There are some dishes that never needed fussing over, and this old-fashioned oven baked chicken Marseille is one of them. It’s the kind of Sunday supper that could go from church pew to dinner table without a lick of strain, filling the house with a sweet, savory aroma while everyone changed clothes and set the table. With just three ingredients, this recipe leans on pantry simplicity and patient oven time to make tender chicken with a glossy, rich sauce that tastes like much more work than it is.
This chicken is especially good served over fluffy white rice, buttered egg noodles, or mashed potatoes to catch every spoonful of that amber sauce. For the table, I like a simple green bean side, buttered peas, or a crisp lettuce salad with a tart dressing to balance the sweetness of the sauce.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Chicken Marseille
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds chicken pieces, bone-in, skin-on
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a deep 9x13-inch baking dish or stoneware casserole.
2. Arrange the chicken pieces in the baking dish in a single layer, skin side up if using mixed pieces.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the Russian dressing and dry onion soup mix until well combined.
4. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, turning pieces once if needed so they are well coated, then leave them skin side up.
5. Bake uncovered for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, basting once or twice, until the chicken is deeply bronzed, tender, and cooked through and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
6. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving, then spoon plenty of sauce over each portion.
Variations & Tips
Use the right chicken pieces: Thighs and drumsticks stay especially juicy here, though a whole cut-up chicken works just like many church cookbook recipes intended. Try to keep pieces similar in size so they finish at the same time.
Watch the sauce near the end: Because the dressing contains sugar, the edges can caramelize quickly in the last 15 minutes. If your oven runs hot, loosely tent the dish with foil once the chicken has browned to your liking.
Make it a little fuller: If you want a touch more sauce for spooning over rice, add 1/4 cup water to the dish before baking. It won’t change the spirit of the recipe, just gives you more of that good pan sauce.
Easy old-school variation: Some home cooks like to add a spoonful of apricot preserves or peach jam to the dressing mixture for a sweeter, glossier finish. It’s not the classic three-ingredient version, but it fits the same Sunday-supper style beautifully.
Leftover tip: Leftover chicken reheats well covered in a low oven, and the extra sauce is mighty good over noodles the next day. If the sauce thickens in the refrigerator, loosen it with a splash of water while reheating.
