Oven-Baked Celebration Chicken

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.

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.

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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”.

More Tasty Entrees You’ll Enjoy

• Smoked Salmon Bagel Salad
• Baked Brie and Steak Cheese Fries
• Crispy Cheesy Refried Bean Tacos
• Air Fryer Tilapia
• Shrimp and Corn Soup

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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.

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6 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• ▢ 1 2-ounce packet onion soup & dip mix
• ▢ ¾ cup ketchup
• ▢ ⅓ 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

Equipment

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

Instructions 

• In medium bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
  
• Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  
• Place onion slices in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
  
• 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.
  
• Transfer browned chicken to baking dish on top of onions, placing chicken in one even layer.
  
• Pour sauce mixture over chicken, coating thoroughly. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven. Bake, covered, 25 minutes.
  
• 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.
  

Notes

• Chicken: Any type of chicken will work here – boneless or bone-in; thighs, drumsticks, breasts. I used bone-in thighs and drumsticks.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 369kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 490mg, Potassium: 393mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 334IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 28g

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.

© Author: Jasmine Comer