Three Ingredient Baked Chicken

THREE INGREDIENT BAKED CHICKEN

Growing up my mom instilled in me how important it is to gather around the table and have a family supper. Sure, with two siblings and three step siblings and a father with a demanding job there were events and activities and things that didn’t always allow that, but as a child through adolescence I knew that if I wasn’t home when the family ate there was always a home cooked meal waiting for me when I got home. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized how rare and special that was. A lot of people I know are intimidated by cooking. But what they don’t realize is putting dinner on the table really doesn’t have to involve a bunch of intricate steps and a long list of ingredients. My mother, though an exceptional chef like my grandmother and great grandmother before her, didn’t make elaborate dishes every night. But she did cook almost every night. Every Monday we had what we called “Monday Night Chicken”. We had chicken and peas and rice on Mondays like clockwork. When I moved out on my own, my mom started writing down recipes for me. The very first one that I made and one I still make multiple times a month was “Marcy’s Monday Night Chicken”. With three simple ingredients you can make this on any budget and with any skill level. My kids love this. My friends kids love this. My husband loves this. It’s a tried a true hit in my circle and I hope it will be in yours as well!

First I preheat the oven to 350 and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. This recipe is really versatile. I always ALWAYS use bone in skin on chicken but sometimes I use one 5-6 pack of drumsticks or a pack of drumsticks and a pack of thighs (like mama always did). So you really pick the casserole dish based on the amount of chicken you’re cooking. Because this is great leftover and because my kids are bottomless pits, I’m making a pack of drumsticks and a pack of thighs.

Then I place the chicken in the casserole dish and sprinkle on a generous amount of Montreal steak seasoning. If you don’t have this spice blend, buy it. You can seriously put it on everything! If you don’t want to buy it, you can use coarse ground salt and black pepper and not miss out on too much. 

In a separate medium sized bowl you combine a can of beef broth and a can of golden mushroom soup. Stir with a whisk or fork until mixed, it will be lumpy which is just fine. You pour this yummy magic combo on top of the chicken and voila, it’s ready for the oven. 

This will bake for 1 hour. It’s amazing because whether you cook 5 pieces of chicken in a small square 8×8 or 12 pieces in a 9×13 dish, the cook time is an hour. Pull it out after an hour and the top should be golden brown. After that I spoon a little of the yummy sauce on top and wham bam thank you ma’am chicken is done! How easy is that?! I beg anyone who says they “can’t cook” to tell me this is too much for them. If straight out of high school me and strung out sleep deprived mom me can do it, so can you! I sincerely hope you like this dish and it becomes a regular in your rotation. For an exceptional combo, pair it with my white mac n cheese which is made exclusively on the stovetop in about a half hour and can be done while the chicken cooks. 

INGREDIENTS

Bone in skin on chicken, I do a pack of 4-6 drumsticks and a pack of 4 thighs but you can do as many pieces as you can comfortably fit in a 9×13 casserole dish

Montreal steak seasoning (or coarse ground salt and pepper), the seasonings are optional and will not take away from the flavor if you’re cooking for super picky pallets but really do enhance the flavor

Golden mushroom soup, 10.75 oz can

Beef broth, 10.75 oz can

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to bake 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 (or smaller if only cooking one pack of chicken) casserole dish with non-stick spray of choice.
2. Sprinkle Montreal steak seasoning over the chicken as seen in photo above. More or less to fit personal taste.
3. Combine the two soups in a separate medium sized bowl. Stir with whisk or fork to mix. It will be lumpy, that’s normal!
4. Pour over chicken and bake for one hour or until cooked through. I have made this chicken more times than any other protein and I have never had to cook for more or less than an hour, no matter if I cooked one 5 pack of drumsticks or 12 pieces of chicken.
5. Enjoy! And if you think about it post a picture on instagram and tag @thehungriesthousewife #thehungriesthousewife.