What's for Dinner?

I wanted to try something new, so I looked through my recipe book. There was a piece of paper in there titled "From the Shortcut Pantry" it listed several main-courses for dinner and their ingredients. There were, however, no cooking directions. I assumed this was a shortened version for convenience and my Mom had the book with the secret instructions.

I bought ingredients for "Cranberry Chicken"--the recipe that had caught my eye. It calls for: chicken, 1 can cranberry sauce, French Dressing, 1 package Onion Soup Mix. After returning from the store, I called my Mom to inquire about the recipe. She had never heard of "The Shortcut Pantry" or "Cranberry Chicken." But she said, "It sounds good. Let me know how it turns out."So, I invented the secret instructions.

First, I made some decisions. I opted to make chicken breasts, since I had them on hand. I couldn't decide if this was a crockpot recipe or not. I think it could be, but since I was only making two chicken breasts, I decided not to risk it. (After all, I didn't want to experiment, leave the house and have the food catch on fire while I was gone.) Instead I decided to grill the chicken.

I marinated the chicken in French dressing and half a package of onion soup mix for about 2 hours while preparing my primary lesson and other food. Then I put the chicken in the skillet and sprinkled more of the onion soup mix over it. We began grilling. (Say "we" because Derek came home at this point and took over for me while I made mashed potatoes.) Gradually, we added more of the marinade to the skillet.

When the chicken was finished cooking, I added the final touch. I emptied the can of cranberry sauce into a bowl. Voila! So, we really had "French Chicken with Cranberry Garnish."

It was quite good. Derek even said we should make it again sometime! (Mission accomplished.)

Here is the Recipe (written for four servings instead of the two I made):

Cranberry Chicken (not from the Shortcut Pantry)

4 chicken breasts
1/2 can cranberry sauce
French Dressing
1 package Onion Soup Mix

Marinate chicken for approximately 2-3 hours in French dressing and Onion Soup Mix.
Cook chicken on medium heat in skillet (or on a barbecue, yum!) for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until entirely cooked.

Serve with cranberry sauce as garnish.

Note: You could probably bake this to make the recipe even easier. It would probably take about an hour in a 350 degree oven, but who knows? I'll try that next time.