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 won’t 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 you’ve never made sauce from scratch before, you’ll 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.
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Do I have to use Ritz crackers?
No, you really don’t. 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 isn’t missing anything! Use what works best for your family.
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Does Creamy Chicken Casserole work with any other type of pasta?
This recipe uses egg noodles, but we’re 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.
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My kids hate peas. Can I use a different vegetable?
We’ve 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 we’ve 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.
Excellent
Delish. You are adorable and easy to follow.
Made this today just added celery and mushrooms did have peas so add green beans. It turned out great. Thanks for the recipe
My family loves this one
I made this casserole tonight. It was perfect- instructions were easy to follow and adaptable to what I had on hand. My family loved it! Hubby and son both went back for seconds – which is a true testament to the deliciousness of this recipe. Thank you!
Made this morning for my husbands church potluck. Took everything I had in me to not scoop out half the casserole and eat it myself. So sorry it had to leave my house lol. It smelled delish. Can’t wait to try your similar recipe for tuna casserole. Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to hear all the rave reviews when my husband comes back home.
Love the fact that this recipe does not use canned soup. Making the sauce from scratch makes all the difference. The topping is delicious also!
Hi! Great Recipe! I have cooked this several times and have made a few changes that I thought I would share so you yourself or others could try if desired. I use 4 large cloves of Garlic because I love it. I also use a Homemade Chicken/Vegetable Stock which adds a lot of body. It really makes a huge difference. I use 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream and I heat it up in the microwave before hand to reduce heat up times when incorporating. When I cook the chicken I season it very generously with Montreal Chicken Seasoning. I use 2 cups of Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1/8 cup of Parmigiana and 1/8 cup of Romano. I use my Southern Chicken Flour in place of the raw Flour. The recipe for a small batch of this flour is as follows.
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Course Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Ground All Spice
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
Pinch Nutmeg
Mix together and use in recipes that call for raw flour. For this recipe I still used only the 1/4 cup.
That’s it. Once again, thank you for such an awesome recipe. I have enjoyed it for a while now and am glad I finally had time to respond. Keep up the awesome work!
Delicious! I put mixed frozen vegetables in – in place of peas. Will definitely make again.
Hello, do you think I could use almond milk?
Possibly. It will affect the flavor, and not all almond milk is created equal. Some commercially prepared almond milk is particularly watery. Use a high quality, high fat content almond milk for best results.