Easy Chicken Casserole is creamy and savory with chicken, onion, and bell peppers in a seasoned sauce with crackers and cheese, in 45 minutes!
Everyone loves easy weeknight dinners, and casseroles are the perfect dish to meal prep ahead of time, like Broccoli Casserole, Tater Tot Casserole, and Tuna Noodle Casserole!
EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Easy Chicken Casserole is the PERFECT throw-together weeknight dinner recipe. You can make it ahead and freeze it, or put it together that night. This dish is quick, easy, and kid friendly, taking a total time of 45 minutes to make!
This chicken casserole is a great recipe for meal prepping. You can make a double batch, and freeze it in catering dishes, so you can throw it straight into the oven to bake when you need it. This is a great potluck recipe, or for when you have company coming over.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CASSEROLE IN THE SLOW COOKER
- In a large skillet, brown chicken breasts with butter on all sides.
- Add everything to the slow cooker (except for the topping) and stir together.
- Close the lid and set on high for a total time of 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
- When time is up, remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Return to slow cooker and stir.
- Add topping, and leaving the slow cooker on high crack the lid open slightly for 30 minutes. This mimics what happens when you bake the casserole, and makes the topping nice and crispy.
Create a free account to Save Recipes
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
- Broccoli Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Leftover Turkey Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Poblano Pepper Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Try using mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, carrots, frozen mixed veggies, or broccoli to mix up the veggies in this dish.
Add 1 extra cup of shredded cheddar cheese in with the chicken mixture to make a cheesy chicken casserole.
You can make this chicken casserole using homemade Cream of Chicken Soup, cream of celery soup, or Cream of Mushroom Soup.
You can also use a cooked rotisserie chicken, just remove the skin and bones and shred the chicken, then add it to the sauce.
You can substitute Ritz crackers for potato chips or regular breadcrumbs in this chicken casserole recipe.
The chicken breasts are cooked through when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Serve this chicken casserole over rice or pasta to add a starch to the dish.
You can use chicken thighs for this recipe instead of chicken breast if you prefer.
Yes, add a cup of instant long-grain rice to this chicken casserole recipe.
Make this chicken casserole spicy with diced green chiles, poblano or jalapeño peppers, or a dash of cayenne pepper.
Garnish this dish with chopped green onions, or fresh parsley. Or top with cheddar or parmesan cheese.
Make a Tex-Mex chicken casserole by adding black beans, pepper jack cheese, or salsa. Or, you can make a creamier sauce by melting in one package of cream cheese.
Make this dish with other meat, like beef, lamb, or turkey. Any of these would bake up fine in this casserole.
HOW TO STORE EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
- Serve: You shouldn’t leave cooked meat at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Let the Chicken Casserole cool down, then seal it in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: This casserole can be frozen before or after baking, depending on your preference for 4-5 months. Make sure it is sealed in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Defrost in the refrigerator the day before serving.
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 4 chicken breasts , boneless skinless
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 10.75 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 28 Ritz crackers , crumbled
- 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet on medium heat and cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side before removing the chicken to a plate and chopping roughly.
- Add two more tablespoons of the butter with the onion, bell pepper, garlic and black pepper on medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add in the cream of chicken, sour cream and milk and mix well then pour the mixture into your baking dish.
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and mix with the ritz crackers and cheddar cheese and sprinkle it over the chicken then bake for 30-35 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Photo used in a previous version of this post.
I plan on making this tonight to bring to a function, but I only have 2% milk. Read in some comments that it will turn out soupy if I don’t use whole milk. Any suggestions.
Thanks
Teri, casseroles are very forgiving. You’ll be fine. After mixing all your ingredients together, you feel it’s a big “runny or soupy”, I’ve included some suggestions for veggies which would add texture or you could simply add a bit more cheese and few more crumbled Ritz crackers. Let us know how your casserole turns out!
Absolutely amazing chicken casserole Sabrina. I served this with jasmine rice and a side of steamed broccoli. Buttery, cheesy, crispy topping….what more can you ask from comfort food? I can only imagine what this might taste like substituting smoked ham, sausage or any other protein. We may try all variations but this one is perfect in my family’s opinion. Thanks Sabrina.
You’re welcome and thanks David for the 5 star review!
This recipe was very easy and delicious. It is like Comfort food! The only change I made was that I added diced ham because I happened to have it.
Right?!! Comfort food for sure. Thanks so much for the 5 star rating Nat!
Made this last night…..and I was a hit, thank you so much. My family just loved this, they were fight over the left overs. It was very easy to make. You guys just have to try it, we had pasta and had it over it. I might have been alittle heavy on the cheese….but that’s just me. Please try this one it is really good.
Thanks Vivian! So glad the family enjoyed it!
My family LOVES chicken anything so I knew this was a must-try. I’m so glad I did. It was easy and so delicious!
My family loved this chicken casserole. The ritz cracker crumble on top is amazing. This will definitely be on our rotating menu plan.
I love having this chicken casserole recipe every potluck! It is so delicious and a crowd pleaser. Definitely a go-to recipe!
I just made this casserole It is delicious. I’m from NM, so I imagine you can guess on ingredient I had to add. Chopped green chili, but other than that made it exactly. Thank you so much. This is the first time I have seen your recipes. I’ll be looking for more.
Hey Tonie, glad you found us and hope you enjoy the recipes.
You know what I just can’t let this go. You are entitled to not like the recipe, but you know what there are so many other ways to say you didn’t care of it. For example I didn’t care for it. Are you an adult. I am so sick of people being so nasty for no reason. I’m making it right now and I’m sure it will be great. Grow up.
Hi there could I use crackers for the casserole? Or instead of chicken broth is there other substitutes I can use?
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!!! And so has every single person I’ve ever made it for. I do not agree with any of the “bad” reviews for this meal, but I understand everyone has their own tastes. I find the sauce to be very flavorful and robust. I don’t feel this meal requires anything extra; other than maybe fresh baked dinner rolls. I love it so much-I’ve got it in the oven right now to serve for dinner tonight. Thank you for sharing this Sabrina!
This was about the grosest casserole i have ever made!!
Made this one night a few weeks ago and had to use a little less chicken because that’s all we had and cooked it in the instant pot, then shredded it. Also, added some peas. It was a hit and there were hardly any leftovers! I seasoned it with the stuff my family likes, salt,, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and some Italian seasoning. Made some rice to put it over as well, but I think some egg noodles would also be good. It was sooo good even my 2 yr old had seconds! Going to try it again tonight, but this time I’m going to steam some broccoli and add it instead of peas. Thanks, this is definitely a keeper!
I make this with rotisserie chicken and steamed broccoli. Served over long grain rice it is delicious every time. Serve with a salad.
Made this tonight- definitely lacking. Just not enough substance, needs noodles or rice. Felt like eating chunks of chicken in a weird sauce. My kiddos wouldn’t touch it.
Made this tonight with what we had. So I added a little red pepper, and smoked paprika because I didn’t have any bell peppers, and I was out of milk so I replaced it with ricotta and a tiny bit of water. Knowing my family’s likes I added more garlic, cracked green, white, red and black pepper. Also replaced cheese for the top with a mix of mainly mozzarella with a bit of shaved parmesan. It was awesome. Served it over stuffing with a medley of veggies-squash, broccoli and a couple carrots. Thank you! This recipe helped me stay home and avoid shopping.
This was a miss for us. Had absolutely no flavor.
Is the chicken supposed to be fully cooked before baking it?
We made this last night. I’m not kidding when I say it’s one of the best recipes I’ve ever pulled off the internet. I like to make recipes exactly as they are written unless I have to improvise with ingredients I don’t have. In this case, I used saltines instead of Ritz cracked, and it turned out great. If you figure this makes 8 servings, 8 tablespoons of butter is not overkill, as some others have said. I put a tablespoon of butter on toast! Anyhow, thanks, and I’m subscribed.
I was looking for a chicken casserole recipe that was a bit better tasting than the childhood versions, this was it, thank you for making this available. My family enjoyed it and it created delicious smells in the house.
This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever found. We will make this again and again. Thank you!
I love your site and wait for your newsletter to see what you have each day. The recipes are down-to-earth and usually very easy. Thank you for all your GOOD family recipes.
Thank you!
I wish it stated to use chicken breasts halves or to pound them down. It took forever to get them cooked through, definitely more than 5 minutes on each side.
Thanks, Kayla. I will keep this in mind.
I made this tonight but I added noodles.I used cream of mushroom soup.It turned out great.
In the recipe you did not say when to add back the chopped chicken. I know when cuz I can cook, but someone else might not. I would try to fix it if I were you.
Thank you for your insight, Cyndsu!
This is now a staple in my house. Very good!! But I dice the chicken and sauté it first. I find it easier than cooking the whole breast. Then add the soup and sour cream mixture in the sauté pan. Thank you for sharing:)!
Thank you Jessica for trying my recipe. I’m so glad it worked out for you.
How would it be to add broccoli to this recipe?
Sounds like a good addition to this recipe!
I just dumped everything into a crockpot, including frozen raw chicken thighs. Added some frozen peas, and replaced the milk and sour cream with a can of condensed mushroom soup. Turned out great… Set on high for 6 hours. Perfect and easy
This looks really good! I’m trying it tonight. How would it be to add some cooked pasta to this?
Probably delicious!
Maybe because I follow directions to the letter, but this was not a good recipe for me! I cooked 4 chicken breasts 4-5 minutes they were raw in the middle, is it supposed to be??? Directions don’t say cook till done, are we just browning? Doesn’t say size of casserole dish or when to transfer chicken…. Hopefully it at least tastes good because that was not the recipe for me to follow.
Depending on the size of the chicken breast sometimes they’re 8 ounces, sometimes 12, but at 4-5 minutes on each side is almost 10 minutes of cooking time. They should be almost completely cooked. Even if its a little pink they’re going to cook in the casserole too so it shouldn’t be a problem with it finishing in the dish.
Does this call for 4 whole chicken breasts or 4 chicken breast halves?
It’s actually breast halves though most people just refer to them as chicken breasts so that’s why I use that terminology. I hope you enjoy it!
This was so tasty – definitely a comfort food meal to warm you up on a cold night. I loved the red peppers. Our whole family gobbled it up. Thank you!
Yay! Thanks for the 5 stars, Miranda.
both my husband and I found this so heavy on butter as to be inedible – the taste overwhelmed the dish, making it far too rich. The basis is good but next time, I’ll try it with 2 T of butter instead of 8 – it was that cloying.
The butter is what makes this dish tasty
What size casserole dish is used? I’m sure it’s listed somewhere. I’m just not seeing it.
9×13 baking dish.
This was SO good! I used cream of mushroom soup substituted for cream of chicken & greek yogurt for the sour cream. Used the crockpot and surprisingly the sauce didn’t curdle. I did crisp the topping in my toaster oven though. This recipe was a pleasant surprise, & will now be a bi-monthly staple recipe.
So glad to hear it all worked out, Gail. Thanks for the 5 stars.
I actually love this recipe! Although I do usually cut down the butter by about 2 1/2 tbsps, and I like to double the amount of onion and garlic, and also season the chicken with a bit more pepper while it’s cooking!
And I also usually add in 2 more chopped bell peppers of various colors! Adds some more color and texture! Plus, more veggies is almost always a good decision 🙂
HELP!!!! I’m making a double batch now, for my daughter who is in the hospital having a baby!
I’m going to have some ready for when they get home tomorrow and freezing the rest. QUESTION IS: DO YOU BAKE IT FIRST AND THEN FREEZE THE PARTS YOU WANT TO FREEZE? Or do you freeze the concoction before it’s baked???
I’d bake and then freeze. You can easily thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat the next day when ready to eat. Congrats on your daughter’s baby!! So exciting!
How much rotisserie chicken do I use for the recipe?
You’ll probably want to use about 4 1/2 cups of cooked chicken. Enjoy!
First time making this dish!
I was wondering if I wanted to add celery, and carrots with white rice how I would go about doing that? Cook the rice first or will it cook itself with the veggies?
It would change a lot in this dish, I would look up a chicken and rice casserole specifically because the liquids needed are considerable.