Cranberry Wild Rice Bake With Blackened Chicken

I've never had this happen before. I found a bag of dried cranberries in the pantry. I don't remember buying dried cranberries. The expiration date is a couple of years down the road, so I must have bought them recently. 

So what do you do when you unexpectedly find dried cranberries? Combine them with wild rice to make a delicious side dish, of course! Go see if you have any secret cranberries in your pantry, and let's get started.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked wild rice

3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp olive oil

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken tenders

Blackening seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Rinse rice according to package directions.

3. Heat wild rice and water to boiling in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes and drain.

4. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms to the butter, stirring

occasionally, until the onion is tender. Mix the wild rice and onion mixture in the baking dish.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the broth, salt, and garlic. Pour this mixture over the rice.

6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 75 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, cover, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

7. While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Rinse the chicken, pat it dry, and coat both sides in blackening seasoning.

8. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side. The blackening seasoning will get crusty and yummy. Don't overcook the tenders, or the seasoning will begin to smoke and fall apart.

9. Serve the chicken on a bed of cranberry wild rice bake in your favorite bowl.