Some recipes stay with a family because they are fancy, but others last because they are dependable, thrifty, and so good nobody leaves a bite behind. This oven baked 3-ingredient chicken Winchester is that kind of supper. It has the plainspoken comfort of a Midwestern farmhouse meal, the sort of thing a grandmother would jot on an index card after making it so often she hardly needed to measure. With just a few pantry-friendly ingredients and a hot oven, the chicken turns tender and richly glazed, making it a fine answer for busy evenings, late summer suppers, or any time you want something hearty without a fuss.
Serve this chicken with buttery mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, sweet corn, or a simple cucumber and onion salad for a plate that feels right at home on the kitchen table. It is also especially good with rice or egg noodles to catch the savory juices in the pan, and a basket of warm dinner rolls never goes amiss if you want to make sure every bit of that sauce gets mopped up.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Chicken Winchester
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds chicken pieces, bone-in, skin-on
1 envelope dry onion soup mix, about 1 ounce
1 cup French dressing
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer, skin side up.
2. Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the chicken, then pour the French dressing across the top so every piece gets coated.
3. Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, basting once or twice if you like, until the chicken is browned at the edges and the thickest pieces reach 165°F.
4. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan juices over the top and serve hot.
Variations & Tips
Use different chicken pieces: Thighs and drumsticks are especially flavorful here, but split breasts or a whole cut-up fryer work too. Just be sure the pieces are similar in size so they bake evenly.
Watch the sauce near the end: Because French dressing contains sugar, the edges can darken quickly in the last stretch of baking. If the chicken is browning too fast, loosely tent the dish with foil until it finishes cooking.
Add a garden touch: If you have late summer vegetables on hand, tuck a few thick onion slices or halved small potatoes around the chicken before baking. They will soak up the savory-sweet juices beautifully and make the meal stretch a little further.
Make cleanup easier: A shallow casserole dish gives the best browning, but you can line the pan lightly with parchment made for baking or soak the dish promptly after supper to make scrubbing easier.