Citrus Garlic Cranberry Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 ½ cups Catalina salad dressing

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and cut into thin matchsticks

1 tablespoon minced garlic

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x11 baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer into the baking dish. Mix the Catalina dressing and orange zest in a bowl, and pour all over the chicken, coating the meat completely. Sprinkle the packet of onion soup mix evenly over the chicken.

Open the can of cranberry sauce, and stir it with a fork to break it apart into a slightly chunky consistency. Spoon the cranberry sauce over the chicken breasts, and sprinkle with sun-dried tomato pieces, garlic, and black pepper. Cover the dish with foil; cut a small vent in top of foil for steam.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes; remove foil, and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices and dressing. When done, chicken meat will no longer be pink inside and the juices will run clear. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast should read at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).