Andrea Dekker

21 Comments

Cranberry Pork (or Chicken)

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cranberry pork

Although it’s nothing fancy, our Thanksgiving table isn’t complete without a dish of jellied cranberry — straight from the can! We almost never have it any other time of year except at Thanksgiving (maybe Christmas too) and I look forward to slicing a little off and eating it with my turkey and stuffing.

Cranberry sauce always seems to be very “on sale” this time of year, and lately, I’ve made a few different recipes that use Whole Berry Cranberry sauce, so I stocked up this year and purchased a few extra cans.

Today’s recipe uses cranberry sauce… and it’s another one of those ridiculously simple “non recipes” that I almost feel silly posting here on my blog. However, since my last non-recipe went over so well, I figured I should share this one too!

If you love a good slow-cooker pork or chicken recipe, and have a little extra cranberry sauce to use up after the holidays, you’ll definitely want to give this Cranberry Pork (or Chicken) recipe a try!

Recipe for Cranberry Pork (or Chicken)

Serves 4-6

{print recipe}

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2-4 pounds uncooked pork or chicken (I used pork chops, but a pork roast or chicken breasts also work well)
  • 1 can (14 ounces) Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
  • 1 packet (2 ounces) Dried Onion Soup Mix

DIRECTIONS:

  • Place uncooked meat in a slowcooker (I spray mine with oil to prevent anything from sticking)
  • sprinkle onion soup mix over meat
  • dump can of cranberry sauce over meat
  • cover and cook on low 4-6 hours (or until meat is cooked through)

** NOTE: you can also bake this in the oven at 350*F for 1-2 hours (depending on the cut of meat you’re using)

This is another one of those slow cooker meals that I throw together while I’m cleaning up the lunch dishes, and then have it ready by dinner time. I usually serve it with some type of potato, vegetable, and roll. In the photos here, we had loaded baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, and roasted carrots.

The meat is SOOOOOOO tender, it literally just flakes apart when you try to pull it out of the slow cooker — you definitely won’t need a knife for this meal 🙂

What are your favorite pork recipes?

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Comments

  2. Avia says

    I put this in the crock pot this morning with pork chops. The pork chops were still partially frozen and I’ll be gone for 9 hours so I’m hoping they won’t be in there too long. I love easy “recipes”!!

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      Thanks Karen! My food photography skills are definitely lacking — but I figure that people reading my blog are most interesting in simplicity versus fancy photos 🙂

      Reply

  4. Sara says

    I am wondering how tart the cranberries are after you cook it like that. I know my husband would not like it if it is too sweet or tart.

    Reply

    • Andrea says

      Not tart at all! The flavors really meld together and are very mild once the meat is cooked. My kids wouldn’t eat it if it was “too” anything (sweet, salty, spicy, tart, etc.) 🙂

      Reply

  5. Heidi Fontes says

    I love this easy recipe! I am always trying to find new crockpot ideas. With our four kids’ practices and such the crockpot is a simple way for everyone to eat a warm meal at different times. My husband just mentioned we hadn’t had pork chops in a while too! Also if you are looking for another way to use some cranberry sauce and any leftover turkey from Thanksgiving I just came across this recipe http://noblepig.com/2013/11/leftover-turkey-cranberry-monte-cristo-sandwiches/
    It’s on our menu this week!

    Reply

    • Liane says

      Thought I’d post my dehydrated onion soup concoction. Here is what I would need if I were to copy the Lipton ingredient list:

      Onions (deyhydrated), salt, cornstarch, onion powder, sugar, corn syrup, hydrolyzed soy protein, caramel color, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, monosodium glutamate, yeast extract, natural flavors, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate

      My version eliminates all the non food items. I use equal amounts of Penzeys toasted onion and onion powder, plus a small amount of soup base.

      I honestly do not understand the need for MSG in any food these days. I though everyone understood it is bad stuff.

      Reply

    • Andrea says

      yes, if you’re doing it in the slow cooker, frozen meat would be fine (just give it an extra hour or two). If you’re doing it in the oven, you’ll want to defrost it first.

      Reply

    • dianne (baking4six) says

      it’s not that the frozen meat won’t cook… it’s for health/safety reasons

      Why? Because slow cookers don’t reliably get frozen meat up to a safe temperature (above 140°F) evenly enough or quickly enough. Your meat will likely spend too much time hovering in the danger zone (from 40°F – 140°F), which opens the door for bacteria to flourish. Not yummy … or safe!

      This can be a particular problem for people who are considered at higher risk for food-borne illnesses: older people, pregnant women, little kiddos, and people with challenged immune systems (groups which we’ve seen estimated as comprising approximately 20% of the population).

      Reply

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