There are some recipes that stay with a family because they are fancy, and then there are the ones that stay because they are easy, dependable, and downright good every single time. This oven baked 4-ingredient chicken Montgomery belongs to that second kind. It has that old church-supper, neighbor-to-neighbor feeling to it, the sort of supper you can stir together from a short pantry list and still carry to the table with pride. The sauce bakes down around the chicken into a sweet-savory glaze with browned edges and tender meat, making it just the sort of comforting dish busy home cooks have leaned on for generations.
This chicken is mighty good with buttered rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes to catch every bit of the sauce. In late summer, I like to set it out with green beans, sweet corn, or sliced tomatoes from the garden, and in cooler weather it pairs beautifully with simple roasted carrots or a crisp lettuce salad. A pan of warm rolls and a spoon are never a bad idea, because folks always want the last of those caramelized juices.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Chicken Montgomery
Servings: 6
Ingredients
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 cup Russian dressing
1 packet dry onion soup mix, about 1 ounce
1 cup apricot preserves
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the Russian dressing, dry onion soup mix, and apricot preserves until smooth and well combined.
3. Arrange the chicken pieces in the prepared baking dish in a single layer, then spoon the sauce evenly over the top, turning the pieces once if needed so they are nicely coated.
4. Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, basting once or twice during cooking, until the chicken is tender, browned at the edges, and cooked through to 165°F.
5. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving, then spoon the pan sauce over each portion.
Variations & Tips
Use different chicken cuts: Bone-in thighs and drumsticks stay especially juicy, but you can make this with split chicken breasts or boneless thighs too. Just keep an eye on the cooking time, since smaller or boneless pieces may finish sooner.
Make it a little tangier: If your family likes a less sweet sauce, stir in a spoonful of yellow mustard or a splash of cider vinegar with the other ingredients. That little bit of sharpness balances the preserves nicely.
Keep the glaze from scorching: Because preserves have sugar, the edges can darken quickly near the end. If the top is browning too fast before the chicken is done, loosely tent the dish with foil for the remaining bake time.
Prep ahead: You can mix the sauce in the morning and keep it covered in the refrigerator until supper time. Then all you have to do is arrange the chicken, pour it over, and bake.
Turn it into a full meal: For an old-fashioned one-pan supper feeling, tuck a few onion wedges around the chicken before baking. They soften into the sauce and make the whole kitchen smell wonderful.