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If you’re looking for comfort food then this Cheesy Chicken Casserole is the recipe for you – it’s easy, homemade and was a huge hit with my family.

Cheesy chicken casserole on a grey dish with rest of casserole in background


Why I love this Chicken Casserole

Sometimes you just need a nice comfort food casserole to make the day better, don’t you agree? This dish is full of comfort foods: cheese, pasta, and buttery crumble topping.

Whether you’re making a casserole for a friend, hosting a family dinner, or just craving something like macaroni and cheese, this chicken casserole is the one for you.

  • It’s got a homemade cheese sauce
  • You can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken
  • A crunchy topping that is the best part!
Overhead shot of easy cheesy chicken casserole in white baking dish with challenge butter next to it

Best ingredients for Cheesy Chicken Casserole

When you’re making this casserole you have lots of options for things you can put inside, but the basic ingredients are:

  • A roux made with Challenge butter and flour
  • A cheese sauce that’s not too heavy, thanks to the use of chicken stock without cream of chicken soup!
  • Diced chicken from leftover chicken breasts
  • Frozen peas
  • A crunchy topping made with crushed Ritz crackers and more melted Challenge Butter (you can also use breadcrumbs)

When you’re making a homemade cheese sauce or crumbly topping for a casserole, you want to use good butter, because the taste of the butter affects the outcome of the dish. That’s why I always use Challenge Butter when I’m cooking and baking.

Two challenge butter boxes stacked on eachother with cheesy chicken casserole in background

Best butter for cooking

While I use Challenge Unsalted Butter for baking (their unsalted butter is actually award winning!) I used their regular salted butter in this recipe. I always bake with unsalted and cook with salted!

The yellow Challenge Butter box brings back so many memories for me: my dad adores Challenge. You may already know that it’s the only butter I ate growing up and it’s the only one my parents still buy.

Challenge has been churned fresh daily since 1911! It comes from the freshest cows at family-owned dairies and it’s got no hormones, additives or fillers (they were the first brand to enforce raising cows without growth hormones). It’s a cooperative of more than 400 California owned dairies and is available nationwide.

Close up shot of easy cheesy chicken casserole scooped into a spoon from casserole dish

How to make Cheesy Chicken Casserole

You start off this recipe by making a cheese sauce. Here are some tips for making a roux like this, if you’ve never done it:

  • Melt your butter before adding the flour to the pan.
  • Use a whisk to incorporate the flour into the butter so there are no lumps.
  • Cook the flour mixture for about a minute to get rid of the “flour” taste
  • Add the milk and chicken broth into the cooked flour while whisking to avoid lumps
  • Stir with a wooden spoon – constantly – until the mixture becomes thick and starts to bubble.
  • Once you have the thick sauce, you add the cheese and stir until it’s melted. Then stir in cooked pasta, cooked chicken, and frozen peas.
  • The casserole fits perfectly into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  • I love topping chicken casseroles with a crunchy topping, and this is my favorite one! Simply stir together melted Challenge Butter with crushed butter crackers and then sprinkle it all over the top of the casserole. The crumble topping is of course optional, but adds a nice flavor and crunch to the finished dish.
Overhead shot of easy cheesy chicken casserole in casserole dish with corner piece missing

Substitutions

One thing I love about this recipe is that you can change it up in SO many ways. Basically once you have this recipe you have about 10 others you can make that are totally different!

  • Use leftover chicken OR rotisserie chicken. This would also be great for leftover turkey after the holidays. Or – you could even use diced leftover ham.
  • I love using peas, but you can also use frozen broccoli florets, cut green beans, mixed vegetables or any frozen vegetable you like.
  • Make the cheese sauce with a combination of your favorite cheeses: cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, mozzarella – even gouda would be good!
  • You can use any shape pasta you like. I have also made this with elbows!
  • The topping can be made with crushed cornflakes or Panko breadcrumbs in place of the crackers.
  • Ranch seasoning would be another fun flavor to add to this.
Easy cheesy chicken casserole on a grey place with challenge butter in background

Expert Tips

  • The casserole is all cooked when it’s assembled – and you could eat it as a one pot dish on the stove – but once you add that crumble topping you need to bake it to crisp it up. Simply bake the casserole until it’s bubbly and the topping is browning.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 2 days.
  • You can make this ahead – make the casserole up to 24 hours ahead – add the topping just before baking.
  • Garnish with parsley before serving.
Cheesy chicken casserole on a grey dish with rest of casserole in background

Cheesy Chicken Casserole Recipe

5 from 11 votes
Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole with pasta and peas is such a delicious comfort food meal! This recipe for dinner has a Ritz cracker topping and can be made with broccoli! It is one of our favorite meals!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

Casserole:

  • 2 cups dry shell pasta (or any shape)
  • 4 tablespoons Challenge Butter
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded
  • 3 cups frozen peas

Topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups about 30 crushed butter crackers
  • 4 tablespoons Challenge Butter
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Instructions

  • Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions, but cook it the least amount of time (i.e. if the package says cook 10-12 minutes, cook it for only 10 minutes, or until it’s slightly al dente). Drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or pot, melt 4 tablespoons Challenge Butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute, then whisk in stock and milk until no lumps remain. Whisk in spices.
  • Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and stir almost continuously until the mixture thickens. This will take a few minutes, and will happen just as the mixture starts to simmer. Add in the cheese and stir until it’s melted through then remove the mixture from the heat.
  • Stir in the chicken, peas and pasta. Pour into prepared pan.
  • Make the topping: melt 4 tablespoons Challenge Butter. Pour over crushed crackers in a small bowl and stir with a fork to moisten all the crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
  • Bake 20-30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly around the edges and the crackers have browned a bit.
  • Serve hot. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes

  • Substitute frozen broccoli florets or cut green beans in place of the peas.
  • You can use rotisserie chicken, or make a big batch of my oven roasted chicken or instant pot shredded chicken one day and use leftovers in this casserole.
  • Change up the cheese by doing a mix of Monterey Jack and Cheddar or mix and match your favorite cheeses.
  • Substitute crushed cornflakes or panko breadcrumbs for the cracker topping.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 390mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1162IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 418mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below

Favorite Chicken Casserole Recipes

Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole with pasta and peas is such a delicious comfort food meal! This recipe for dinner has a Ritz cracker topping and can be made with broccoli! It is one of our favorite meals!!

This post was sponsored by Challenge Dairy in 2020. Their salted butter is the perfect butter to use in the cheese sauce and in the crunchy crumbly topping on the casserole. All opinions are my own.



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 11 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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7 Comments

  2. This I am going to try! I use lactose free for any dairy products. Just wondering if I half the recipe what size pan etc. would I bake it in and for how long. Was thinking an 8×8. Ty

    Reply

    1. Yes I think an 8×8 or 9×9 is perfect. It should take just under the same amount since the thickness of the items in the pan are about the same.

      Reply

      1. Tyvm Dorothy! lol i used an 8×8 and it was perfect! Loved the ritz cracker topping and hubby loved it too. Cooked for 20 mins. I guessed at it cause I did not get this reply in time but no worries! Keep up the good work you are doing! Love any videos you offer. New to your blog and am spreading the word! Take care and stay safe ev1.

  3. I would think that cauliflower would work well too. I use fresh cauliflower when I make chicken divan as my Husband dislikes broccoli.

    Reply