UPDATE: Since I first posted this delicious and versatile recipe in 2011, it has become my #1 most popular post ever with over a quarter million views. Read on to find out why. 🙂
Time for another Oma classic. File this one under easy weeknight dinner. As an avid follower of the Tao of Oma, you know that Oma is all about simple, easy, hearty food. Her Sour Cream Chicken is no exception. Wait until you see just how Oma this recipe is.
The chicken is tender and flavorful. The topping is savory and delicious. This chicken is a hit with adults and children alike.
Oma’s Sour Cream Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or tenders (Oma prefers breasts)
- 1 1/2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing, the crumbles not the cubes (Oma accepts no substitutes)
- 1 cup (approximately) of full fat sour cream
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- garlic powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. This is classic Oma in that it is less about the recipe and more about the process. Lay the chicken close together on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Coat with a thick layer of sour cream.
Top that with the seasoned Pepperidge Farm breadcrumbs and then dot with the butter.
Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 35 minutes for chicken tenders or up to an hour for chicken breasts.
Its ready when the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.
In fact, the best part may be the breadcrumbs, even the crusty parts that kind of fall around the edges of the pan. The chicken is moist with lovely crunchy buttery bits on top.
Enjoy!
Other Oma Classics include:
- Oma’s One Hour Spaghetti Sauce (featured in Gourmet Weekly Roundup)
- Oma’s Cheesy Tuna Casserole
- Oma’s Old-Fashioned Pot Roast
- Oma’s Old-Fashioned Rouladen
- Oma’s Whisky Sour
I have followed “Making Life Delicious” for several months now and really enjoy reading the recipes you post, while trying them for myself in my Shenandoah Valley home. Your love of food, especially baking desserts, aligns with my own heart’s strings. Although I have one picky eater in the household (I have to hide pureed veggies and fruits in my 3-year-old’s food), my youngest son and husband love eating – so I have a ready audience for your recipes and my own. Thanks for providing a creative outlet to another homemaker with a passion for food! I look forward to trying Oma’s Sour Cream chicken recipe this week.
What a lovely thing to say! I am thrilled that you are enjoying the site because I have so much fun doing it. My 5-year old is also pretty picky, but my 9-year old loves just about everything that I make. She is my most ardent supporter and website promoter. I’m looking forward to the Summer and all the fresh and easy Summer foods…especially dessert. Stay tuned. Best, Heather
hello,can I freeze the chicken already assembled without butter on top yet. then later defrost then cookgyu@
I would imagine so. Just be sure to wrap it very well in the freezer.
Sour cream separates when you freeze it. It will taste okay, but there will be clumps of sour cream. If you want to freeze before cook8ng, try using a can of dream of chicken soup of some evaporated milk. Dont add salt if yrou use the soup as it contains a lot of salt.
That looks delicious!
I’ve never heard of sour cream chicken before, but this recipe sounds absolutely delicious. I think I might have to try this out. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Heather, Loved this! and it was so easy, going to be adding this to my weeknight cooking. Kari
So glad you liked it! Oma is the master of the easy weeknight dinner. — Heather 🙂
This recipe has become a favorite in my house!! THANK YOU!
Hmm, with some garlic and chives in the sour cream I bet my family would love this. Thanks for sharing!
looks delish. I’m always looking for new, easy work week recipes.
trying it tonight, but could not find Pepridge Farm bread crumbs anywhere. Using progresso.
Erin
It’s actually Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing (the crumbles, not the cubes). PF doesn’t market anything as bread crumbs. Tip for later! 🙂
Have you ever tried marinating the chicken before you cook it just for some extra flavor? Just wondering…
I never have. But you could certainly try it. — Heather
Can you use Fat Free Sour Cream??
NOOOOO! You really can’t. However, you could use lowfat. — H
would it be better if the chicken were cooked first? i boiled mine in seasoned chicken broth before baking. also have tried crushed crackers in place of bread crumbs.
Hi Sue,
I’m not sure. We’ve always made it with raw chicken, usually chicken breasts. I would be concerned that precooked chicken wouldn’t absorb the sour cream the same way, but honestly I’ve never tried it. We are pretty loyal to the original Oma recipe. Still, I am intrigued by the idea of using crushed crackers. If you go that way, try adding poultry seasoning to the crackers to give them extra flavor…and maybe garlic salt. Mmmmmm. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂 — Heather
I’ve made this before except I did use crushed up Cheez-it crackers. We all loved it! But I will be trying it with the bread crumbs
I made the sour cream chicken tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! The chicken was so moist and such great flavor. It was so easy to put together. Thank you!!!
This is one of our family favorites! But we use plain low fat yogurt instead of sour cream and crumble up ritz crackers but bread crumbs sounds very yummy!!
Does anyone have the nutritional values of this recipe?
I made this 10/16/2011 and it was good! It reminds me of another recipe my mom makes with these Pepperidge Farms breadcrumbs and a “Cream of ” Soup.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious and oh-so easy! My normally picky 3 year old ate two servings! Thank you for sharing it!
I made it tonight and was very good! But not as crunchy like I was expecting. Is there suppose to be a lot of juice on the bottom of the pan?
Hmmmm. When we make it there is some juice in the bottom of the pan. However, the crumbs on top of the chicken and that kind of fall around should definitely be a little crunchy. – H
I think it depends on the chicken you buy. Some have water “added” for weight. : / Cooking them releases this….
Liz i am having the same problem as well, its in the oven still trying to get crunchy! It’s not getting crunchy, lots of juices on the bottom.
Bake it on top of a wire rack, that helped for me!
I was planning on making this tonight…. and accidentally thawed bone in chicken thighs….. has anyone tried it this way?
Thank you for making a printer friendly one to print, it makes it so much easier! I just started using Pinterest and came across your recipes. This looks like it will be easy to make and I am all about easy! lol. One question, does this taste like dressing/stuffing like what you eat at Thanksgiving? I don’t like that stuff and don’t know if I should try this or not?
I just came across your blog via Pinterest and had to comment– I also had an Oma (Dutch)– she was an amazing woman– and you posted this on what would have been her 100th birthday! I feel an instant connection to anyone else with an Oma. Can’t wait to try some recipes. Thanks!
Just made this tonight, and no, it’s not very crunchy, but nonetheless very delicious! I added a chicken tenderizer, used paprika and parsley and followed the recipe otherwise. Very delicious! Served side dishes: Mashed potatoes and zuchinni. It was a hit.
I made this the other night. There is not one thing I would change about it. NEVER DOUBT THE OMA!! WOW. So easy, so hearty, so QUICK! PERFECTION! More Oma, Please! :o)
I found this via Pinterest and made it last night. I cheated and used chicken stove top because I had it but otherwise I followed the recipe as directed. It was delicious! It has been added to our dinner rotation. Thank you!
i make something like this at home as well. i add some minced garlic and a little lemon juice to the sour cream before slathering it on the chicken though. and instead of breadcrumbs, i crush ritz crackers and mix in the cheese of my choice with it and then dredge it. i can’t imagine my way is remotely healthy, but is sure is delicious. 😛
I made this dish tonight with a gluten free spin by substituting the bread crumbs for crushed honey-nut chex cereal. It turned out amazing with a nice flavor adder! Definitely adding this to the dinner rotation as it was a crowd favorite. Served with baked squash and zucchini, perfect and easy!
Gonna make this tonight it sounds great. not sure how the husband will like he cuz he dont like sour cream but maybe he wont know.
Jennifer, I know your post was written a long time ago, but do you remember if your husband liked it? My husband doesn’t like sour cream either, but it sounds so yummy!!
This is getting ready to go in the oven now! Hopefully my picky, picky 5 year old will like it! I did have to use Stove Top Chicken stuffing and dot with I can’t believe it’s not butter…
I made this for dinner tonight and this was WONDERFUL!
I made this tonight and it was so, so good. My whole family loved it. Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!
Made it for my family tonight!! My 10 year old son even liked it!!! VERY good & easy to make!!!
I have frozen chicken breasts… are they okay to use if i thaw them before cooking? they say to keep frozen until cooking… but how would i do that?
Hi Heather,
Definitely thaw them, either in the fridge for several hours or quickly on the “defrost” setting in your microwave.
Best,
Heather
thank you! i have them defrosting in a zip-block bag in a sink of hot water 😀 im so excited to make this! although, i couldn’t find the pepperidge farm bread crumbs, so i got italian bread crumbs… the only kind other than plain! hope it still tastes great!
I use Tyson frozen chicken all the time and what i do is get a big bowl and thaw them in a bowl of water (cold) about an hour before I need them. I change the water out about twice depending on how many I am thawing out. Works great for me!
Yummy
Just discovered your fabulous website — love the recipes, the photos, and especially the commentary/directions! Will try the chicken sour cream recipe tonight for children and husband (who had his own Oma from Austria). Thanks for an entertaining browse on a lazy Saturday morning.
We made this with French onion dip instead of sour cream and it was delicious! Added more flavor.
What a great idea! I’ll try it that way next time. – Heather
The French Onion dip sounds good.
Can you tell me how many servings Oma’s Sour Cream Chicken makes? I’m having a group of women over for our monthly bunco night, and this sounds like a great reciepe to make.
I would say 4-6 servings depending on the appetites of your guests. Try it. It’s delicious. 🙂 – H
I made this last night except I made ranch dip instead of just using plain sour cream, it was delicious and my boyfriend loved it! I used plain breadcrumbs because I had them and mixed them with some melted butter before I sprinkled on top, it worked out great! And to get it a little crunchier I broiled the chicken for about two minutes before I took it out of the oven (watching it very closely obviosuly). Thanks for the recipie, it was awesome!
I made this and it tasted great, i used crushed ritze crackers instead of the Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing..I had ALOT of juice. Has anyone else had this problem? I’m not sure what i did wrong.
Should of used the stuffing mix, u can’t go wrong if you follow this recipe to the letter!
Some (most where I shop) chicken is injected with salt water, which changes the way it cooks up.
I am currently waiting for this to come out of my oven. Thank you (and Oma) for this wonderful recipe!
Made it and LOVED it. Go easy on the salt as the stuffing mix is salty enough. I used a store brand of corn-bread stuffing mix and it was fabulous. Will make it again soon! I used thighs too which were perfect
Have this in the oven now and it is smelling soooo delicious!
I was looking for a different way to make chicken and found your recipe on Pinterest. It was delicious! Made the recipe as written, served the chicken over noodles and broccoli on the side. Simple to make for a weeknight dinner. Thank you and your Oma for this recipe, I know I will make it again.
You can skip the salt for sprinkling on the chicken, since the Stuffing is loaded with salt. And if you do use boneless chicken breasts, if you cut them into thinner pieces the time in the oven can be reduced slightly. just make sure it temps. Other wise I absolutely loved this recipe. Its Quite Delicious.
This was so easy to make and delicious! We didn’t change a thing!
Have this oven now! Smells delicious and can’t wait! My Oma used to make this for me when I was little (well slightly different). Very excited for it. Thank you for the lovely recipe!
I am looking forward to this, but was wondering if I can use panko bread crumbs?
I believe you could, but I would add some herbs to the panko for additional flavor. Let me know how it turns out. – H
Sour cream French Onion Dip works well too. I needed to use Rice Chex for a gluten free family member, so I used the dip to add flavor missing from the topping. Delicious and easy!
This is the best and easiest chicken recipe I’ve ever made, everyone loves it in our family of 8! Plus I’ve used the same exact recipe over fish fillers, it’s awesome! Thanks
Got anymore like this one?
So glad you enjoyed it! It is a very easy and versatile recipe. If you are looking for more easy, delicious crowd pleasures, check out Oma’s other recipes like Oma’s One Hour Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, once featured on Gourmet Live. I am also a big fan of Oma’s Cheesy Tuna Casserole. In fact, I never liked Tuna Casserole before I had hers. 🙂 – H
I was going to make this today – BUT – Pepperidge farm stuffing is only available around the holidays here – what else can I do?
You can try it with a different kind of seasoned breadcrumb or season your own breadcrumbs. I wonder what it would be like with Panko? Some people have even crushed up crackers on top and added a few spices to their liking. To mimic the Pepperidge farm, try poultry seasoning and parsley. Let me know how it turns out. Best, Heather
I ended up finding the breadcrumbs – DELICIOUS!
My sour cream became curds . I still ate it but was it supposed to ?
Hmmmm. This is the first I have heard of this problem. Maybe more butter? That seems to often make things better. 🙂
I could only find the PF herbed stuffing cubes. Can I just put then in a food processor to make them like the PF crumbled stuffing? Or is it not the same?
That might work. Let me know how it works out.
This was so delicious and easy!! Couldn’t find the stuffing so used herb flavored stuffing that I crushed up in a ziploc bag. Will definitely be making this a regular dish.
Can I use chicken thighs with this or does it have to be breasts?
Sure. Thighs would be delicious!
If I wanted to make this into a freezer meal, how would I do that? Could I lay it in a 9X13 and freeze everything except maybe the butter, and do that after it thawed when I’m ready to cook it? I’ve made it once before and really liked it, but I don’t want to ruin it by sticking it in my freezer. Have you ever done it?
Hi Courtney,
I’ve never frozen this dish, but I would imagine that you could assemble it like you were about to cook it and then wrap in plastic and freeze. I would then defrost in the fridge before baking. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out. – H
My boyfriend’s mom makes a GF version of this with millet bread chopped into small cubes. We call is “Crumby Chicken” — it’s a huge favorite. I’m making it tonight with crumbled saltines and seasoned breadcrumbs, cause that’s what I had on hand. Thanks for the recipe! Gonna go look around the rest of your site now!
This has been a family favorite since I found your recipe three years ago!!! We have it almost weekly!!! Sometimes I sprinkle onion powder on the chicken breasts which adds some yummy taste! I also add much more sour cream since we love it so much.
Thanks soooo much for sharing!
Making this for supper tonight….if it taste half as good as it smells……….yummmmmm
If you use chicken breast do you cut them up or pound a little to be more even? I just found your site looking forward to searching more recipes. Thank you
You can do it either way, but even pieces would be good.
For those who didn’t get a cruncky topping, try cooking it at 475 for 3-5 minutes at the end. Watch it closely though, as it will brown quickly. I just made this and it is delicious. I have used a similar recipe that called for dredging the chicken in evaporated milk and then rolling in the stuffing crmbs. It was messy and required additional dishes. I like this method much more.
We call this Aunt Grace’s Chicken in my family. I was thrilled to find your blog. My great aunt Grace was making this in the 1960s and in turn, my mom made it for us when us kids were growing up. We still make it today. My mom always used chicken breast with bone-in. I don’t think back then, there were many chicken options at grocery stores unless there was a butcher on site. I’m looking forward to making this using de-boned and skinless breast. Thank you for the memories. Wish you were still blogging recipes. You have some really good ones.