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I have a confession: I bought a bottle of Russian dressing and let it sit in my fridge for six months before I finally made this Russian apricot chicken recipe. Six months! The sauce is sweet, tangy, a little glossy, and deeply savory all at once. It has become one of those recipes I come back to again and again on busy weeknights when I need dinner to basically make itself. The best part? You only need four ingredients, and one of them is the chicken. That’s it.
4-Ingredient Russian Chicken with Apricot Preserves
This isn’t some internet myth of a recipe that sounds better than it tastes. The magic here is in how the three sauce ingredients–Catalina dressing (often labeled as Russian dressing), apricot preserves, and dry onion soup mix–work together. The Catalina dressing brings a sweet, tangy, tomato-ey depth, the apricot jam adds fruity sweetness and helps the sauce caramelize beautifully in the oven, and the onion soup mix seasons the whole thing, so you don’t have to measure a single spice.
When you baste the chicken as it bakes, that sauce keeps thickening and layering on flavor. By the time it hits the table, it looks and tastes like something that took way more effort than it did.
If you love the sweet-tangy combo that apricot preserves bring to savory dishes, my Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops are worth bookmarking too.
A Note on Russian Dressing
There are two types of Russian dressing at the store, and they are NOT interchangeable. You want the red, oily Catalina-style dressing, not the creamy white kind you’d put on a Reuben. Wishbone labels both versions as “Russian dressing,” which is so confusing. If in doubt, grab a bottle labeled Catalina dressing instead, or make a quick homemade version with ketchup, oil, vinegar, and a little sugar. Using the wrong one will give you a very different (and not great) result.
Chicken Breasts vs. Chicken Thighs
I tested this recipe with both boneless, skinless chicken breasts and chicken thighs, and the thighs won by a mile. Because they’re dark meat, they stayed noticeably juicier and more tender throughout the bake, and the sauce clung to them way better.
That said, chicken breasts still work here, especially with all that sauce going on. Just watch them closely, since they can dry out at the higher bake temperature. Check the internal temperature a few minutes early, and pull them as soon as they hit 165°F.
Bone-in chicken thighs are also a great option. Just add about 10–15 extra minutes to the bake time and use a thermometer to confirm they’ve reached 165°F. The bone helps retain moisture and adds a little extra richness to the sauce as it bakes.
How to Make Russian Apricot Chicken
This is truly one of the most low-effort dinners in my rotation. First, preheat the oven, line your baking dish with two layers of foil (trust me on this; cleanup is brutal without it), and arrange your chicken breasts/thighs in the dish in a single layer.
Next, whisk together the Catalina dressing, apricot preserves, and dry onion soup mix until combined; pour the sauce all over the chicken; and bake, basting every 10-15 minutes with the sauce that pools in the bottom of the pan to help create a glossy sauce.
Optionally, in the last 5 minutes of baking, turn on your broiler and let the sauce caramelize and bubble on top of the chicken. Keep a close eye on it since it can go from caramelized to burnt pretty quickly.
Can I Make This in a Crockpot?
Yes! This Russian apricot chicken translates really well to the slow cooker, which makes it an even better weeknight option. Here’s how to do it:
Place the chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Whisk together the Catalina dressing, apricot preserves, and dry onion soup mix, then pour it over the chicken. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Keep in mind, the sauce won’t caramelize or thicken in the slow cooker the way it does in the oven. If you want that caramelized finish, transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet and pop it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. It’s a quick extra step, but totally worth it.
What Can I Use Instead of Apricot Jam?
If you’re out of apricot preserves, don’t stress. There are a few easy swaps:
- Peach preserves are the closest substitute and work beautifully. The flavor is almost identical in the final dish.
- Orange marmalade adds a slightly more citrusy, bitter note but still delivers that sweet-tangy contrast you’re looking for.
- Pineapple jam or preserves gives it a more tropical spin and pairs especially well with the tangy dressing.
I’d avoid anything too tart (like raspberry or cherry) since the sauce already has plenty of acidity from the dressing.
Serving Suggestions
The sauce in this dish is the star, so you want something that can soak it up. My go-to pairings:
- White Rice or Jasmine Rice is the most classic option, and it’s honestly perfect.
- Egg noodles have a buttery, soft texture that’s great for soaking up that sauce.
- Roasted Parmesan Broccoli, Cold Garlic and Soy Green Beans, or Roasted Lemony Pesto Asparagus helps balance the richness.
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes are great if you want to lean all the way into cozy comfort food mode.
Don’t forget to spoon the extra sauce from the bottom of the baking dish over everything. It’s too good to leave behind!
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Leftover chicken keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The sauce actually gets a little thicker and more concentrated as it sits, which I personally love. To reheat, warm it gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or microwave it covered in 30-second intervals until heated through.
This is also a great recipe to freeze. Let it cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Russian Apricot Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package of dry onion soup mix
- 1 cup (237 ml) catalina dressing
- 1 cup (237 g) apricot preserves
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C) and line a baking pan with two layers of foil and place chicken into the pan.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together onion soup mix, catalina dressing, and apricot preserves.1 package of dry onion soup mix, 1 cup (237 ml) catalina dressing, 1 cup (237 g) apricot preserves
- Pour the mixture all over the chicken.1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes, or when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 °F (74 °C)
- While baking, you'll want to baste it often with either a brush or a baster. Just so the chicken gets re-coated with the delicious sauce.
- If you want, 5 minutes or so before the chicken is done, you can pop it under the broiler to get the sauce to caramelize a bit on the chicken but this is totally optional.
- Serve with your favorite veggies or grains.
Nutrition
Photographs by Jess Gaertner Creative
I have been making this dish for over 20 years. When I first found it, it was called Sweet & Sour Chicken. My son ate it for a couple years, and then decided he didn’t like “sweet & sour” (he was about 15 at the time, which tells you a lot). So I changed the name to Russian Chicken, served it again, and he has loved it ever since!
Turned out too soupy for me. Next time I dry-broiled the chicken well on both sides, drained off the juices and then added the sauce and baked about 20 -30 more minutes. Turned off oven and let sit another 10-15 min. Was not soupy this way.
I grew up on this recipe, only we used bottled dressing (and it was delicious!) I can’t wait to try with homemade dressing.
Hi Julie – This is the second recipe I’ve made from your blog, I made the honey soy chicken last week and it was DELISH. Question – The chicken just finished baking and it seems the sauce has separated a bit and is very greasy. Have you had to de-grease before serving? Any thoughts?
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I haven’t de-greased before serving, but the reason why the sauce is greasy is partially cause the dressing is an oil-based sauce. You could probably just spoon off some of the layer of oil before serving if you don’t like how greasy it is. Hope this helps!
Under the directions for the dressing, in #2, it ends mid-sentence: “into the…” what? pan? or is there more to it?
Good catch, Kay! Thanks! Yup, into the pan :) I’ve made the edit!
Julie- I am making this tonight and was wondering if can I use any baking pan? Like a jelly roll pan or should I crowd the chicken In an 8×8?
I definitely would not put it on a baking sheet/jelly roll pan – there’s a lot of liquid. Definitely crowd the chicken in an 8×8 or something a little bigger if your chicken seems larger than the 8×8 can hold.
I ended up using a 9×13 which worked great. Served it with a quinoa/kale dish that I got from Costco along with a salad. I never would’ve thought of put these flavors together. So easy and delicious!! Thank you!
thinking this may work in crock pot..has anyone tried it
This looks delicious! And yes, it’s definitely too early for the pumpkin spice posts. We still have two more months of pool weather in Georgia!
Yum! Love the apricot sauce, this dish looks great!
Has anyone tried freezing this??? I’m working full time and heading back to school all with a soon to be 1 yo (the whole 9 yards I know!) Trying to find *different* freezer to oven meal!
I personally haven’t frozen this before but I imagine if you did and put it in the oven to cook, it would be fine. I’m just not positive how the sauce will react in the freezer. It’s worth a shot though!