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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Amazing – five BIG stars. the very best comfort food that didn’t use canned soup. Made for dinner tonight – the only change I made in this lovely recipe was 16 oz. of Amish egg noodles instead of 12 oz. With 16 oz., I had enough for 2 meals..Amish egg noodles are were a great addition to this dish – had to order them online. Rachel, another family favorite- you have done it again. Can’t wait for your cookbook.
Made this today. It was delicious. Will make again and again. Your recipes are great.
Made this chicken casserole last night. Cut it in half since it’s just my husband. The only thing I’d do differently is to double the sauce. It did not have enough sauce. Otherwise it was really good.
I’ve made this dish a few times the past 6 months, it never disappoints. I cut back on the liquid, two cups stock & 1 cup of 1/2 & 1/2. Thank you for such a great recipe 😊
I love garlic so I put in loads of It. I used some small, but a few medium pieces. I used about 6 or 7. I put in extra spices like parsely, sweet bazil & Italian herbs just to give It that extra bit of flavour. I used pasta screws, fuscilli I think. I also used whipped cream. For some reason, our country has taken away the Heavy cream that I always got at Woolworths. I didn’t use the whole bottle though. Thanks Rachel for your yummy scrumptious recipes. I love many of the things you put out here. There has been a few recipes my hubby & I absolutely love & have over & over again. This will hopefully be one of them smiles. I didn’t add Parmesan cheese at the end, but I did put cornflake crumbs on the top as that is what I had! I just felt the cheddar cheese would give It that cheesey taste.
This is delicious and I like that it doesn’t use condensed soup. My husband really enjoyed it, so it’s a keeper.
Glad I found this recipe. Yummy comfort food that the whole family enjoyed! I didn’t make any changes to the recipe and will make it again exactly as written. Thank you!
Excellent recipe! I substituted broccoli florets for the peas. Our entire family loves it and I make it often.
It’s snowing so thought l’d make this dish & glad l did, it’s delicious. As other suggested l added 1 cup half n half & also nutmeg to sauce. Thank you for another great recipe. Happy New Year 🙂
Very delicious!! I substituted pea w mixed vegetables and Ritz Crackers with saltiness Crackers!