There is something wonderfully practical about a simple baked chicken supper like this, the kind of dish that feels right at home in an old church cookbook or a summer camp kitchen from the 1960s. With just a handful of pantry staples and raw chicken tenderloins laid straight into the casserole dish, you get a comforting, creamy, savory meal with hardly any fuss at all. It is the sort of recipe busy cooks have leaned on for generations, and it still earns its place on the table when you want something hearty, familiar, and sure to please.
This chicken goes especially well with buttery mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or fluffy white rice to catch every bit of the creamy sauce. For vegetables, green beans, buttered corn, peas, or a simple cucumber-tomato salad all make fine partners. If you want to round it out the old-fashioned way, set out some soft dinner rolls and a bowl of fruit salad for a supper that feels like summertime in the Midwest.
5-Ingredient Oven 1960s Summer Camp Chicken
Finished baked summer camp chicken plated with creamy sauce
Finished baked summer camp chicken plated with creamy sauce
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds raw chicken tenderloins
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 sleeve buttery round crackers, crushed
1/2 cup melted butter
Main ingredients for summer camp chicken
Main ingredients for summer camp chicken
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly butter or grease a 9×13-inch glass casserole dish.
2. Arrange the raw chicken tenderloins in an even layer in the prepared casserole dish.
Chicken tenderloins arranged in a glass casserole dish
Chicken tenderloins arranged in a glass casserole dish
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed cream of chicken soup and sour cream until smooth, then spread the mixture evenly over the chicken.
Creamy soup and sour cream mixture spread over chicken
Creamy soup and sour cream mixture spread over chicken
4. Sprinkle the crushed crackers all over the top, then drizzle the melted butter evenly across the cracker layer.
Cracker topping added over creamy chicken casserole
Cracker topping added over creamy chicken casserole
5. Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is golden brown and crisp. The chicken should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part.
