This oven baked 4-ingredient Amish chicken and cabbage casserole is the kind of humble, honest food I grew up on out here in the Midwest. My grandma put it on the table many a Sunday supper, and I can still see that white casserole dish coming out of the oven, the cabbage all buttery and caramelized around the edges and the chicken so tender it practically fell apart. It’s a true farmhouse recipe: simple ingredients, slow heat, and a whole lot of comfort. With just cabbage, chicken, butter, and a little seasoning salt, you get a pan that’s always scraped clean and a meal that tastes like it took all day, even though it only takes a few minutes to get into the oven.
This casserole is a full meal on its own, but I like to round it out the way my grandma did: with a bowl of applesauce or a simple cucumber salad on the side. Warm dinner rolls or a slice of buttered bread are wonderful for soaking up the buttery juices in the bottom of the dish. If you want to stretch it a bit further, serve it alongside mashed or boiled potatoes, or spoon the tender cabbage and chicken over egg noodles. A crisp green salad with a tangy dressing also pairs nicely with the rich, roasted flavors.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Amish Chicken and Cabbage CasseroleServings: 4-6
Ingredients
1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), cored and thickly sliced
2 to 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, legs, or a mix)
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted (plus a little extra for greasing the dish)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s), to taste
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter a 9x13-inch white casserole dish or similar baking dish so the cabbage doesn’t stick.
Prepare the cabbage by removing any tough outer leaves, cutting it into quarters, and cutting out the core. Slice the cabbage into thick shreds or 1-inch wide strips. It will look like a lot, but it cooks down in the oven.
Spread the sliced cabbage evenly in the prepared casserole dish, fluffing it a little with your hands so there are some air pockets for the juices to settle into as it bakes.
Drizzle about half of the melted butter over the cabbage and toss gently with your hands or tongs right in the dish to coat as much of the cabbage as you can.
Sprinkle about half of the seasoned salt evenly over the cabbage layer. This is what helps it caramelize and gives that deep, savory flavor, so don’t skip it.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels so they roast up nicely. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up in a single layer over the bed of cabbage, nestling them down just slightly so the juices will run through the cabbage as they cook.
Brush or spoon the remaining melted butter over the tops of the chicken pieces, making sure the skin is well coated. Sprinkle the remaining seasoned salt over the chicken, adjusting the amount to your taste and the size of the pieces.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil. Place it on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake, covered, for 45 minutes. This helps the chicken start to turn tender and the cabbage to soften and release its juices.
After 45 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch for steam). Spoon some of the buttery pan juices over the chicken and cabbage to baste. Return the uncovered dish to the oven.
Continue baking, uncovered, for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender, the skin is nicely browned, and the cabbage around the edges is deeply golden and caramelized. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part.
If you’d like the top a bit more browned, you can move the dish up a rack or turn the oven to broil for the last 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely so it doesn’t burn. The cabbage should be soft and buttery, with browned edges, and the bottom of the pan should have a rich, savory broth.
Let the casserole rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the juices settle. Serve the chicken pieces over generous spoonfuls of the caramelized cabbage, making sure to ladle some of the buttery juices from the bottom of the dish over each serving.
Variations & Tips
Use these ideas as gentle tweaks while keeping the spirit of the 4-ingredient casserole: (1) Different chicken cuts: Grandma often used a whole cut-up chicken when she had it. You can use all thighs, all legs, or even bone-in, skin-on breasts. Just keep the total weight similar and check thicker pieces for doneness. (2) Extra cabbage: If your family loves cabbage, heap it in—up to a very full 9x13-inch dish. It cooks down a lot, and the extra cabbage just means more of that buttery, caramelized goodness. (3) Seasoned salt swap: If you don’t keep seasoned salt on hand, you can mimic it by using regular salt and a light sprinkle of paprika and black pepper, but then you’ve technically added more than four ingredients. For the pure 4-ingredient version, stick with a good seasoned salt blend. (4) Butter options: Salted butter gives the best old-fashioned flavor, but unsalted butter works if you adjust the seasoned salt slightly upward. You can also dot pieces of cold butter over the top instead of melting it first if you’re in a hurry. (5) Make-ahead tip: You can slice the cabbage and arrange everything in the dish earlier in the day, then cover and refrigerate. Pull it out while the oven preheats and add just a few extra minutes to the covered baking time. (6) Crispier skin: For extra-crisp chicken skin, make sure the pieces are very dry before buttering, don’t overcrowd them, and finish under the broiler for a minute or two. (7) Stretching leftovers: If you have any cabbage and chicken left, pull the chicken from the bone, chop it, and rewarm it with the cabbage in a skillet. Spoon over noodles or rice for an easy second meal that still tastes like Sunday supper.
