On more than one occasion, my biggest accomplishment during the busy holiday season has been getting dinner on the table. This includes making a dinner that everyone enjoys and we all sit down to eat.
That feeling of accomplishment is quickly replaced with dread. As in, dreading to have to do it all over again the next day.
A friend graciously offered her mom's go-to BBQ chicken recipe for me to try. Always up for a new recipe, I accepted. As I read the ingredients, I realized that it was essentially a cocktail sauce with onion and sugar. This new recipe got even easier!
I headed off to our neighborhood Giant Eagle to pick up what I needed.
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When I entered, I was greeted by a happy display of our favorite crackers. My kid loves Ritz crackers and nothing beats cheese on Triscuits. It also gave me an idea for Ritz Cracker topping on the chicken. Dinner was sounding better.
I enjoy shopping at my local Giant Eagle. Not only is close to my house, but we've gotten to know the cashiers by name. It's a joy to shop there.
It's not often that my oldest wants to cook with me anymore but when I came home with chicken and crackers, he wanted to help!
I tried to get him to cut the onions, but he declined.
He loves that they taste good and I love that he's getting the protein he needs.
After, chopping and sauteing the onions in butter, I removed them to cook the chicken. He measured out the ingredients for the sauce and helped flip the chicken. Once the chicken was lightly browned, we placed them in a shallow baking dish. They will finish cooking in the oven.
The sauce is super easy. Orange juice, cocktail sauce, and onions.
Market Districts' Cocktail Sauce is a perfect blend of tomatoes and worcestershire with tangy vinegar.
The sauce and the chicken go into the oven for about twenty minutes or until the chicken juices are clear.
While we waited, he got to crush the Ritz Crakers in a baggie with a rolling pin. We were laughing so hard, I forgot to take pictures, but it's nothing that has been shown before.
After the chicken was topped with the crumbs, it was back in the oven to broil for about five minutes.
Served with Birds Eye Steakhouse Green Beans to balance the sweet with some savory. The steakhouse seasoning perks up plain green beans!
In under an hour, we had a tasty dinner on the table and fond memories of cooking together to last a lifetime.
Now, what to make tomorrow? Another trip to Giant Eagle may be needed.
Festive BBQ Baked Chicken
- 1 small onion
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter
- 4 large Chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup of Orange Juice
- 1 cup of Cocktail Sauce
- 8 - 10 Ritz Crackers
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Saute finely chopped onion in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter
- Remove onions and brown chicken
- Place cooked chicken in a baking dish
- Add onions back to the saute pan. Add cocktail sauce and OJ to the onions and bring to a boil.
- Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 20 minutes.
- Crush Ritz Crackers using a food processor or a bagging and rolling pin. It should be the consistency of bread crumbs.
- Remove dish from the oven. Cover the chicken in Ritz breading.
- Broil on high for four to five minutes, browning the breading.
