Chicken casserole with cream of chicken soup and sour cream

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(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Once you taste this comforting chicken casserole you will understand why it's so popular. The buttery Ritz cracker top and bottom crusts offer surprising flavor and texture, and the rich and creamy sauce is unbelievably easy to make, featuring canned cream of chicken soup and sour cream. You may omit the bottom layer of crackers if you'd like to lighten the recipe a bit.

Perfect for weeknight dinners, the chicken casserole takes no more than 15 minutes to put together and bakes to perfection in about 30 to 40 minutes. Make sure to cook the chicken before adding to the sauce. Serve with roasted or steamed broccoli or a simple salad on the side.

Click Play to See This Ritzy Chicken Casserole Recipe Come Together

• 60  Ritz crackers (about 2 sleeves), divided in half

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided in half

• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, or cream of mushroom soup

• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream regular or low-fat, about 1 cup

• 1/2 cup chicken broth, low-sodium or unsalted

• 1 1/2 pounds cooked boneless chicken breasts, diced

1. Gather the ingredients.

   The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

2. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

   The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

3. In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, chicken broth, and diced, cooked chicken.

   The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

4. Crumble 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Drizzle half of the melted butter over the crackers. 

   The Spruce Eats / Rachel Riesgraf

5. Spoon the mixture over the Ritz cracker layer.

   The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

6. Crush the remaining sleeve of crackers and toss them in a bowl with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle the buttered cracker crumbs over the chicken mixture.

   The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

7. Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

   The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Can I Use Canned Chicken in This Casserole?

For quicker preparation, you can use canned chicken instead of cooking raw chicken breasts, substituting about 24 ounces of drained canned chicken breast chunks. Fully cooked roasted or grilled chicken breast strips or rotisserie chicken meat are also great options when time is a factor.

Recipe Variations

• To make it more colorful and nutritious, feel free to add other ingredients such as pimientos or 1 to 1 1/2 cups of lightly steamed frozen peas, green beans, or mixed vegetables to the chicken and sauce mixture. Steamed asparagus or broccoli are good options as well.
• Add a few tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley to the filling for color.
• Sauté 6 to 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender and browned; fold the mushrooms into the chicken mixture.
• Substitute diced cooked turkey or ham for the chicken.
• Add cooked bacon to the chicken mixture.
• Use one of the flavor varieties of Ritz crackers, including whole wheat, bacon, garlic butter, and low sodium.

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