Creamy chicken casserole is a very tender casserole with creamy sauce and lots of cheese. The sauce contains sour cream and milk, and this gives the whole casserole a special creamy texture.
I used to think that the casserole is just pasta with something meaty. But now having cooked them at least 100 times, I can write a whole guide to casseroles.
Without a shadow of a doubt, I will say that creamy chicken casserole is at my top.
Chicken and pasta are generously sprinkled with cheese and cream sauce. And red pepper flakes add a special aroma and piquancy to the dish. This is really delicious!
How to make Paula Deen’s Amazing Chicken Casserole?
Follow the simple recipe below to make this delicious chicken casserole from scratch.
- Step 1. preheat oven to 350 F, oil a baking dish (9 “* 13”). Prepare pasta (boil, drain) and chicken (boil, cut into cubes).
Preheat a frying pan, melt the butter in it. Add the onion and garlic, fry for about 5 minutes until the onion is transparent.
- Step 2. Add flour, mix thoroughly and cook over low heat for 1 minute while continuing to stir.
- Step 3. Add sour cream and milk, continue stirring using a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Cook over low heat until thickened.
- Step 4. Add 2-2.5 cups of grated cheese and stir.
- Step 5. Add chicken, pasta, salt, red pepper flakes, and mix.
- Step 6. Place everything in a prepared baking dish and tamp a little.
- Step 7. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place the casserole in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese melts and begins to bubble.
Recipe tips;
- For more flavor, you can add finely chopped tomatoes or hot chili to the casserole.
- You can use one or more types of cheese as you wish.
What to serve with a creamy chicken casserole?
Any vegetable salads or baked vegetables will work very well with this casserole recipe. Try these recipes: Candied Carrots, Shrimp pasta salad, Roasted red pepper rigatoni, Roasted potatoes, and carrots!
Can you reheat creamy chicken casserole?
Sure! There are several ways to do this.
- Pour a couple of tablespoons of water into a skillet, put a casserole there, cover and heat over low heat.
- Preheat in the microwave.
- Preheat in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes.
In any of the options, you can additionally add grated cheese on top.
Can you freeze creamy chicken casserole?
Yes, to freeze the casserole, wait until it has completely cooled down.
Cover it with foil, or place it in a container with an airtight lid. Place in the freezer and store for 2-3 months.
Defrost the casserole in the refrigerator overnight before use, then reheat.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Paula Deen’s Amazing Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken, cooked, cut in small bite-sized pieces (U can use our guide: How to Cook Shredded Chicken)
- 4 cups pasta, cooked and drained (approximately 2 cups uncooked); penne, cavatappi, or rigatoni works well
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups cheese, grated (cheddar, Colby jack, Swiss, or a combination), with 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling on top
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fry the onion and garlic in butter. Add flour, stir, cook for no more than 1 minute.
- Add milk and sour cream, whisk and cook until thick. Then add the cheese and stir again.
- Add chicken, pasta, salt, red pepper flakes. Toss and place in a prepared baking dish (9 * 13 inches). Bake in preheated to 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes or until cheese starts bubbling.
Made this for a group of men going on hunting trip. They said it was delicious. Now I have made it for dinner tonight in two dishes as at is too large for two people. The only addition I made was a few fresh mushrooms I needed to use up so fried up with the onions and garlic. Looking good for dinner tonight with a salad.
I made this for dinner tonight. I used 4 cups (dry) egg noodles. This was a perfect amount for the 9×13 baking dish I have. The cheese I used was Gouda, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. I doubled all the ingredients. It was so delicious. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Even though I forgot to add the flour and red pepper flakes, this recipe was still on point! Yummy casserole…thanks for sharing.🍴🍴
Love it. Easy week night meal.
Absolutely delicious. I doubled and used 1/2 n 1/2 in place of milk. Gruyère and cheddar for cheeses oh yum.
I cut the recipe in half because there’s just me. Now, I’ll be eating this for next two days but that’s okay. It’s delicious!!! I did not add anything but chose to follow the recipe. It’s amazing and would recommend to everyone.
Oops I forgot to say I use egg noodles. Gatekeeper
Made this for hubby to take on a hunting trip for four men. He said it was really good so I have made it for us for tonights dinner 8 x 8 plus two smaller ones for the freezer. It did take more pasta and lots of chicken though.
I added broccoli and cream of chicken soup. Family loved it. They can’t wait until I make again 🤗
This was a win in my household! Super cheesy and super filling! Absolutely will be making this again❤️
Loved this dish! Slight modifications and I made a bigger dish size used the pioneer women Dutch oven! Heavy Cream, green onion a red onion. and a canned check help reduced the cooking time. Baked Ritz into it and whole wheat bread crunb on top with the chesse. Very inexpensive for the serving size it yields put excess in the freezer. A good dish that will build left overs.
“slight” modification. Sounds like a different recipe altogether!
EXACTLY!
I m rating the recipe AS WRITTEN. It isn’t a review of the original recipe with so many changes. Geez….
Delicious!! My family asks for this often. I make it then put in the fridge for next nights dinner, comes out perfect.
Made this casserole three times. It’s delicious. Everyone loved it. I will make it again and friends asked for the recipe.
Want to try this recipe next week. I’m sure it will be wonderful as tried many of her recipes. Thanks
That’s so nice to hear Bonny!! 😀
This was fantastic! I added 2 jalapeños with the onion, used twice the garlic and twice the pepper flakes. Instead of cheese on top, I put a panko/butter crunch on top. Awesome! Thank you!
I’m thrilled to hear it, Cheri!! I appreciate your 5-star review! 🙂
Made half the recipe. Used two green tail onions, chopped fine, mixture of cheeses, salt, lemon pepper, red chili’s, dried cilantro, cumin! Loved it,
I’m thrilled to hear that, Molly!! 🙂
I’m going to make this tomorrow and add frozen peas .
I’m printing the recipe now and because of the way it’s formatted, it prints on 2 pages. Reformatting it on your part would be an easy fix because there is plenty of space on first page with a slight adjustment . Thanks so much .
Thanks for catching this! I’ll try to fix them!
Yum! Added spinach.
Wonderful!! 🙂
My family and I enjoyed this very much. It was delicious!
So happy you enjoyed it, Debbie! 🙂 XO
Can I use chicken tenderloins for this recipe?
Definitely.
Delicious. I thinned the sauce with some chicken stock and added chopped artichokes. It would also be nice with addition of green peas. I will definitely make it again.
Delish!!!
Thanks for your feedback, Rhonda!
I used Penne and added frozen peas not bad
That’s so awesome! Thank you for feedback.
Very creamy and delicious. Easy to make two and freeze one for later. I will definitely make it again.
Directions say 9×13 pan but in the pics it looks like a smaller square pan. I’m thinking only 2 cups (4 cups cooked I know) of pasta wouldn’t be enough for a 9×13. I’m making for big eating family of 5 and wondering if I should double and if so would I just double all ingredients? Can’t wait to try!
For a big family yes. Are you sure you could fit 8 cups of cooked pasta in a 9×13? If you do try please let me know! And yes, I would double it for a big family.
I usually hate casseroles period but I was feeling under the weather and decided to give this recipe a chance since I’m a huge fan of Paula Deen. I have to say this is the best casserole I’ve ever tried and you’ve really convinced me to make this recipe again. I am very impressed!
Can this be made ahead then baked ??
Looks so good. Going to buy a Costco rotisserie chicken and shred it. Economical! Great for a church pot luck!!
I tried this recipe using a chicken I had baked the night before.At first I didn’t think that 2cups was going to be enough, but it was perfect.I used penne.
This came out soooo yummy! I used French’s fried onions for the topping before baking and I think it took this dish up a notch. I also used rotisserie chicken (which I shredded), a whole bag of egg noodles, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sour cream. Delish!
I cringed when I saw this recipe contained sour cream, but I substituted mayonnaise and it came out delicious. It’s great with broccoli.
Greek Yogurt is a good sub for sour cream. Full fat version.
Great recipe. Liked by all. Substitued half and half, and added can of mixed veggies.
Great casserole dish. I added a can of cream of chicken soup to the cheese mixture and used Stovetop stuffing (moist) as the topping. Delicious either way.
This was a big hit at our house! I’m going to tweak it a bit next time I make it. I’m going to double the amount of milk, and cook the pasta in chicken broth. I will use cheddar instead of Colby jack and add a ritz cracker and butter topping.
Made this for the family tonight and everyone loved it. It was reminiscent of something I have had at a restaurant but can’t place it. Very savory, and all of the ingredients blended and complimented the dish. I did omit the pepper flakes and added tomatoes and it was still wonderful.
This is such a good recipe, I’ve made it several times. I always change up the cheese depending on what I have and that always changes the taste a bit. This time I used cojita , Swiss, and cheddar and that’s my favorite so far. Thanks for a great recipe.
Excellent. I did add a bit of chicken broth, as it was a bit dry for our tastes. Some frozen peas, carrots and green beans to make it a 1 dish meal. A splash of sherry brightened up the flavors. Will make again. Thank you.
Really enjoyed this. Husband said it was good too! Thanks.
Tried this tonight with the addition of bacon and a breadcrumb topping. Used mozzarella since that’s what we had. OMG delish! We’ll definitely be making it again!
Oh my goodness you are so kind Jen. So glad you were able to customize it to your liking!
I would like to see this formatted so it can be printed on ONE page.
Yeah hit the printable button in the recipe card,
Me again… Even though I used four cups of pasta instead of the two it called for… It was delicious. I can see how it would have been better with only half of the pasta. I did add the leftover chicken broth from the instant pot I cooked the chicken in. I’m sure that helped a lot because there was so much pasta. I will definitely be making it again the correct way. ❤️
How wonderful, Cindy! So glad you decided to give it a try! Thank you for coming back to leave a review!
Even though I read the comments about using 4 cups of pasta instead of two I still went ahead and used 4 cups of dried pasta! For some reason it was stuck in my head!!
I realized my mistake and just doubled the ingredients..
I Got so tickled with myself! sometimes you just have to love the silly things you do.
We were able to eat on it for a couple of days!
It was very good!!
To make it easier for diabetics are used Dreamfields pasta.
Dreamlands pasta. I would greatly appreciate where you purchase it. My youngest is a #1 diabetic and so loves pasta!
Thanks!
Fantastic!! Glad it was a hit, Sharon!
Well I was just reading the reviews and I have screwed up. I haven’t really cooked in about 17 years because of health issues and I guess I needed to read further into “four cups of pasta”. So I used four cups of dry pasta! Twice as much as I was supposed to. I went by the recipe completely except for this. I will let you know how it turns out.
Delicious, and easy to put together with ingredients always in my frig!
Prepared ‘as is’ with one addition – adding mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans) and it was wonderful and husband went back for seconds- I used a combination of cheddar and monteray jack cheese.
As with anther poster, I am a diabetic so I made a smaller portion that didn’t have the pasta but substituted Shirataki Noodles and still loved it. My next attempt will be to use the same ‘base’ recipe but go with the swiss cheese and use diced ham steak and sauted mushrooms. I am going to bank on it being just as wonderful. Thanks!
Oh my goodness you are so kind. Thank you for coming back to leave a review!
Hi Vicki!
Just came across this recipe and I’m ready to try it! Love your idea of adding frozen vegetables! I’ll most definitely do that. Thank You!
Sharon M.
Very good recipe! I used black bean pasta because my husband is diabetic. The recipe calls for too much pasta in our opinion. We both liked the flavor profile. Will make again. Thanks for sharing.
How wonderful, Dorothy! So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking.
Excellent recipe. I added peas and my kids didn’t complain one bit!! I also added extra milk and a little chicken broth to make it a bit saucier.
Thanks for the suggestions Bonnie. So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking. 🙂
How many servings for this please.
Hi Carol, you will get 4 to 6 servings! I’d love to know how it turns out if you decide to try. Thanks!
Was easy and delicious, I will definitely make again !
Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I substituted chicken broth for the milk. Added grape tomatoes and shredded broccoli for color and texture. Really tasty.
So glad you loved it! Thanks so much for the 5 star rating!
Can I use egg noodles for the pasta and if so , will it still be 2 cups uncooked ?
I did not use egg noodles for this recipe, but I think it can be used in the same amount, that is, 2 cups uncooked (about 200g).
This was great! I used Mexican cheese, rotisserie chicken and penne. It is a keeper!
Thanks Sandi for the suggestions. So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking. 🙂
I add fresh spinach yummy
Hi. This looks amazing. Cant wait to make it. Quick question, the recipe calls for 2 cups uncooked pasta, I was wondering about how much of a box I would use, like 1/2 a box? Seems like if you put pasta in a measuring cup it wouldn’t be that much,. Want to make sure I have enough as I love all kinds of pasta and dont want to skimp. Thanks!
I poured dry pasta into a cup and it holds about 100g. That is, for the recipe you need 200-250g.
Hi, I am planning to make this later in the week. I didn’t see about how many servings the listed recipe makes. Could anyone please give me an estimated serving size based on what you’ve made by following the recipe? Thank you!
from the resulting casserole, you will get 4 to 6 servings (depending on how large or small you prefer).
I made this last night…delicious. I used Cheddar, ex sharp and mild, and Monterey Jack, (I didn’t have Colby Jack…darn it), I also added broccoli. Instead of boiling the chicken breasts, I seasoned the cut up breast with garlic and onion powder, paprika, and fresh ground pepper, let that marinate in the frig for 4 hours. Then I lightly sauteed it. With the cheese sauce, I whisked in a tablespoon of mayo. It keeps the sauce from breaking. And I am kicking myself, I forgot to add the crushed red pepper! I use that in my cooking all the time…and I forgot it. Next time I won’t forget red pepper. I used cavatappi pasta, I loved those chunky curls. I loved this casserole, I’m going to be making it a lot.
Thanks for the suggestions. So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking. 🙂
Sounds like you made something completely different.
I made this recipe today and it was delicious. Used a rotisserie chicken and went by the recipe. Will make again to take to church dinners and to the shut ins at our church. Wonderful!!!
So glad you loved it! Thanks so much for the 5 star rating!
Love the idea of using rotisserie chicken! I’m going to do that!
This is my go-to recipe for recuperating friends returning home from hospital stays! Easy & everyone seems to love it! Funny but, I’ve never made it for myself!
That’s great to hear! 😀
Do you cover the casserole, then bake ?
No, I’m not covering this casserole. But if your oven is very hot and the cheese starts to burn, put a sheet of foil on top.
Added stuff I had in my fridge- sour creme, milk, and creme cheese. Also a small amount of pepper jack for a little spice. Great!!
So glad you were able to customize it to your liking!
Perfect easy chicken casserole recipe. This is my go to during a busy wk. Family loves it. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you loved it! Thanks so much for the 5-star rating!
tasted good but seemed a little dry to me. sauce thickened up very quickly not as creamy as I hoped for.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I added more milk than recipe called for.
I have used cornstarch for years, as my grandmother always used this as a thickener. Now, I must as my husband is GF. Cornstarch must be mixed with a bit of water and added slowly to a bubbling liquid or casserole.
Love your recipes!
Hi, can this be prepared and put in the refrigerator to be baked later in the day? And another question, can it be prepared, baked and reheated later at dinner time?
In the first case, stop at step 6. Wrap the pan with cling film and refrigerate. Sprinkle with cheese before baking. And yes, you can put the leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat as needed, in the oven or in a lidded pan with a couple of tablespoons of water. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired.
This looks amazing will have to try it and see if I can get my pasta hating grandson to try it, it might work as he is a cheese lover😁
That definitely sounds like a winner to me! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Can I use regular ground paprika instead of flakes? I have a lot to n hand!
Yes, of course, ground paprika is also great! add to your liking.
As always, this is another fabulous Paula Deen recipe. I have most of her books and have made so many wonderful recipes. Thank you Paula!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Made this tonight and my husband and I both loved it. Thank you for this down home feel good dish. It was so easy and so delicious. It is now in my top 5
We loved the kick of the red pepper flakes along with the rest of the ingredients. I will make this one again for sure.
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know what worked for you, Erin. I appreciate the 5 stars.
I want to get all of your recipes
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I want to substitute rice for the pasta. How much rice should I use?
Hi Peggy, rice during cooking increases by about three times, depending on the variety. for this recipe, you can take 1 cup of dry rice and get about 3 cups of cooked rice.
The recipe look so amazing I can’t wait to try them.
Thank you Marjorie
Hi marjorie, I’m so glad you love the recipe so much, i hope to see you around! and letting me know how it turned out!