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Savory, tangy, and sweet – this rich celebration chicken covers all the bases. The oven-baked method gives you juicy chicken, tender onions, and a sauce-turned-glaze that you’ll want to pour over everything.

Overhead close up view of celebration chicken in a casserole dish

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Celebration chicken packs SO MUCH flavor into a single baking dish. The sauce combines savory onion soup mix, tangy ketchup, sweet bbq sauce, rich brown sugar, and nutty garlic into what can only be described as pure perfection.
  • This recipe is so, so easy. Quickly brown the chicken in a skillet, then place it in a baking dish, cover it with sauce, and pop it in the oven. An hour later you’ll have perfect, delicious chicken that you can pair with just about anything.

Chef’s Tips

  • Technically, you can skip the step where you brown the chicken in a skillet and just put it straight in the baking dish. Browning it ensures you’ve got a good, crisp outer layer, though, so I really recommend taking the time to do it!
  • If you’ve got leftovers (or if you just want a different way to enjoy this entree), shred the chicken and serve it in street-taco tortillas topped with coleslaw. It’s SO good, and it’s a fun way to mix things up from your typical “pieces of chicken with X veggies on the side”.
Overhead close up view of celebration chicken in a casserole dish

More Tasty Entrees You’ll Enjoy

Recipe By: Jasmine Comer

Celebration Chicken


Prep 15 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Total 1 hour 15 minutes
A sweet, savory, tangy chicken recipe that's perfect for your next cookout or potluck.
6 servings

Equipment

  • Medium bowl
  • whisk
  • Oven
  • Large skillet
  • 9×13 baking dish lightly greased
  • Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • 1 2-ounce packet onion soup & dip mix
  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup bbq sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup water

For the Chicken

  • 3 pounds chicken see Notes
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 medium onions sliced
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral oil

Instructions

  • In medium bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
    Sauce for celebration chicken in a large glass mixing bowl.
  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
    Raw, seasoned chicken thighs and drumsticks on a round plate.
  • Place onion slices in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
    Onion slices lining bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish.
  • Add avocado oil to large skillet and warm over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place chicken in skillet (working in batches as needed) and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until browned. Flip chicken and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until browned on other side. Repeat with any remaining chicken.
    Chicken thighs and drumsticks in large skillet.
  • Transfer browned chicken to baking dish on top of onions, placing chicken in one even layer.
    Browned chicken pieces on top of onions in bottom of 9x13 baking dish.
  • Pour sauce mixture over chicken, coating thoroughly. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven. Bake, covered, 25 minutes.
    Celebration chicken, unbaked, in 9x13 baking dish after sauce has been added.
  • After 25 minutes, remove foil from baking dish. Return uncovered dish to oven and bake another 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through. Divide chicken and onions evenly onto plates and serve warm with desired sides.
    Overhead view of baked celebration chicken in a white 9x13 rectangular baking dish.
  • Chicken: Any type of chicken will work here – boneless or bone-in; thighs, drumsticks, breasts. I used bone-in thighs and drumsticks.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 369calProtein: 21gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 393mgTotal Carbs: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gNet Carbs: 28gVitamin A: 334IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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2 Comments

    1. We didn’t test a Crockpot version of this recipe so I can’t say for sure, but it should work fine! You may need to adjust the water or overall sauce ingredients so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

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