Creamy, cheesy, and so full of flavor that you’ll forget it’s a weeknight—this crack chicken casserole is sure to be one of your new fall favorites. Throw it together and throw it in the oven! Dinner will be ready before you know it—and everyone is gonna love this dish.
The Casserole of All Casseroles!
It’s hearty and flavorful, and it has all the cheesy comfort you could ever need. It’s cheesy crack chicken casserole—and when the weather gets colder, and the weeknights get shorter—It’s on heavy rotation in our household.
It’s great to feed a crowd or to keep in the fridge for a busy week. Like a lot of casseroles, you might even think it tastes better the next day after all the flavors have melded even more. But be warned! This is so good, it’s hard not to go back for a second helping! Leftovers are not guaranteed!
This is always a crowd pleaser—for even the littlest eaters. I love this casserole enough to actually put it on the menu. This recipe is also great because if the day gets away from me, I can also pull this casserole together quickly, and doesn’t taste last minute—it just tastes delicious.
There’s more to love—see where it all started with an easy crack chicken recipe. Crack chicken spaghetti bake, cheesy, creamy, gooey crack dip (really to-die-for delish!), or our new favorite side dish, crack potatoes.
I’m crazy for casseroles! Here are a few more of my favorites. I hope you try them next!
Easy, cheesy, chicken dinner—you’re done! Let’s make this!
Ingredients For Crack Chicken Casserole
- Penne Pasta
- Butter
- Onion
- Cream Cheese
- Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
- Sour Cream
- Milk
- Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Chicken – cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken.
- Cheddar Cheese
- Bacon
- Green Onion
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Store in an airtight container. This can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, place this in freezer bags, and can be frozen for 6 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Bake this ahead of time then go to the fridge or freezer storing route, then reheat.
- Food Safety: Here’s an article about chicken casserole‘s food safety.
Serving Recommendations
All you need is a simple green salad. I like to dress it with my super quick and easy balsamic vinaigrette recipe. It’s also great with simple roasted broccoli, brown sugar carrots, or my delicious and garlicky sautéed asparagus!
How to Make Crack Chicken Casserole
- Saute the onion in butter.
- Combine cheese, cream of chicken soup, sour crea, milk, ranch dressing mix, salt and pepper.
- Mix using a handheld mixer.
- Add cooked pasta, onion, chicken, cheddar cheese, and bacon,
- Mix.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake.
- Remove from the oven then add cheese. Bake again until cheese melts. Serve.
See full instructions below.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes I Promise Your Family Will LOVE!
- Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Dorito Chicken Casserole
Crack Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounces mini penne pasta or elbows
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 (10.75 ounces) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (1 oz) packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups chicken, cooked and cut into bite-sized cubes
- 4 cups cheddar cheese, ~divided shredded
- 1 3/4 cup cooked bacon~divided crumbled or chopped
- 3/4 cup green onion, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
- Cook pasta (12 ounces) according to package directions just until al dente. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, make sauce:
- In a skillet, melt butter (2 tablespoons) then saute onion (1) until soft. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, combine softened cream cheese (8 ounces), condensed cream of chicken soup (2 cans), sour cream (2 cups), 1 cup of milk, 1 packet of ranch dressing mix, salt (1 teaspoon), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon).
- Using a large rubber spatula or spoon, fold in the cooked pasta, cooked onion, chicken (4 cups), 2 cups of cheddar cheese, and 1 cup of cooked bacon.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with foil and cook in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove and discard the foil, sprinkle with remaining 2 cups cheddar and 3/4 cups remaining bacon, and return to oven. Continue to cook until casserole is heated through and bubbly and cheese are melted about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup green onions and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
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I used rice because I have no pasta.. & I had about half a cup left of the sauce that I didn’t add in. Cooking rhe chicken & bacon was a lot of work.. But it’s cooking up now & I’m excited to serve it to my family tonight! Thank you
Hi, Geanna! You’re a genius! I love your tweaks 🙂 Thanks for sharing!