Cheesy Chicken Casserole Recipe
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!
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 533kcal
Cost: $10-15
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
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13-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.
Video
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.
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