Name: Baked Saucy Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 cup onion (red, white or yellow) (chopped); 1 clove garlic; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar; 1/4 cup ketchup; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp salt

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Baked Saucy chicken is tangy and sweet, super easy and mouthwateringly good!

baked saucy chicken on a plate with mashed potatoes and green beans

This chicken is scrumptious. Sweet, tangy and tender as heck. This chicken recipe has been in my family for a LONG time. It’s a recipe my great-grandma used to make. My mom talks about sneaking into the kitchen at night to eat leftovers of this as a kid. I, on the other hand, did not like this chicken when I was young. I think I got a slightly crunchy onion and was almost forever traumatized. Thankfully I moved on from that boring picky stage and get to experience this absolutely delicious, flavorful chicken.

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First, what is saucy chicken?

I know, this is one of those recipe names that doesn’t really tell you much about what is in it. I mean, it sounds good, like who wants the opposite of saucy chicken? Which I think would be dry?

After a quick google search and it appears there are a lot of recipes out there called ‘saucy chicken’ but they vary quite a bit. Some have ingredients similar to mine or at least similar elements, like something sour, something sweet and something savory. And of course they all have a nice saucy look going on. Taste of Home’s recipe sounds yummy, as does The Spruce Eat’s version.

Ingredients needed for saucy chicken

Chicken: of course! I always go with boneless, skinless breast but you could pretty much use any cut you want, you will just need to adjust cooking times.
Onions & garlic: you can use any kind of onion to make this—red, white or yellow work just fine. Use what you got!
Salt: just salt guys
Fat: butter, just one tablespoon
Acid: vinegar, lemon juice, ketchup
Sweet: brown sugar

Can you tell I’ve been reading Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (affiliate link)? Just had to change the last one (heat to sweet), even though we are of course using heat to make this saucy chicken. And speaking of heat, I cannot recommend getting a meat thermometer enough. If you want to avoid over-baked chicken and over baked/cooked any kind of meat, this is your answer! This (affiliate link) is the one I have and I use it ALL the time.

Another must for avoiding dry chicken, is salting the meat in advance. I try to do 24 hours but even 30 minutes can make a difference. This is something I learned from Samin and I am forever grateful for this knowledge that has allowed me to make some of the best chicken I’ve ever had.

How to make it

Anyone can do this! This chicken is pretty foolproof and would make a great date night or any general having-people-over-and-you-want-to-feed-them-something-impressive-but-easy meal. It also has comfort food written all over it (especially when you serve it with creamy mashed potatoes) and is perfect for fall and generally the entire holiday season.

Make the sauce

We cook the sauce prior to slathering it on the chicken and baking it. The sauce starts with onions sautéing in butter, next comes garlic and then things get really saucy: brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire and salt. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes before pouring on top of the chicken.

chicken breast with saucy slathered on before baking

How do I tell when baked chicken is done?

The best way to tell if baked chicken is done is by using a meat thermometer to see if the internal temperature has reached 165F degrees, the recommended temperature for poultry to get rid of harmful bacteria like salmonella. Otherwise, it is very hard to tell you exactly when baked chicken is done.

Why?

Because no two chicken breasts are exactly the same size and ovens are often inconsistent in their temperature—the temperature you set my not really be the actual temperature in the oven. And so, while my chicken took about 25 minutes to cook, yours might take 20 or 35 minutes to be done. If you follow me blindly you might end up with over or undercooked chicken and both are just no fun.

I use this meat thermometer (affiliate link) from Alphagrillers and it hasn’t let me down yet. This meat thermometer is waterproof and digital which means it’s easy to clean and you don’t have to worry about intense steam ruining it.

What to serve with this saucy chicken

I love it with mashed potatoes and some type of green veggie but it is great with almost any starchy side and a roasted veggie. I’ve also served it with roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, and zucchini— that was also so tasty! Here is my recipe for cream cheese and chive mashed potatoes!

I hope you try this recipe! It’s easily doubled or tripled and definitely a crowd-pleaser! If you make it, please let me know how it went. Leave a comment/rating below and find me on instagram @thefigjar!