Baked Catalina Chicken (2024)

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Author:

Kimber Matherne

Published:

February 23, 2021

Modified:

October 13, 2023

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Catalina Chicken is the perfect recipe for a quick and easy meal the whole family will love! With only 5 ingredients, and minutes of prep, this chicken breast dinner bakes hands off for ease. The sticky sauce that coats the chicken is a sweet and savory dream!

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Table of contents

Catalina Chicken – The EASY Way!

I have to admit, when a reader shared this recipe with me, I was skeptical. Could something so simple, really be that good?!

She was right, and I was so wrong to doubt! Baked Catalina Chicken is a family favorite with its sweet and savory sauce coating tender chicken breast, and couldn’t be easier to make!

If your kids/family love barbecue sauce, this is a must try!

What I love about this recipe:

Only 4 ingredients (or 5 with the optional garnish)
Minutes of prep – perfect for busy nights!
Bakes hands off – no babysitting this recipe
The sauce is thick and sticky to coat every bit of the chicken in flavor
It is delicious and kid friendly, but equally enjoyed by adults

This recipe is a winner for many reasons, and because of the excellent flavor, has gone right up the list for our family’s favorite chicken breast recipes! My kids have even nicknamed it pink chicken because of it’s distinctive bright color!

What to Serve with Catalina Chicken

Baked Catalina Chicken makes an excellent weeknight meal because of the ease of prep and clean up. Equally, important, the flavors in this recipe go well with many different side dishes, so you can work with what you have on hand, or things your family especially enjoys.

Side Dish Ideas

Side salad– Pictured here, this can be served with the extra Catalina salad dressing or try my Red Wine Vinaigrette for a great complimentary flavor. It is super easy to make!
Garlic Roasted Veggies – These vegetables get perfectly roasted and caramelized and can bake right alongside the chicken.
Squash Casserole – This is the southern way!
Tortellini Salad
Baked Potatoes or Smashed Potatoes– My kids love potatoes!
Crispy Brussels Sprouts – The kids even like these too!
Cheesy Garlic Bread – Get all the sticky sauce!
Rice – White or brown, I also like to serve it right on the rice and stir in the extra sauce to my rice

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner.

Recipe Notes

This Catalina Chicken recipe is as simple as promised! Just 4 ingredients for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

Chicken breast– Chicken breast is perfect for this recipe, should come out perfectly tender and juicy. If you prefer, you can substitute other cuts of chicken that are also boneless and skinless, like chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins. The cooking time may vary for different cuts of chicken depending on the thickness and quantity used.
Catalina dressing– I used Kraft Classic Catalina Dressing, because it is quick, readily available, and delicious! You can substitute light, or zesty as well, or you can make homemade Catalina Dressing if you prefer.
Lipton Onion Soup Mix– This takes the sweet dressing and adds a savory component to it. It also helps to thicken the sauce into a sticky-but-not-too-sticky sauce that will perfectly cling to the chicken to coat every bite! This can be store bought, or you can use a homemade onion soup mix.
Worcestershire sauce– Just a little dab to balance the savory flavor!
Green onion– This is optional, but adds color, texture and flavor to the final dish, so I recommend it! If you don’t have green onion you can add a little finely chopped sweet onion instead.

Recipe Tips

Chicken- You can use whole chicken breasts in this recipe, however, if they are on the thick side, I recommend cutting them in half (to half to the thickness) so that they will cook more quickly and evenly. This will also help the chicken to stay more tender as it cooks!
Baking Dish – Choose a dish large enough so that the chicken can sit flat without being crowded in the dish. This helps the extra liquid to cook off and keeps the sauce nice and thick.
How long to cook the chicken – We recommend cooking this chicken dish at 375˚F uncovered for 30-40 minutes. The chicken should be an internal temperature of 165˚F to be done.
Because the time will vary due to a number of factors such as how thick the chicken is, how crowded your dish is, the type of oven you are using, and climate you are in, there is a window provided for how long it usually takes. The BEST way to cook the chicken perfectly, for the perfect amount of time, is to use a meat thermometer.

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!

Pre-make the Catalina Chicken– You can prepare the dish up to the point of baking and then cover and refrigerate for hours, up to overnight. Once ready to cook, bake as directed. It may need a few additional minutes of cooking time to be done.
Prepare as a freezer meal– Full instructions below.

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do, you might want to keep these other methods up your sleeve for when you need them!

Crockpot Catalina Chicken– Place all ingredients (except green onions) in the crock pot. Cook on high for 2.5-3 hours or low for 3.5 to 4 hours. If you want to cook for longer I recommend using boneless, skinless, chicken thighs in place of chicken breast and cooking on low for 4-8 hours.
Instant Pot Catalina Chicken– Place the Catalina dressing, onion soup mix, and Worcestershire in the instant pot along with 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine then add the chicken breasts.
Close the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 6-8 minutes. Release pressure and carefully remove the chicken. Turn mode to Saute and simmer the sauce stirring regularly for 5-10 minutes or until it has thickened.
Turn to keep warm, and add the chicken back to the sauce and turn to coat each piece.

Freezer Meal Instructions

Catalina Chicken can be prepared as a freezer meal to make on another busy night, or give to a friend in need.

Mix the dressing, soup mix, and Worcestershire sauce to combine.
Place chicken into a freezer bag or freezer friendly container, then pour the sauce over top.
Freeze.
Once ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.
Bake as directed. The chicken may need a few extra minutes of baking time.

For the best flavor, this meal can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Catalina Chicken Meal Prep

To use Catalina Chicken for Meal Prep, pair with your choice of grain and veggie.

Grains:

White rice
Brown rice
Quinoa
Orzo
Farro

Vegetable:

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Roasted Mixed Vegetables
Skillet Green Beans
Sautéed Spinach
Cucumber Tomato Salad

Catalina Chicken Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making Baked Catalina Chicken, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
in the freezer up to a month

Leftover Recipes

Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!

Catalina Chicken Wraps– In a large tortilla or flatbread, spread a thin layer of mayo. Add, chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce, diced or sliced tomato, black olives and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. You can add pinto beans as well for extra protein. Wrap up tightly and serve.
Catalina Chicken Bowls– On top of white or brown rice, or quinoa, pile chopped Catalina Chicken. Add chopped veggies such as carrots, sweet bell pepper, cucumber, sweet onion etc. Add spinach, lentils, black, or pinto beans to fill it up, then drizzle with extra Catalina dressing or Italian dressing.
Catalina Chicken Tacos– Dice the Catalina chicken. Make a simple slaw from shredded cabbage (use coleslaw mix to make it easy) mayo, apple cider vinegar, sugar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the tacos, top with slaw, and either pico de gallo or chopped to tomato.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my One Dish Chicken recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

Million Dollar Chicken Bake
Mexican Spinach Chicken Bake
Green Chile Chicken
Baked Chicken Marsala