Russian Chicken

This is the definition of a dump-and-bake dinner. Four ingredients, one dish, zero effort. Mix Russian dressing, apricot preserves, and dry onion soup mix together, pour it over chicken breasts, and bake. The oven does everything else.

The magic is in how those three pantry ingredients combine during the long bake. The Russian dressing brings a tangy, slightly spicy base. The apricot preserves melt into it, adding fruity sweetness and body. The onion soup mix dissolves and seasons the whole sauce with dried onion, garlic, and herbs. After an hour and a half, you’ve got chicken coated in a glossy, caramelized sauce that’s sweet, savory, and tangy all at once.

The long baking time at a moderate temperature is deliberate. It gives the sauce time to reduce and concentrate while the chicken stays tender and practically falls off the bone. Use bone-in pieces if you can. They hold up better over the 90-minute cook and stay juicier than boneless cuts.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a glass baking dish as specified. The acid in the dressing can react with metal pans
• Spoon the sauce generously over each piece of chicken. It thickens and reduces during baking, so more is better
• Baste the chicken with the pan sauce halfway through for a more even glaze
• Serve over white rice or egg noodles to catch all the sauce

Variations

• Swap Russian dressing for French dressing or Catalina for a slightly different tang
• Use peach preserves instead of apricot for a different fruit flavor
• Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce mixture for extra brightness