Catalina Chicken
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This healthy, easy 20 minute skillet Catalina chicken and tomatoes is smothered in the tastiest, sweet and tangy Catalina sauce.
This is what a Catalina salad looks like minus the salad. It’s the result of a craving plus a shortage of groceries and the desire to change out of my sweats on a rainy Tuesday. And thank heaven for days like that because this Catalina chicken thing happened and it is nothing short of completely scrumptious.
If you haven’t made Catalina dressing from scratch before, it is so easy. Just a handful of basic pantry ingredients that, when thrown into a blender, create creamy sweet and tangy magic in all of two minutes. I’ve loved Catalina dressing since I was a kid but it had never occurred to me until about three weeks ago to skip the green salad underneath and have straight up Catalina chicken.
All I know is that I wish I’d thought this up a whole lot sooner because this meal is ready in 30 minutes and is so delicious I could eat it for days straight. Even my kids like this chicken and they’re pretty picky with their protein! My favorite way to serve this Catalina chicken is over steamed white rice, with some cracked black pepper on top. Your whole family will love this easy, incredibly flavorful dinner.
What people are saying about this Catalina Chicken
“This was a very tasty dish! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us. I made this at my daughter’s house and she made sure that I left her the recipe. I think that I did almost 3 pounds of chicken for 5 of us and there was only one small piece left.” – Jim
“This was delicious!” – Nancy
“This was awesome. The dressing is addicting. I’ve been using it on EVERYTHING. Next time I’ll wait until Step 3 before adding the tomatoes so they don’t get so beat on. I can’t wait to make it again.” – Stacey
Catalina Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless chicken thighs , OR 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to even thickness
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- fresh thyme and cracked black pepper, for garnish (optional)
- steamed white rice, for serving (optional)
Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Transfer 1/2 of the sauce to a large ziplock bag along with the chicken, seal, and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Cover remaining sauce and set aside while chicken marinates.
- Drizzle a large pan or skillet with a bit of oil. Use tongs to transfer chicken to pan (discard bag and marinade). Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes over medium heat until browned, then flip. Add tomatoes to pan and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through completely.
- Drizzle reserved sauce over chicken and tomatoes and cook 1-2 minutes longer until heated through. Garnish with black pepper and fresh thyme if desired and serve alone or over steamed white rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I want to make this recIpe because i like the ingredients mix but i cannot imagine Using as much as half a cup of sugar along with 3 tbs of honey as well as half a cup of ketchUp (also sweet. Will it turn out ultra sweet? Then the addition of a cup of olive oil to the mix! Surely this cannot be a healthy recipe. How many will it feed with all this sweetness and oil?
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wow, CATALINA CHICKEN is one of the best dishes which i have ever seen. I will give it a try for sure!
Can the dressing recipe be cut in half and still maintain its flavor?
I’m sure it could- I haven’t done this myself so I can’t say 100%. I’d love to hear the outcome!
So so so yummy. I halved the sugar since we’re kinda sensitive to it, and it came out perfectly balanced. Had some blue cheese and pistachio carrots on the side, and it was such a delicious meal. Definitely making this again soon!
Sounds like you did great!! Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂 Happy to hear that you loved this recipe!
Thi recipe is so good and so easy to make! How long would you say the sauce would be good for in the fridge is made in advance?
The sauce can be made 1 week in advance and kept in the fridge!
Thi recipe is so good and so easy to make! How long would you say the sauce would be good for in the fridge is made in advance?
This was delicIous
Happy to hear that you loved it! Thanks, Nancy!