This oven baked 3-ingredient chicken Parisienne is the kind of dish that quietly stole the show at my mother’s dinner parties in the early 1960s. I actually found the original scribbled on an index card, tucked inside her 1962 cookbook, splattered with cream and a little torn at the corner. It’s pure Midwestern ingenuity: a few pantry staples, a casserole dish, and the oven doing most of the work. Tender chicken breasts bake in a simple, velvety mushroom sauce until they’re so soft you can cut them with the side of a fork. It’s the sort of recipe you make when company is coming, you’re short on time, but you still want the house to smell like you fussed all afternoon.
This creamy chicken begs for something to soak up the sauce. In my mother’s kitchen, that usually meant buttered egg noodles or plain white rice. Mashed potatoes work beautifully too, especially if you whip them with a little sour cream to echo the tang in the sauce. Add a bright green vegetable for color and crunch—steamed green beans, peas, or a simple lettuce salad with a sharp vinaigrette. Warm dinner rolls or sliced baguette are nice for swiping up every last bit of that mushroom sauce, and a crisp white wine or iced tea fits right in with the old-fashioned dinner party feel.
Oven-Baked 3-Ingredient Chicken ParisienneServings: 4
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream (full-fat, not light)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a medium oval or rectangular baking dish, just large enough to hold the chicken breasts in a single layer.
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. This helps them brown slightly around the edges and keeps the sauce from getting watery. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and the sour cream until smooth and well blended. Take a moment to scrape the bottom of the bowl so there are no streaks of plain soup or sour cream.
Pour the mushroom-sour cream mixture evenly over the chicken breasts, spreading it gently with a spoon so each piece is well coated and the sauce covers the bottom of the dish. The chicken should be mostly submerged in the creamy sauce.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Place it on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Keeping it covered at first helps the chicken stay tender and keeps the sauce from drying out.
After 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch for steam). Return the uncovered dish to the oven and continue baking for another 20–30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbling around the edges with a light golden tint.
Check for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a breast; it should read 165°F (74°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, cut into the thickest piece to be sure the juices run clear and there is no pink in the center.
Once done, remove the dish from the oven and let the chicken rest in the hot sauce for about 5–10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it stands, making it perfect for spooning over each serving.
To serve, place a chicken breast on each plate and spoon plenty of the creamy mushroom sauce over the top. It should look just like those old dinner party casseroles: tender chicken smothered in a rich, bubbling sauce with golden edges along the sides of the baking dish.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra flavor while still keeping the spirit of the three-ingredient recipe, you can season the chicken lightly with salt, black pepper, or a pinch of paprika before adding the sauce. If you don’t mind stretching past three ingredients, a handful of sliced fresh mushrooms tucked around the chicken or a clove of minced garlic stirred into the sauce fits right in with the old-fashioned feel. You can also swap the sour cream for plain full-fat Greek yogurt for a slightly tangier, lighter sauce, though it may separate a bit more if overheated, so bake gently and avoid broiling. If your chicken breasts are very large or thick, consider cutting them in half horizontally so they cook more evenly and stay tender. Always handle raw chicken with care: use a separate cutting board and knife, wash your hands and any surfaces that touch the raw meat with hot, soapy water, and never reuse plates or utensils that held raw chicken without washing them first. Be sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving, and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a shallow container. Leftovers reheat nicely in a low oven, covered, or on the stovetop over gentle heat so the sauce doesn’t break.
