Need dinner fast? This cheesy chicken casserole comes together quickly with simple ingredients and plenty of creamy, cheesy flavor.
Casserole recipes made with simple ingredients are perfect for busy weeknights. They don’t take a lot of time to prepare, and then you just have to wait for them to bake.
This easy weeknight chicken casserole is a delicious casserole with tender chicken bites in a cheesy sauce full of flavor. It’s an easy dinner to put together that our whole family enjoys.
While we tend to serve casseroles in the fall and winter, this ultimate comfort food recipe can be made any time of the year. If you want another cozy weeknight dinner, try my classic stovetop chicken and dumplings recipe.
Serving Suggestions & Tips
- Use non-stick cooking spray, a little bit of olive oil, or some butter to keep the chicken from sticking to the casserole dish.
- Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onions, black pepper, or red pepper flakes.
- A side of vegetables works well with this cheesy chicken casserole recipe. Try it with fresh broccoli, green beans, or cauliflower.
- For a quicker meal, replace the chicken breast with rotisserie chicken or cooked leftover chicken and reduce the time in the oven to 10 minutes.
- Add other seasonings to bump up the flavor such as garlic powder, onion powder, or cayenne pepper.
- When pre-cooking the noodles, make sure they are only cooked for a few minutes. You don’t want them to even get to al dente or they will overcook when the casserole is baked.
- Set the broiler to high for 2-3 minutes to brown the crackers if you want it cooked a little more.
Cheesy Chicken Casserole Step by Step
Ingredients
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 21 oz cream of mushroom soup
- 10.5 oz cheddar cheese soup
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
- 8 oz egg noodles
- 30 Ritz crackers (1 sleeve)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high, whisk the chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese soup until combined. Continue stirring until it comes to a boil.
Meanwhile, coat a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and spread the chicken out on the bottom of the baking pan.
Stir the noodles into the boiling soup mixture and return it to a boil for 3-4 minutes to soften the noodles slightly.
Pour the soup and noodle mixture over the chicken.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Crush the Ritz crackers and mix them with the cheddar cheese.
Sprinkle the cracker mixture over the cooked casserole.
Bake another 5 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese melts.
Cheesy Chicken Casserole Leftovers
Storage: Let the chicken casserole cool to room temperature. Place the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days.
Reheating: For the best results, reheat the easy casserole in a saucepan over medium-high heat until warmed through. Add a little bit of chicken broth, chicken stock, whole milk, or water if the creamy sauce seems a little dry.
Recipe
Originally Published On: March 17, 2025
Cheesy Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 21 oz cream of mushroom soup
- 10.5 oz cheddar cheese soup
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (diced)
- 8 oz egg noodles
- 30 Ritz crackers (1 sleeve)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high, whisk the chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese soup until combined
- Continue stirring until it comes to a boil
- Meanwhile, coat a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and spread the chicken out on the bottom of the baking pan
- Stir the noodles into the boiling soup mixture and return it to a boil for 3-4 minutes to soften the noodles slightly
- Pour the soup and noodle mixture over the chicken
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through
- Crush the Ritz crackers and mix them with the cheddar cheese
- Sprinkle the cracker mixture over the cooked casserole
- Bake another 5 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese melts
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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This casserole recipe has been broken down very well – I love the simple visual aids! To make it vegetarian-friendly, I would swap chicken for tofu or tempeh. I would also add vegetable stock cubes into the mix!
That topping and all that cheese have sold me. It doesn’t hurt that it’s so easy to make, either!
You know I have not cooked any type of casserole yet but I am not sure why. It seems super simple and such a great way to get a meal in a jiffy! I’ll have to try this out. My husband and son will surely appreciate a new dish to eat and a yummy one at that!
You had me sold at cheese! This looks like such a delicious recipe, and one that the whole family is sure to enjoy. Thanks for sharing it!
Oh my gosh, this looks so yummy! I have some left over vegan chick’n that I need to use up, so I’ll try it with a meat substitute tonight. I can’t wait!
This is a different casserole dish; I might give this one a try because it’s something different when you add the ritz crackers.
I could use a good easy casserole recipe like this! I think my son would enjoy this. Gonna have to give it a try next week! Bookmarking! 🙂
The chicken casserole sounds like it would be really tasty with all the ingredients that you used. I love that it’s a cheesy dish!!!
It has been years since I made a casserole. Your recipe is so easy to follow and perfect for a busy weeknight!
My kids eat everything with chicken and cheese. Thank you for the recipe; we will make this casserole soon.
Mmm this is exactly what I needed — thank you for sharing! As a busy mama juggling school runs, business tasks and trying to feed my family something other than cereal this casserole feels like a total life saver.