It doesn't sound awful to me but the onion soup would make it too salty for me, I think. Cranberry/orange works for me. The dressing would have some tang to it. Skip the soup mix and just mince some red onion and add a grind of fresh pepper.

A friend of mine made this recipe before and invited me over for dinner. It was delicious.

Mixes and bottled dressings are just too much processed stuff for my tastes. Plus most bottled dressings are high in sugar. The recipe makes me cringe.

Sounds beyond awful to me....but the thought of putting in an envelope of onion soup mix is enough to turn my stomach....and then add orange bottled salad dressing?
No way no how!
I am still remembering that recipe years ago for a chuck roast that called for putting a package of onion soup dry mix on the meat, wrapping well in foil and baking....I was told try it!! It's really good! My family loves it!...I did! It was awful and my family hated it! LOL!
Nope! Sounds disgusting!
Linda C

I don't mind the idea of orange and cranberry with chicken and not all bottled dressings are full of crap. I don't buy bottled dressing or use onion soup mix but I think the spirit of this recipe isn't bad if made with the right ingredients. The following recipe sounds okay if it weren't then tossed in a crock pot. Cooking method could make a lot of difference here. Personally I'd leave out the brown sugar and the cinnamon.

I googled this one. It came from medicinenet.com. One of their healthy recipes.

Orange Cranberry Chicken

This dish goes great with steamed brown rice.

Ingredients:

* 1 tablespoon less-fat margarine
* 1/3 cup reduced-sugar orange marmalade
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (if using broth powder, make it double strength by adding 1 cup of hot water to 2 teaspoons of broth powder)
* 6 skinless, boneless half breasts of chicken cut into about 3 pieces each
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

Preparation:

1. Add all ingredients except chicken to the slow cooker; stir well with spoon.
2. Add the chicken breast pieces to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW about 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked throughout.
3. Serve chicken with orange cranberry sauce.

Yours looks better on paper. The original recipe didn't call for orange as a flavor, but as a descriptive color "orange french dressing".
Jo

Oh! LOL! Yuck!

In the words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, "Ohhh. That's very different. Never mind."

{{!gwi}}

Add my vote to one that wouldn't make this, just because of the sodium content alone. The onion soup mix is always too salty for my taste, but I do like the idea of the chicken and cranberry sauce together.

I also like barnmom's idea of orange and cranberry. I might take some orange juice, use it to dilute the cranberry sauce, cook the chicken in that and serve it over rice. Hmmm. Sounds like a Pulled Out Of Pantry recipe coming up here.....

Annie

Chicken and cranberry is good....and you could even add some caramelized onions....and if you like a bit of balsamic vinegar...
But please no soup mix bottled dressing and canned cranberries.
How hard is it to put 1/2 a bag of cranberries, some sugar or OJ into a pan with some sauteed onions, cook it for a bit and pour over chicken breasts that have been quickly pan fried or grilled?
Acn you imagine what those chicken breasts would be like after spending 6 hours in a Crock pot? Can you say dry and stringy? LOL!
Linda C

There is no way I would make that recipe, but for me the cranberry sauce would make it to sweet. Also, I would never use the soup mix - what's wrong with sautéed onions? I believe the soup mix would have beef bouillon in it, which I think is too strong for chicken, but in any event, it is extremely salty, which I also do not like. I do like chicken with orange, however, but I don't use sweet oranges or else I add lime juice to make it less sweet.

What cooking tradition do you think the recipe comes from?

Lars

Yes, I've made it (it used to call for French Dressing like the 1890 Milano type) and I have to tell you, while it's not my favorite, it is popular with the kids. It really isn't awful, it's in every compilation (think school/pta/whatever) cookbook. The sauce is a lot runnier than you would expect, so
the salty taste isn't too bad. DH and I aren't huge fans, so I don't make it anymore.

Lars, you are very generous in offering the notion that this recipe comes from a true cooking tradition.

I did a search and this recipe (though new to me) appears many, many times in several variations so it's been around a while. To me it sounds like a corporate test kitchen concoction to cross merchandise cranberry sauce, salad dressing, and onion soup mix in a co-op advertising promotion long ago. 70s maybe?

Not my taste either but I have been know to dip pizza in French dressing and that's pretty good.

Nancy

I love Roseannadanna....she was so funny!!! I think I would give this recipe a try. I just might. I'll let you know what I think. Diana55

Oh never mind!!! LOL Diana55

I will occasionally do the packet of onion soup mix with a brisket sealed in foil. My mom use to make it that way. Easy though not as good as slicing up real onions and throwing in some spices. But that is for 5 pounds of meat. Seems kind of heavy handed for 6 chicken breasts and then all that other stuff.

I'm not a fan of that bottled orange colored dressing or most creamy dressings.

The orange cranberry chicken recipe sounds good but might be too sweet.

I don't know.... it sorts of reminds me of that sauce for party meatballs with the chili sauce or ketchup and grape jelly. Never sounded good, but came out quite tasty. I think kids are more prone to eat (and not notice) the smaller dehydrated onions than real onions chunks. I never have a problem using the packaged onion mix either...I just sort of think of it and use it as a kind of seasoned salt rather than some miracle onion mix though.

The meatballs in chili sauce and grape jelly IS a corporate test kitchen concoction - from Heinz. They make the chili sauce. This recipe appears at almost every party in Pittsburgh and I have to admit, I like it.

Now the orange French dressing and onion soup mix . . . I'd pass on that one. I love cranberry/orange muffins, though.

Kari

I take little smokies in the chili sauce/jelly to my Christmas party almost every year...so easy and they snarf them. I found I have to actually buy Heinz...my chili sauce just isn't right.

Someone raved about this recipe just the other day. I actually think dh would like it, lol. I may have to try it just to see what it's like. I use beef base and a handful of dried onions instead of soup mix.

Now that I think of it, I think my SIL makes her little smokies sauce with a cranberry sauce/chili mix. I think bottled grape jelly and cranberry sauce could be easily substituted in a lot of stuff.

I'm not seeing that big of a difference between bottled French Dressing (Orange is the color, NOT the flavor, right?) and Chili Sauce--both Tomato based with vinegar, chili sauce has onions and spices (recipe calls for onion mix). Anyone try it to see what it tastes like?

This recipe reminds me of one made with apricot preserves that was popular in the 70s. I never made it, but did try it at a friend's home. It was okay, but was rather salty.....

TASTY APRICOT CHICKEN

8 to 10 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic salt to taste
1/2 lb. apricot preserves
6 oz. Russian dressing
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken well with salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Set aside. Mix together the apricot preserves, dressing and soup mix. Pour over the chicken which has been placed in a 9 x 13 inch oven proof dish. Bake in the oven about 50 minutes, or until tender. Makes 8 servings.