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This oven-baked Chicken Marengo turns just five main ingredients into tender chicken and a rich, mushroomy tomato gravy. The tomato-and-cream-of-mushroom-soup sauce bakes into something deeply cozy, with browned chicken skin peeking through. Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or Buttered egg noodles—you’re going to love how easy it is.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five main ingredients — chicken thighs, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, Cream of mushroom soup, and simple seasoning.
- Rich, cozy sauce — the tomatoes and soup bake into a deep, mushroomy gravy.
- Tender chicken with browned skin — leaving the tops exposed helps the skin stay glossy and bronzed.
- Easy oven dinner — one baking dish delivers a generous meal with minimal fuss.
Ingredient Notes
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are important here. They stay juicy during the longer bake and bring a lot more flavor to the sauce than boneless chicken does. Six large thighs work well, but eight smaller ones works just as well as long as you’re near that three-pound mark.
For mushrooms, plain white button mushrooms are perfectly fine. Cremini mushrooms have a little more earthiness, if that is the word—they taste “more mushroom-y,” which is still accurate. Pre-sliced mushrooms are a convenient option.
Use diced tomatoes with all their juices. Don’t drain them. That liquid becomes part of the gravy, and there is no need to throw gravy ingredients down the sink.
As for condensed cream of mushroom soup, Campbell’s works well. Store brand is fine too. This is not a recipe that needs anything more.
The olive oil is optional, technically. But browning the chicken first gives you better color and a deeper flavor, so it’s well worth the extra step.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 6 to 8 pieces, patted very dry
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, white or cremini—I use whichever is on sale
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, with all the juices
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or another neutral cooking oil, for browning the chicken if you’re doing that step
Instructions
Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a deep 9-by-13-inch casserole dish, or something similar with decent sides. Do not use a shallow sheet pan and expect good results; sauce in the oven is a smell you do not need.
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Really dry them—not a quick dab. Season both sides with the kosher salt and black pepper. Dry chicken browns better, and that seasoning works its way into the sauce while it bakes.
If you’re browning the chicken, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Put the thighs in skin-side down, working in batches if necessary. Let them cook until the skin is deeply golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn them and cook the other side another 2 to 3 minutes.
You are not cooking them through here. You’re just giving them a head start and making the kitchen smell wonderful. Transfer the thighs to the prepared baking dish, skin-side up, in one layer. If you’re skipping the skillet, simply arrange the seasoned raw thighs in the dish and carry on. Skipping the browning step is fine when time is short.
Scatter the sliced mushrooms around the chicken and tuck some underneath and between the pieces. They may look like too many mushrooms at first. They shrink down considerably in the heat.
In a medium bowl, stir together the diced tomatoes, juices and all, with the condensed cream of mushroom soup. Stir until mostly combined. It will be thick and a little lumpy. That is normal. Do not overmix.
Pour the tomato-soup mixture around and over the chicken and mushrooms. Make sure each thigh has sauce near it, but leave the tops of the skin peeking out. That little exposed patch is what gets bronzed and pretty later.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake on the center rack for 45 minutes. This is the gentle braising part, where the chicken gets tender and the mushrooms start giving up all their good flavor. It’s a good time to make rice, mash potatoes, or look for a vegetable side. Green beans are nice. A simple salad is probably healthier.
Carefully remove the foil after 45 minutes—there will be steam. Spoon some sauce over the tops of the thighs, then return the dish to the oven uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes more. The chicken should be very tender, the sauce bubbly and thickened, and the thickest part near the bone should reach at least 165°F.
If you want a darker top, broil it for 2 to 3 minutes at the end. Watch closely. Broilers turn from helpful to vindictive in about twelve seconds.
Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Spoon plenty of mushrooms and sauce over each piece. Rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, crusty bread—anything that catches that sauce is doing exactly what it should.
Variations
Stir a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning into the tomato and soup mixture. A minced Garlic clove is lovely too. A splash of dry white wine—2 or 3 tablespoons—can go into the sauce if you happen to have an open bottle. It adds a nice little lift without making the dish complicated.
For fewer mushroom pieces, chop them smaller or use only one 8-ounce package. They’ll soften into the sauce more that way. You can also use crushed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes if tomato chunks are an issue.
Bone-in, skin-on drumsticks work in place of the thighs if you use the same total weight. Boneless, skinless thighs will work too, but start checking them 10 to 15 minutes earlier because they cook faster and won’t have that same browned-skin situation. Chicken breasts will work, but they are not ideal for this dish.
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in a covered container. Chicken can be pulled off the bone before storing for quick lunches, but that step is optional.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot all the way through, stirring the sauce once or twice if possible. For a larger amount, put it in a covered baking dish at 350°F until hot. Add a small splash of water or broth if the gravy has tightened up too much overnight—it usually does.
You can freeze the cooled chicken and sauce in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. The mushrooms will be softer after freezing.
Do not leave it sitting out longer than two hours at room temperature, less if the kitchen is hot.
Final Notes
There is something comforting about a meal that doesn’t ask much of you. No garnish required. No dramatic last-minute sauce. No tiny bowls of ingredients lined up like you’re filming a cooking show in a studio kitchen with somebody else doing the dishes.
Just chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and that humble can of soup turning into a dinner that smells like home.
Oven-Baked 5-Ingredient Chicken Marengo
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs about 6 to 8 pieces, patted very dry
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 packages sliced mushrooms 8 ounces each, white or cremini
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces, with all the juices
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or another neutral cooking oil, for browning the chicken if doing that step
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a deep 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or a similar dish with decent sides.
- Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels, then season both sides with the kosher salt and black pepper.
- If browning the chicken, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the thighs skin-side down in batches if needed, and cook until the skin is deeply golden, about 4 to 5 minutes; turn and cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the thighs to the prepared baking dish skin-side up in one layer, or if skipping the skillet, arrange the seasoned raw thighs directly in the dish.
- Scatter the sliced mushrooms around the chicken, tucking some underneath and between the pieces.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the diced tomatoes with all their juices and the condensed cream of mushroom soup until mostly combined; the mixture will be thick and a little lumpy.
- Pour the tomato-soup mixture around and over the chicken and mushrooms, making sure each thigh has sauce near it while leaving the tops of the skin peeking out.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake on the center rack for 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil, spoon some sauce over the tops of the thighs, then return the dish to the oven uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes more, until the chicken is very tender, the sauce is bubbly and thickened, and the thickest part near the bone reaches at least 165°F.
- For a darker top, broil for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, watching closely.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, then spoon plenty of mushrooms and sauce over each piece and serve with rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.