With just 5 minutes of prep and 5 simple ingredients, this dump-and-bake cream of mushroom chicken is an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love. Tender chicken bakes in a rich, creamy sauce that’s perfect spooned over buttered noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
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Before You Get Started
Here are a few things to know before you dive in. These tips make the difference between a smooth, creamy sauce and one that separates or falls flat:
- Use room-temperature sour cream. Cold sour cream doesn’t blend smoothly and is more likely to break in the oven. Pull it out 20 to 30 minutes before you start.
- Check temperature, not the clock. Bone-in pieces need about an hour, boneless breasts 30 to 45 minutes. Pull the chicken when it reaches 165°F.
- Don’t skip the lemon juice. That splash of acid cuts the richness and brightens the sauce. White wine works just as well if that’s what you have on hand.
→ Helen’s Recipe: This recipe comes from a longtime reader (Helen), who calls it “Sour Cream Chicken.” She sent it to me years ago and shared that her grown daughters still request it whenever they come home to visit. It’s been a reader favorite on the blog ever since!
How to Make Cream of Mushroom Chicken
This is truly a dump-and-bake recipe with minimal effort required. The oven does the work while you set the table and pull out the sides!
Step 1: Prep the chicken
Place chicken in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Bone-in pieces yield juicier meat; boneless pieces cook faster. Helen’s original recipe (a longtime reader favorite) calls for a whole cut-up chicken or bone-in, skin-on pieces for the most flavor, but boneless, skinless breasts (shown here) or thighs work beautifully too.
Step 2: Stir together the sauce
In a separate bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, sour cream, and lemon juice until smooth.
Make sure your sour cream is at room temperature so it blends evenly and holds up in the oven.
⇢ More Mushroom Flavor: The sauce tastes more like sour cream and onion than mushroom on its own. If you want more actual mushroom flavor, sauté a cup of sliced fresh mushrooms in butter and stir them in, or add a drained can of mushrooms to keep things truly dump-and-bake.
Step 3: Pour and bake
Spread the sauce over the chicken in an even layer. Sprinkle with paprika if you’d like a little color.
Bake uncovered at 350°F until the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Expect about 1 hour for bone-in pieces and 30 to 45 minutes for boneless.
Try it another way
Prefer a skillet method? My Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce uses the same flavor profile with a stovetop sear and fresh mushrooms for a little more texture.
Step 4: Stir the sauce and serve
Once the chicken is cooked through, give the sauce a good stir in the pan and taste. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Serve the chicken and sauce over buttered egg noodles, rice, or garlic mashed potatoes to catch every drop.
I made this last night, and it was fantastic! I sprinkled some smoked paprika on top, and then when it was done cooking I put it back in with some shredded cheese on top. I then served it over buttered egg noodles.
– Richard
Serving Suggestions
Cream of mushroom chicken is all about the sauce, so serve it over something that soaks it up. Buttered egg noodles are the classic choice, but rice, mashed potatoes, or a crusty loaf of bread all work beautifully. A simple green vegetable on the side rounds out the plate.
A few tested favorites to round out the meal:
- No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli (or Oven Roasted Asparagus)
- Lemon Garlic Green Beans (Amish style with brown butter)
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
Storage
To Store: Keep leftover baked chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
To Reheat: Warm gently in the microwave, or in a covered dish in a 325°F oven until heated through. Lower and slower is better here; high heat can cause the sour cream to break.
To Freeze: Freezing the baked leftovers isn’t recommended. The sour cream in the sauce tends to break or separate when thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom?
Yes, cream of chicken is a straight swap and so is cream of celery. The flavor shifts slightly with each, but the texture and method stay the same.
Can I leave out the sour cream?
It’s not recommended. The sour cream is what gives the sauce its body and tang. Plain full-fat Greek yogurt is the closest substitute if you need one, though the result will be a bit thinner.
Why is my sauce breaking or looking curdled?
This usually happens when cold sour cream meets high oven heat. Bring it to room temperature before mixing, whisk the sauce until smooth, and keep the oven at 350°F rather than cranking the temperature higher. Also, remember to give the sauce a good stir at the very end before serving.
What can I use if I don’t have onion soup mix?
Skip the packet and stir 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley into the sauce, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. It won’t taste identical, but it’s a solid stand-in.
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Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Cream of Mushroom Chicken (Dump-and-Bake)
Equipment
- 9 x 13-Inch Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1 whole cut-up chicken or chicken pieces of choice (you can use boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs instead*)
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (NOT diluted)
- 1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix (just the dry seasoning)
- 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Optional garnish: paprika, fresh parsley, lemon wedges or lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Place chicken in the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the mushroom soup, onion soup mix, sour cream, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Spread the sauce evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.
- Bake uncovered until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 1 hour for bone-in, skin-on pieces or 30 to 45 minutes for boneless, skinless.
- Stir the sauce in the dish and serve over buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread.
Notes
- Chicken Options: Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces yield juicier, more flavorful meat but take about an hour to bake. Boneless, skinless breasts or thighs cook in 30 to 45 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check doneness (165°F).
- Keep the Sauce Smooth: Bring the sour cream to room temperature before mixing. Cold sour cream is the main reason sauces like this one break or curdle in the oven.
- Boost the Mushroom Flavor: The sauce tastes more like sour cream and onion than mushroom on its own. For more mushroom flavor, sauté sliced fresh mushrooms in butter and stir them in, or add a drained can of mushrooms.
- Scaling Down: Cooking for a smaller family? Cut the sauce ingredients in half, use 1 to 2 lbs. of chicken, and bake in an 8-inch square dish. The same temperature and doneness rules apply.
- Swap the Soup: Out of cream of mushroom? Cream of chicken or cream of celery work as straight swaps. A few readers have also had success subbing a jar of chicken gravy for the condensed soup.
- Garnish Ideas: Chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, or basil), a sprinkle of extra paprika, or freshly grated lemon zest all brighten the finished dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Freezing isn’t recommended because the sour cream tends to break when thawed.
Nutrition
Originally published in October, 2017, this post was updated in May, 2026.
Made this for the first time exactly as shared. What a wonderful and easy dish. Thank you for sharing
m
Thank you, Marty!
I have just tried this. Chicken is still raw after an hour I used 2 farm fresh chicken quarters. Put them in for an extra half hour 🙁
I made this last night, and it was fantastic! I sprinkled some smoked paprika on top, and then when it was done cooking I put it back in with some shredded cheese on top. I then served it over buttered egg noodles.
Sounds delicious! Thanks, Richard!
Easy comfort food, can’t screw it up. Over rice is my go to. Get a rice cooker and don’t use minute rice.
Thank you for sharing, Matt! We love our rice cooker.
We love this recipe. We make it at least twice a month!
That’s so good to hear, Allison. Thank you!
Hi Blair,
I love your recipes, keep them coming I fix them all the time !!!!!!!
Thank you!
Blair
Thank you so very much it’s awesome
Six thighs one hour in convection toaster oven followed directions per recipe
Easy delicious awesome thighs fall off bone
No red awesome
Thank you for sharing and caring your
Recipe for thighs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Totally awesome recipe
Thanks again for sharing your a awesome
Blogger with delicious recipes
Thanks again
Hi Aeil,
Thank you so much for your kind words. We’re so glad the recipe turned out well for you!
This recipe was great. My husband loved it. Thanks!!
Yay! Thanks, LaDusta!
Awful! It tasted like an onion in goo.ive never wrote a review but I had to this time, I’m sorry.
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it, Tracy! Many of our readers love this one, but everyone’s preferences are different. We hope you give some of our other recipes a try!
I have made this plenty of times and passed it onto relatives who also love it. A nice quick, easy, tasty recipe that never fails.
Thanks, Linda. I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing the recipe with your relatives, too!
This is always my go to for a yummy, easy to prepare chicken dish!
Thank you, Carol! We’re so happy to hear it.
What if I don’t have onion soup mix?
You can make your own with a recipe like this! We hope this helps.
Questions:
What’s the reason for the sour cream being at room temperature?
What purpose does the Lemon juice serve?
Hi, Gina! Using room temperature sour cream helps it blend more smoothly with the other ingredients and helps to ensure that it doesn’t separate (or “break”) in the heat of the oven. The lemon juice is a bright, acidic note that cuts through some of the richness of the other ingredients and yields a more complex flavor. Hope you enjoy the meal!
Absolutely delicious!! A new family favourite!!!
Thank you, Bruce! We’re so happy to hear this.
Wow!
Great recipe!!! Very delicious and easy to make!
Thank you, Liz! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
“TheSeasonedMom” and not an ounce of seasoning. It shouldn’t be onion packet OR seasonings.
Yummy ! I made this last night and it was really delicious. ! And so easy !
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I seasoned first with salt and pepper. Plus, a touch of garlic powder.
I didn’t have any cream soups, so I subbed a jar of chicken gravy. It was yummy ! Served with white rice. Great meal and I have leftovers for today . Thanks ! I’ll be making this again. So EASY !
Thank you for the feedback, Debra! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you and enjoyed the recipe.
Just discovered this recipe and have made it twice in 2 weeks per my hubby’s request. This is so good, and so easy to make. It’s absolutely delicious with some white rice to soak up the wonderful sauce.
I did substitute the cream soup with a jar of chicken gravy and it was perfect. Thanks for this one, it’s a winner !
Thank you for such kind feedback, Debra! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe.
Great recipe but I really feel the temperature should be raised to 400 degrees. Baked for 30 minutes.
Thank you for the feedback, Deb! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’m trying this today! Looks great! CAN I LEAVE OUT THE SOUR CREAM?? 🙂 THANKS.
Hi Fran!
You could try Greek yogurt instead, but we don’t recommend omitting the sour cream, as the taste and texture of the dish will be very different.
I’ve made this twice and it’s definitely a keeper (just discovered it a couple of weeks ago.) Mushrooms tend to…repeat on me, so the second time I used Cream of Chicken soup instead and it was great.
Thank you, Tanya! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and were able to adjust it to your needs.