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Hot Chicken Casserole

This old-fashioned favorite Hot Chicken Casserole is a creamy, flavorful meal that makes dinner time delicious!

A creamy chicken salad is warmed and topped with a layer of buttery crushed crackers to make an excellent homestyle meal!

Overhead view of hot chicken salad casserole with rice and topped with lightly browned cracker crumbs

Hot Chicken Salad Casserole Recipe

If you love a classic chicken salad and casseroles this recipe is the perfect combination of the two to create a familiar favorite. Made more hearty with rice and a generous layer of cracker crumbs this is the centerpiece of an easy family meal.

A warm, creamy and crunchy combination this homemade chicken casserole is a keeper.

Especially in the winter we like to rotate through easy casseroles throughout the week like Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, Kielbasa and Noodle Casserole, and Pizza Casserole.

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Close up pieces of cooked chicken, celery, rice, boiled eggs, water chestnuts, almonds any mayo coated with buttery crackers

Similar to the ingredients in our Chicken and Rice Salad and Almond Chicken Salad we love this casserole without cheese.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Several flavors blend beautifully together to make a delicious meal.
  • Leftovers freeze and reheat well.
  • Can mix up the casserole ahead of time and store in the refrigerator to bake when you’re ready – just increase baking time by 10 – 20 minutes.
  • Cook ingredients ahead of time for meal prep.
  • Rotisserie chicken or canned chicken can be used to save time or you can make your own whole chicken.
  • We like to make a big batch of Instant Pot rice and use extras in this chicken casserole and our Sausage Fried Rice.
Fork in a plate of delicious and flavorful hot chicken mixture in front of a casserole dish full.

Ingredients Needed

  • Cooked chicken – can be shredded, chopped or diced
  • Rice – include a cup of your favorite cooked white rice, do not use raw – when using brown rice we like to use 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup
  • Celery – smaller pieces blend better in every bite and add a crunch to every bite
  • Water chestnuts – come in a can, should be drained and chopped to help blend in better – adds a slightly sweet, nutty and earthy flavor while giving a little more structure to the mixture
  • Mayonnaise – adds a richness that is so reminiscent of a cold chicken salad
  • Cream of chicken soup – we do like the Campbells brand over generic options, makes the casserole creamy and holds all of the ingredients together so well
  • Lemon juice – adds a hint of lemon, but also helps sharpen the other flavors in the dish – we like to use freshly squeezed lemon juice, but using a bottle works fine too
  • Almonds – adds a little protein and crunch, we prefer slivered but thin slices work fine too
Spoonful of old fashioned hot chicken salad casserole with rice topped with cracker crumbs and butter on a red and white plaid napkin

How to Make Hot Chicken Casserole

Preheat oven to 325°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish.

Chop water chestnuts and celery.

Cook rice and chicken if necessary.

Rice, celery, water chestnuts, mayonnaise, cream of chicken soup and lemon juice in a mixing bowl

Measure mayonnaise, rice, lemon juice, cream of chicken soup, water chestnuts and celery into a large mixing bowl.

Stir well.

Then add chicken and mix well.

Cooked shredded chicken on top of other casserole ingredients in a white mixing bowl

Spread half of the mixture into a 9 x 13″ baking dish.

Half of chicken casserole mixture spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish

Spread thinly sliced eggs in an even layer.

Slices of eggs are a bit more visible than chopped pieces. Picky eaters may prefer slices as they are not as easy to identify.

Slices of hard boiled eggs spread on top of half of chicken casserole

Spread remaining half of the chicken mixture in an even layer on top.

Then sprinkle almonds on top.

Slivered almonds sprinkled on top of chicken casserole in a 9x13 baking dish

Crush Ritz crackers or buttery crackers into fine pieces.

In a small mixing bowl melt butter and stir in crushed crackers. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Crumbed Ritz crackers stirred into melted butter and sprinkled on top of a creamy chicken casserole mixture

Bake uncovered for 40 – 50 minutes until brown and bubbly on top. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • Hard boiled eggs can be chopped or sliced. We find slicing them makes layering a bit easier.
  • Purchasing pre-cooked boiled eggs can save time over boiling the eggs in the insta pot.
  • Using a rotisserie chicken saves time.
  • Chicken needs to be cooked, but can be shredded or diced
  • 2 cups of crushed crackers is almost 2 sleeves
  • Crackers can be substituted for corn flakes or plain potato chips
  • Amount of mayo can be doubled for a stronger flavor

More Delicious Meals with Chicken

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches uses cans of chicken to create sandwiches even picky eaters enjoy!

Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Sliders are an easy way to elevate sandwiches and make them so tasty.

Potato Chip Fried Chicken is a modern flair on a popular meat that is so tender and juicy!

Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups make packing a cold lunch easy, but taste great warmed up too.

Fork in creamy and hot chicken salad casserole with crunchy celery, water chestnuts and almonds made creamy and flavorful with cream of chicken soup and mayo and topped with buttery baked crackers

Hot Chicken Casserole

Servings 6 servings
Author: Jennifer
This old-fashioned favorite Hot Chicken Casserole is a simple meal to make and makes dinner time easy and delicious!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups cooked chicken diced
  • 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup celery diced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup rice cooked
  • 1 tablespoon onion grated
  • 8 ounce can water chestnuts drained
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 hard boiled eggs

Topping

  • 2 cups Ritz crackers crushed
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 1/2 cup almonds

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F and prepare a 9 x 13" pan.
  • Mix all casserole ingredients except eggs together. Pour half of the mixture into the greased baking dish.
  • Slice the eggs and layer over the mixture.
  • Then pour remaining mixture over the top.

Topping

  • Sprinkle almonds over the casserole.
  • Crush crackers and mix in melted butter then spread over almonds.
  • Bake until brown and bubbly approximately 30 – 45 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 709kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 29gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 194mgSodium: 955mgPotassium: 496mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 815IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Plowing Through Life” is not a dietitian or nutrition professional. Any nutritional information shared is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on specific products are used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator of your choice.

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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    I love this recipe I use slivered almonds. This recipe was passed down to me from my mother over 35 years ago! It is the perfect dish for a bridal/baby shower, or to deliver to someone who just had a baby! And if you donโ€™t like using canned cream of chicken soup, you can make a homemade version.

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