Braised Catalina Chicken (Printable Version)

Tender chicken braised in tangy Catalina dressing with vegetables creates a delicious, comforting main dish.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (approximately 2 pounds)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 large onion, thinly sliced
03 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, sliced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauce

06 - 1 cup Catalina salad dressing
07 - 1/2 cup chicken broth
08 - 2 tablespoons ketchup
09 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
10 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
11 - 1 teaspoon paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

14 - Fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F.
02 - Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels; season evenly with salt, pepper, and paprika.
03 - Heat a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs skin side down and sear for 3–4 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
04 - In the same pan, add onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 3–4 minutes until softened.
05 - In a bowl, whisk together Catalina dressing, chicken broth, ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
06 - Return chicken to the pan, arranging over the vegetables. Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken and vegetables.
07 - Cover with lid or foil and transfer to preheated oven. Braise for 25 minutes.
08 - Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and chicken to brown.
09 - Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce creates itself while you relax with a glass of wine
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day for lunch
  • It looks impressive but requires almost zero hands-on time
02 -
  • Searing the chicken first creates flavor compounds that you cannot get any other way
  • The sauce will look thin at first but reduces beautifully during that final uncovered time
  • Using bone-in thighs means you can cook them longer without drying out the meat
03 -
  • Let the chicken come to room temperature before searing for more even browning
  • If your sauce looks too thick after braising, splash in a little more broth

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