As soon as fall weather hits I am always searching for comfort food dinners. What screams comfort food more than a good old fashioned casserole? Of course my Grammy is the first person I thought of for a casserole recipe because she is one of the best cooks I know, and is so amazing at cooking southern meals. I asked her for a few recipes, and this is one she sent me with a few tweaks of my own! (I can hardly resist adding a spicy element to every recipe, sorry not sorry)

This casserole is so creamy and delicious. It has rice, chicken, sour cream, mayo…oh did I mention this recipe does not need to be added to your “healthy dinner idea” Pinterest board? LOL. Tis’ the season for indulgent and cozy meals in my opinion. My husband looked over at me after taking a bite of this casserole and said “Wow there isn’t one healthy thing in this one, but man does it taste good”. So there you have it.

This one is a great recipe for weeknights, you can prep all of this the night before, minus the ritz crackers, put it in the fridge and then bake it the next day. This is great for family dinner, dinner parties, or a church potluck. Enjoy!

Why You Should Make Old Fashioned Chicken Casserole

Homemade. Will make you feel like you are in your grandma’s kitchen after church!
Cost effective. This dinner stretches far!
Comfort. This is the ultimate cozy comfort food, perfect for fall!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Chicken – already cooked, think rotisserie chicken or bake some chicken for this recipe.
Celery and Onion – the flavorful veggies for this dish.
Water Chestnuts – so random, but add a great crunch.
Chicken Broth – for creaminess.
Rice – already cooked!
Cheese – to sprinkle on top!
Sour Cream and Mayo – extra creamy, and flavor.
Cream of Chicken Soup – is it even a southern casserole without this ingredient?
Ritz Crackers – crushed and sprinkled on top!
Butter – a whole stick!! We aren’t counting calories here.

Sour cream, cream of chicken casserole, diced onion and celery, ingredients for chicken casserole.

Creamy chicken and rice casserole with ritz crackers.

Chicken Casserole Tips

Prep. This would be great to prep the night before. Follow all instructions leading up to the first baking, put a cover on it in the fridge. Bake the next day per directions and top with ritz crackers.
Make your life easy! Use rotisserie chicken for this and save yourself some time!

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How To Make Old Fashioned Chicken Casserole (with Ritz)

Preheat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Mix all ingredients, except for the ritz crackers and butter into a casserole dish. I mixed mine right in the casserole dish to save on clean up. You can mix this in a bowl before if you want! Once mixed, taste seasonings and adjust as needed. I ended up adding more Tony’s seasoning and some cayenne pepper because I love things spicy, feel free to omit the cayenne if you don’t like spice.
Bake! Place casserole in the oven uncovered for 35 minutes. While the casserole is baking crush up a sleeve of ritz crackers. Melt your stick of butter in a bowl and add in crushed ritz crackers. Stir to combine until ritz cracker crumbs are coated in butter.
Ritz time. After 35 minutes, pull the casserole out of the oven. Sprinkle the shredded cheese first in an even layer. Next add the ritz/butter mixture evenly and smooth it over top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Serve! Once casserole is done, remove from the oven and serve! We added Tobasco on top and it was divine. Enjoy!

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Recipe Variations

Cream of mushroom. Feel free to swap for cream of mushroom or cream of celery.
Cheese. I used colby jack, but anything you have in the fridge will work!

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