This was the dish that made my mother famous at her garden club meetings. Still getting requests 40 years later.

This oven baked 4-ingredient chicken cosmopolitan is my streamlined take on the dish that made my mother famous at her garden club meetings. She started serving it in the late 1970s, when anything with a splash of cranberry cocktail and a bottle of wine felt wonderfully sophisticated, and she never came home without at least two recipe requests. The chicken bakes in a rich burgundy-hued sauce of red wine and cranberry cocktail, with mushrooms soaking up every bit of flavor. It’s elegant enough for company, but simple enough to throw together on a weeknight with supermarket staples.

Serve the chicken and its burgundy sauce over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or a simple white rice to catch every bit of the pan juices. A crisp green salad with a light vinaigrette balances the richness nicely, as do simply steamed green beans or roasted asparagus. If you’d like to echo the flavors in the dish, pour a glass of the same dry red wine you used in the sauce. A loaf of crusty bread on the table is perfect for mopping up the extra sauce from the cream-colored baking dish.

To stay true to the spirit of my mother’s garden club classic while working with just four core ingredients, the essentials here are chicken, red wine, cranberry cocktail, and mushrooms. Everything else is optional. If you want a slightly richer, more velvety sauce, whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold butter into the hot pan juices right after the dish comes out of the oven, or stir in a splash of heavy cream for a rosier, creamier finish. For a bit more savoriness without adding ingredients to the baking dish itself, rub the chicken with a cut clove of garlic or a pinch of dried thyme before cooking.

You can also swap bone-in thighs for a fully dark-meat version, which stays especially moist; just keep an eye on timing, as smaller pieces may cook a little faster. If you prefer boneless, skinless thighs, reduce the covered baking time by about 10 minutes and check for doneness earlier, since they cook more quickly and can dry out if overbaked. For a slightly lighter dish, use skinless chicken and trim any excess fat before baking. If you don’t cook with alcohol, you can substitute additional cranberry cocktail plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar for brightness, understanding that the flavor will be fruitier and less wine-forward.

From a food safety standpoint, always thaw chicken completely in the refrigerator, not on the counter; keep raw chicken and its juices away from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands, cutting boards, and knives thoroughly after handling raw poultry; and use a thermometer to confirm that the thickest part of the chicken reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Leftovers should be cooled quickly, stored in a covered container in the refrigerator within 2 hours, and eaten within 3 to 4 days, reheated until steaming hot before serving.