Casseroles are tailor-made for busy families! We all need dinners we can put together in a hurry and toss in the oven. And this chicken casserole is a great example of that.
I always love recipes that start with leftover chicken. Rotisserie chicken works just as well! Just shred it up and it's ready to use.
Combine the chicken with hash browns and veggies, add a cheesy sauce and bake away. You'll soon have a yummy and bubbly casserole ready to feed to your family in classic comfort food style.
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This comforting bake is a family favorite in my ultimate collection of easy weeknight casserole recipes. This is where I round up some of my best low-mess dinners!
Why I Love this Recipe
Comfort food is king in my house, and this casserole is a great example of that! Full of chicken and hash brown potatoes, in an easy cheesy sauce. The bacon bits give it a little extra punch of flavor, and the Ritz cracker topping is such a satisfying crunch.
And by combining chicken, potatoes, and vegetables, you have made a complete meal. Which is what a good casserole is all about.
Did I mention easy? Let's talk about all the time savings when your casserole uses: frozen hash browns, frozen mixed vegetables, and pre-cooked chicken. Mix everything together, put it in a baking dish and start cooking. You'll have dinner on the table in an hour!
You'll love this one!
What you'll need for this Chicken and Hashbrown Casserole:
**Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for detailed quantities and directions**
How to Make this Cheesy Chicken Casserole
You are starting with frozen vegetables and hash browns, but I do like them to be semi-thawed before mixing. Either let them sit out on the counter for a bit, or just pour into your mixing bowl and give them a quick zap with the microwave. A minute or two is usually enough.
Then, start adding everything else to the bowl. Cooked chicken, condensed soup, bacon bits, milk, and thyme. And of course, cheese. Add one cup of shredded cheese to the mix and reserve the rest for the topping.
Stir these ingredients until everything is evenly distributed.
Prepare your casserole dish by lightly greasing or spraying with cooking spray. The recipe is scaled for an 11x7-inch baking dish. It feeds the two of us with plenty of leftovers, so would be suitable for a small family. If you're feeding a crowd, you can easily double the recipe for a 9x13-inch pan.
Transfer the mixture into the greased pan. In a small bowl, mix the crushed Ritz crackers with the remaining shredded cheese, then sprinkle this evenly over the top of the casserole. Cover the dish with foil.
Bake it, covered, at 400F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling, and the top is slightly brown.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then serve.
Can you make Chicken and Hash Brown Casserole ahead of time?
This casserole is perfect for making ahead! You can assemble the whole thing up to a day in advance, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake. If you're baking it straight from the fridge, just add an extra 5-10 minutes to the cooking time to make sure it's heated through. It also reheats well, so it's great for meal prep or busy weeknights.
And speaking of meal prep, you can get these same comfort food vibes with a batch of Egg Bites with Sausage for early mornings!
Expert Tips/Variations
Greasing the pan slightly helps prevent your casserole from sticking to the sides. It makes serving and clean up so much easier!
I use mixed vegetables, either peas and carrots or the kind that also include cut green beans. All are great, just use the mix that appeals to you.
You can similarly customize the cheese. The recipe officially calls for cheddar cheese, but I am also partial to cheese blends. Think Cheddar-Monterey Jack, Colby-Monterey Jack (CoJack), or even 4-cheese Mexican blends. Whichever one I already have on hand is the one I'm going to use!
If you buy an 8-ounce package of shredded cheese, it is officially 2 cups of cheese. Which leaves an extra ½ cup of cheese. You can either save that for another day or just sprinkle the extra on top. Because there's no such thing as too much cheese!
And if you love the combination of "cheesy" with "cooked chicken", be sure to check out my chicken and penne casserole. Another easy and delicious dinner solutions!
How to store leftover Chicken Hash Brown Casserole
Let the casserole cool completely before storing. Cover the dish tightly with foil or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. It'll keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, pop it in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or use the microwave for a quicker option (just note the hash browns won't stay as crisp).
You can also freeze it - wrap it well and freeze for up to 3 months. I typically freeze it in meal-sized portions to serve my meal prep desires! Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
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📖 Recipe
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Chicken and Hashbrown Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen hash browns thawed slightly (about 8 ounces)
- 2-3 cups chicken cooked and cut up
- ¼ cup bacon bits
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup condensed
- ½ cup milk
- 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables thawed slightly
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
For topping
- 12-14 Ritz crackers about half a typical sleeve
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a large bowl, combine hash browns, chicken, bacon, 1 cup of cheese, mixed vegetables, condensed soup, milk, and thyme.3 cups frozen hash browns, 2-3 cups chicken, ¼ cup bacon bits, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup, ½ cup milk, 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
- Lightly grease a 7x11" (or similar sized) baking dish and add the hash brown mixture. Spread evenly.
- Crush the Ritz crackers and place in a small bowl. Add the ½ cup cheddar cheese and stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the hash brown mixture.12-14 Ritz crackers, ½ cup cheddar cheese
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes with the foil on.
- Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes with the foil off.
- Remove casserole from oven and let it rest 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Sandy
This was super delicious! After I got started preparing, I realized I was out of Ritz crackers so I substituted with finely crushed seasoned croutons, added a little butter and mixed with the shredded cheese, super yummy. My husband loved it and wants me to make again with French fries onions in the mix on top. 😊
Sula
French's fried onions are NEVER a bad idea!!!
Alesha
Hi! I wondered if I could make this as a pot pie casserole. If I added say a crescent roll crust to the top and bottom should I cook the bottom first, add the filling ingredients then add the uncooked top? Freeze it? I’m making for a friend on a meal train and they may really need it later when their sweet baby comes home from the nicu. Or do you think I should cook the top too and then freeze it? What would you suggest as bake time from frozen? Thank you for any suggestions which may help. 💕. Also, I can’t wait to make this for my family with the ritz💕💕💕
Sula
I think what I would do is just make a top crust, kind of like I do with puff pastry. Then you're not dealing with trying to keep that bottom crust from getting soggy, which it certainly would do, especially after freezing. Check out this recipe for ideas: https://sulaandspice.com/puff-pastry-turkey-pot-pie/
Justina Purington
It's in the oven as we speak. I have 3 picky teens who are going to eat me out of house and home lol so I doubled. Made a huge mess but are you really cooking if there's not a mess? lol. First time trying so I'll update after we eat. I love quick easy meals.
Sula
Yes I would definitely double it if I had teens in the house!
Lesley
Can you make this ahead of time or freeze it prior to cooking?
Sula
Yes you should be able to do both, just cover tightly with plastic to store.
I would hold off on the Ritz cracker topping and add just before baking.
It also reheats very well as a leftover, either refrigerated or frozen (thaw first obviously).
Sonia
made this today. yummo delicious....
Sula
Wonderful - thank you for the kind review!
Summer
We only had cream of mushroom, so I used that instead of the cream of chicken. And instead of mixed veggies, I did broccoli! This was so yummy! Definitely making it again for those chilly nights when a casserole hits perfect.
Sula
Oh I love the broccoli idea - must try! It really is a very flexible recipe.
Joyfulmagpie
This was an enjoyable casserole that comes together quickly. I was processing 2 rotisserie chickens for the freezer in 2 cup portions, and found a half bag of hash browns that needed to be used. Your recipe fit the bill! Unfortunately, I didn't have any canned creamed soups. I made bone broth from the carcasses, so I made a canned soup substitute (recipes are easily found on the internet) using some of the bone broth. This one is going in my recipe book to make again!
Sula
I'm so happy you like it - its really one of those recipes everyone should have available for those "what do I make with this" meals. Thank you for the kind review! 😀
CP
I made this with can Sweet peas, and sliced carrots. I also used a carton of idiaho hashbrowns... it was AMAZING!
Sula
WONDERFUL!
Shannon McDonough
This was GREAT!! Used shredded potatoes, broccoli, corn, crushed cheddar and garlic croutons and for the spices, pepper, salt, basil, parsley and paprika. We all loved it and can’t wait to have some more♥️♥️
Sula
Sounds fabulous - thank you for the kind review!
Tim Davis
could use some sauteed onion, and I would recommend thawing the vegetables more than 'slightly'
Sula
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
MW
Not sure if this was mentioned but the amount of hash browns doesn't change when adjusting the serving size. Should it stay the same? thanks
Sula
How interesting, I never noticed that before. If you look at the amount in "cups" it does change, but my comment where I state about how much the original is in ounces, that comment does not change. Yes, ingredients should increase proportionally.