This oven baked 3-ingredient chicken spectacular is one of those quiet little treasures that used to sit on handwritten cards in metal recipe boxes all across the Midwest. I first saw it in my mother-in-law’s box, dated 1965, written in her neat blue ink with a few splatters from years of Sunday suppers. It’s the kind of recipe a busy farm wife could pull together after church: simple pantry ingredients, no fussy steps, and a smell that fills the whole house.
The chicken bakes up golden and tender under a caramelized onion soup glaze that bastes it as it cooks. You make this when you want something comforting, reliable, and just old-fashioned good.
Serve this chicken straight from the glass baking dish with a big spoon for that glossy onion glaze. It’s wonderful over fluffy mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles to catch all the drippings. On the side, think like a 1960s Sunday table: a green vegetable such as buttered peas, green beans, or a simple tossed salad, and maybe warm dinner rolls to mop up the sauce.
Leftovers make a fine next-day lunch tucked into a soft roll with a bit of the onion gravy spooned over the top.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Chicken
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (legs, thi ghs, or bone-in breasts, skin on)
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mix
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Set out a 9×13-inch glass baking dish.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. This helps the skin brown and keeps the sauce from getting too watery. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the glass baking dish, skin side up, with a little space between pieces if possible
