This homemade chicken bake is fun to make and always turns out pretty with that gorgeous braided bread. You get fluffy, buttery bread with a creamy, chicken filling. This all-in-one meal is also super easy to transport, making it the perfect dinner to drop off to friends and family. You’re going to love it!
For more baked chicken recipes, try our Chicken Pot Pie or our Chicken Pot Pie Casserole.
Why Our Recipe
- Better than Costco’s version, including an easy homemade bread dough.
- The creamy chicken inside is loaded with bacon and cheese.
- We make ours family-style to keep things easy and ready to serve.
A lot of chicken bakes use canned pastry dough, which can be convenient, but this dough is so easy and gives you that light and fluffy homemade bread that you can’t get from a can. Our chicken filling is made with gooey, shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and crispy bacon, making it perfectly creamy and cheesy with a little bacon crunch.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: This recipe uses 2 cups of pre-cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken or leftovers works perfectly. You can always bake and shred chicken breasts as well.
- All-Purpose Flour: Stick with all-purpose for best results. Bread flour also works.
- Instant Dry Yeast: Make sure to use instant which doesn’t require proofing in water before adding to the dough. If you only have active dry yeast, dissolve the same amount in the warm water for 5-10 minutes until frothy before proceeding.
- Water: You want the water to be between 100-110℉ to activate the yeast without killing it. It should feel warm to the touch, like a bath.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar can be used. You could even use granulated sugar in a pinch.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is preferred for better taste, but any olive oil will work.
- Bacon: Freshly cooked bacon is ideal, but store-bought bacon crumbles are a convenient alternative.
- Cream Cheese: Cube it for quicker and more even melting.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar is our favorite, but you can mix things up with pepper jack or mozzarella.
Chicken Options
This recipe calls for shredded cooked chicken. You’ve got a few options to choose from, so take your pick!
Rotisserie Chicken – many grocery stores nowadays sell cooked rotisserie chickens that you can buy and shred. Fun fact, it’s usually sold as a “loss leader,” meaning they sell it for less than it costs, making it the best bang for your buck when it comes to chicken. Some stores are also now offering the rotisserie chicken pre-shredded and packaged too!
Frozen Cooked Chicken – check out the freezer section of your grocery store for pre-cooked chicken strips and chunks. They are super convenient!
Bake Your Own Chicken – lay chicken breasts out into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through. Chop into chunks and use right away, or freeze for later use.
Quick Skillet Chicken – heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place chicken breasts into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes per side. Let cool and then shred.
No stand mixer? No problem!
You can easily make this dough by hand. Start by stirring the ingredients together with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture becomes too thick to stir. Then, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and knead the dough by hand.
Place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes. You want to work the dough until all the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft, smooth, and only slightly sticky to the touch.
It’ll take some elbow grease, but the effort is worth it. Just keep going until the dough is smooth and elastic with no lumps or dry spots.
Make-Ahead Option
Prepare your dough as directed. After a 30-minute rise, divide your dough into portions and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The dough will continue to rise slowly in the fridge. When ready to use, let the dough come to room temperature before tossing it or rolling it out.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Reheat portions in the oven at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.
Microwave on high in 30-second increments, until warmed through.
This recipe sounds absolutely DEE-STANKIN-LISHUS, but y’all really need to leave the reference to Costco out of the text. Costco is a Communist company that chiefly supports “progressive” causes and organizations. If you don’t believe me, then simply Google it and you will see that that is a fact.
Then we shall leave it! As a female-owned company that believes in profit sharing with employees and treating them well, just like Costco, The Stay At Home Chef proudly champions progress.
This was delicious. Dough rose perfectly. Fed our family of 5 (3 teen boys). Followed recipe as written with a dash of 3 Onion Seasoning on top. My son said it was better than Costco! Only thing I suggest differently from how it’s written is to assemble it on the pan otherwise I can imagine it being hard to transfer. Worked for me at least. Used a kitchen scissor to make the side cuts.
Can you make the dough without a stand mixer?
Of course! Follow our instructions above in the section for “No Stand Mixer? No problem!” where we guide you through hand mixing.
This looks delicious! Do you think i can substitute gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose?
We haven’t tested our doughs with gluten-free flour blends so it’s something you’ll have to experiment with or use a dough that’s designed to be gluten-free using the flour blend you prefer.
Can I leave out the brown sugar?
It’s technically possible to leave out the brown sugar, but it does help the dough brown and feeds the yeast to help it rise faster. You may need to add a little extra time to rising.
Really good! I made it for the family and everyone loved it. It does taste a lot like the costco chicken bakes!