This old-fashioned summer camp style chicken is the kind of simple supper that earned its reputation by being easy, dependable, and surprisingly delicious. With just four ingredients and one baking dish, you can turn raw bone-in chicken breasts into a cozy meal with a tangy, savory sauce that feels straight out of a vintage church cookbook. It is especially handy on busy nights when you want something hearty in the oven without a lot of measuring, fuss, or cleanup.
Serve this chicken with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, rice, or a scoop of fluffy white bread to catch every bit of sauce. For vegetables, green beans, corn, peas, or a simple garden salad all fit the comforting 1960s supper-table feel. If you are feeding a family, a fruit salad or chilled watermelon on the side makes it feel a little extra special in warm weather.
4-Ingredient Oven 1960s Summer Camp Chicken
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 raw bone-in chicken breasts
1 cup ketchup
1 packet dry onion soup mix, about 1 ounce
1 cup lemon-lime soda
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish if you like easier cleanup.
2. Arrange the raw bone-in chicken breasts skin-side up in the casserole dish in a single layer.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the ketchup, dry onion soup mix, and lemon-lime soda until combined. The mixture will look thin at first, and that is perfectly fine.
4. Pour the sauce all around and over the chicken breasts, making sure each piece is coated well.
5. Bake uncovered for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the chicken is deeply cooked through and reaches 165°F in the thickest part. If the top begins getting too dark, loosely tent with foil near the end.
6. Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, then spoon plenty of the sauce over each portion.
Variations & Tips
For extra tang: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the sauce if your family likes a sharper sweet-and-sour flavor.
For picky eaters: If the onion soup mix texture stands out too much, whisk the sauce very well before pouring it over the chicken so the seasonings blend more smoothly into the sauce.
If using very large chicken breasts: Bone-in breasts can vary a lot in size, so checking with a meat thermometer is the safest way to know when dinner is done. Smaller pieces may finish closer to 1 hour, while larger ones may need the full 1 hour 15 minutes.
Make it a full casserole meal: Tuck peeled potato chunks or baby carrots around the chicken before baking. They will soak up the sauce and turn this into more of a one-pan supper.
Storage tip: Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with extra sauce spooned over the top so the chicken stays moist.