Creamy Chicken Casserole has a made-from-scratch sauce and a crunchy parmesan Ritz topping that takes it over the top. Your family will love this easy dinner!
The secret to what makes this recipe SO good, is the parmesan Ritz topping. Seriously though, we love everything about this dish. You wonโt find a cream-of-anything in here, as we are keeping it old school with this made from scratch sauce, just like your mom made it.
If youโve never made sauce from scratch before, youโll be surprised at how easy it is. You’ll start with a roux, which is a mixture of 50/50 fat and flour (not to be confused with a slurry or gravy), which you will then add to with your liquid of choice. Depending on the recipe, chicken and beef broth are common, however, we frequently find ourselves reaching for the carton of milk.
Pro tip: make sure you let the butter and flour mixture cook for a full 1-2 minutes before adding in the broth. Raw flour really needs that time to cook for the best flavor. Also, don’t rush pouring the chicken broth and milk. Trust us.
-
Do I have to use Ritz crackers?
No, you really donโt. You do want to use some sort of butter style cracker though. Do you eat as organically as possible? Grab some Late July Classic Crackers! Want your dollar to stretch further? Generic store brand isnโt missing anything! Use what works best for your family.
-
Does Creamy Chicken Casserole work with any other type of pasta?
This recipe uses egg noodles, but weโre big believers in using what you have on hand as much as possible, without sacrificing the intent of the recipe. Any short, tube-shaped pasta would work well here: Penne, Rigatoni, and Ziti are great examples of this. These pastas can handle the thick sauce.
-
My kids hate peas. Can I use a different vegetable?
Weโve all been there. Picky eaters can make or break a family meal. Broccoli is a stellar substitute in this casserole. Simply steam your broccoli florets first before adding in with the chicken.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious casserole recipes:
- Mom’s Chicken Pot Pie
- The Best Tuna Casserole
- Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Best Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and weโve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I made this just as given. Excellent! So good. I will make this again. Great family dish, feeds a lot. Great for pot luck get togethers.
Absolutely awesome taste and easy to make as well aas quick! Thanks so much for your recipe!
Excellent recipe! It was easy and tasted absolutely wonderful. My husband couldnโt get enough! This was very helpful. Thank you.
I made this tonight, ready to present to a new neighbor who moved into the house next door. Typically, I wouldn’t even risk preparing a dish that I’ve not tried yet, to bring over to someone else. But Rachel, your recipes never fail me! I’m confident they will love it! They have young children, so I was looking for a recipe on your page that is “family friendly.”
Great recipe, easy to put together and no cans of soup as with a lot of other recipes. Everyone enjoyed it, Thank You
It’s a delicious and quick meal and my kids love it.
This casserole was delicious. I had one chicken breast & about 1/4 bag of noodles & everything else needed so made it & loved it. Iโm cooking for one & this made just enough for about 3 meals. Perfect! I will be making it again.
First time with this recipe. Stir-fried three chopped up chicken breasts after heavily seasoning them in Uncle Chris’s. Added mushrooms as my only alteration. Hubs really liked it. I will change cheese from cheddar to 50/50 with Parmesan next time. Either way, easy enough and delish. Thank you for the dish.
Omg this was amazing with a couple changes. I used heavy cream instead of milk, added some LB Jameson’s chicken bouillon, about 1/2 tsp-1 tsp, a little more pepper, and less salt. I used Tyson Grilled Chicken pieces and only one cup of frozen peas. Both my husband and I loved it!
I forgot to mention I do not add garlic and a couple of times I have used half and half and it turned out really good but I do prefer the heavy cream.
MMMM .. I love you ๐ This is so good. I hate peas to I substituted broccoli. Good stuff!!