sweet potato, peel, and discard skin. Cut into large chunks. Scatter into the baking dish. Sprinkle with cranberries over the top.
7. Bake until chicken is tender and no longer pink (160°F.), about 20 minutes.
Makes 2 servings.
