Ritz Rooster Casserole

This Ritz rooster casserole recipe turns my favourite snacking crackers into probably the most scrumptious, crunchy, buttery casserole topping. The creamy filling is full of juicy shredded rooster, bacon, and cheese, and it’s scorching from the oven in beneath an hour. Ultimate for weeknights!

At any time when I would like to make use of up leftover rooster, I make a casserole. Recipes like this Ritz cracker rooster casserole, my tacky rooster and broccoli casserole, and Tex-Mex King Ranch rooster casserole have it lined!

Chicken casserole topped with Ritz crackers in a baking dish with wooden spoon resting in an open serving.

Of us, at this time’s recipe is a consolation meals residence run. This Ritz rooster casserole is reassuring for thus many causes, however primarily, 1) it’s wealthy, creamy, tacky, and full of juicy rooster and bacon, and, 2) it wants a handful of components I already had within the pantry. No journeys to the shop = consolation, in the event you ask me. I additionally had some inexperienced beans within the crisper drawer, too, so I steamed these whereas this rooster casserole baked up all bubbly beneath a layer of buttery Ritz crackers. Dinner was prepared in 40 minutes, and we scraped our plates CLEAN.

Causes to Love This Ritz Cracker Rooster Casserole

10 minutes to prep. This recipe makes use of a simple, no-cook sauce that will get tossed with rooster, layered beneath crispy Ritz crackers, and baked. It takes all of 10 minutes to arrange and you allow the remainder to your oven.
Crunchy cracker topping. I borrowed the basic Ritz cracker crumb topping from my tacky potatoes to make this rooster casserole. Considered one of my finest concepts but!
Further flavorful. This Ritz rooster casserole has loads of creamy texture and scrumptious taste because of components like cream of mushroom soup, bitter cream, salty bacon, and tender rooster. I throw in a couple of handfuls of shredded cheese, too. It jogs my memory a variety of my creamy crack rooster recipe, which is at all times an excellent factor.
Good for weeknights. Any recipe that takes lower than an hour has my weeknight stamp of approval. This rooster and Ritz cracker casserole is foolproof, even in the event you’re simply beginning out within the kitchen. You’re going to adore it.

Ingredients for Ritz chicken casserole with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Recipe Substances

You’ll be able to depend the components for this casserole on lower than two arms. It’s very fridge and pantry-friendly, and I’ve included some notes right here to get you off on the appropriate foot. Scroll right down to the recipe card after the publish for the printable recipe with the total components checklist and directions.

Bacon – Any sort of bacon works, whether or not it’s streaky, again bacon, turkey bacon, smoked, and so on. You’ll prepare dinner the bacon in a skillet or utilizing your required methodology. You may also substitute cooked and diced ham or pancetta.
Cream of Mushroom Soup – Canned condensed mushroom soup, or you should utilize do-it-yourself. Cream of rooster soup additionally works on this recipe.
Parsley – I exploit dried parsley. In the event you’re utilizing recent herbs, you’ll want about 1 tablespoon of recent herbs per 1 teaspoon dried.
Bitter Cream – This may be full-fat or low-fat bitter cream. Plain or Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute.
Rooster – Cooked and shredded. Leftover rotisserie rooster works nice right here, or you should utilize any cooked rooster you will have readily available. Or, you’ll be able to rapidly boil rooster and shred it.
Shredded Cheese – I exploit cheddar, however any melty cheese goes properly on this recipe. Attempt Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack (in the event you prefer it spicy), Gouda, Mozzarella, Gruyere, or a mixture of shredded cheese. Grate the cheese recent from the block in order that it melts easily.
Ritz Crackers – Crushed up for the topping, plus a couple of complete crackers for garnish. Be happy to make use of name-brand or store-brand. In the event you don’t have Ritz crackers, you’ll be able to nonetheless make this rooster casserole with one other topping, see beneath.
Butter – Salted or unsalted.

What Can I Use As a substitute of Ritz Crackers?

It may not technically be a Ritz rooster casserole, however this recipe nonetheless seems scrumptious with one other crunchy topping. Good choices are panko crumbs, crushed cheese crackers, cornflakes, crushed potato chips, or a favourite stuffing combine, just like the cornbread stuffing I exploit to prime my rooster stuffing casserole.

The right way to Make Ritz Rooster Casserole

I like that this recipe is tremendous fast to prep. I can whip collectively a fast salad, a facet of fries, or roast veggies within the air fryer whereas the casserole bakes within the oven. Dinner is on the desk in beneath an hour (my purpose on most weeknights), and everybody licks their plates clear. The steps are fast and easy. Bear in mind to scroll for serving solutions!

Cooked bacon sizzling in a metal skillet. — 1. Cook dinner the bacon.

Chicken casserole filling in a glass bowl with a spatula. — 1. Cook dinner the bacon.

Cook dinner the bacon. First, prepare dinner up a batch of crispy bacon on the stovetop or air fryer. Crumble it up afterward.
Mix the components. In the meantime, add the cream of mushroom soup, bitter cream, and parsley to a big bowl. Stir within the bacon, shredded rooster, and shredded cheese, together with salt and pepper to style.
Fill the pan. Add the rooster casserole filling into an oiled 9” baking dish.
Make the topping. Subsequent, frivolously toast the Ritz cracker crumbs in a skillet with melted butter to make the topping. Unfold the cracker crumbs evenly over the rooster filling.
Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes till it’s scorching and bubbly. Afterward, let the casserole relaxation for 10 minutes to arrange a bit for serving, and dig in!

Overhead view of a Ritz chicken casserole topped with Ritz crackers in a baking dish with a wooden spoon scooping out the food.

Straightforward Variations

This Ritz rooster casserole is wealthy and creamy but delicate, which makes it nice for households (particularly youngsters). Together with a beneficiant seasoning of salt and pepper, nevertheless, there are a couple of simple methods to alter up the components and amp up the flavour on this rooster casserole. Listed here are some I’d recommend:

Swap rooster for turkey. I really love making this Ritz cracker casserole with shredded leftover turkey within the days after a vacation, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Herbs. Along with dried parsley, you’ll be able to season the casserole with dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, or a mix like Herbes de Provence.
Spices. Add in candy or smoked paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder.
Seasoning blends. Add a bit of Italian seasoning or rooster seasoning for additional taste. In the event you like spice, strive my Jamaican jerk seasoning for a bit of one thing completely different.
Add-ins. Swap common bacon for smoked bacon to offer the casserole a extra distinctive taste. You can additionally substitute spicy Italian sausage or chorizo.
Veggies. Add pre-cooked greens like broccoli, carrots, celery, or onion. Attempt a frozen vegetable medley for some rooster pot pie vibes.

Ritz chicken casserole in a baking dish with wooden spoon stirring through it.

A serving of Ritz chicken casserole next to bread slices and green beans on a plate.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Retailer leftover rooster casserole hermetic within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
Reheat. I wish to reheat this casserole within the oven, both complete or in parts, to crisp up the topping once more. Use an oven-proof dish and canopy the casserole with foil earlier than warming it at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes.
Freeze. You’ll be able to freeze the cooled casserole for as much as 3 months. Thaw it within the fridge earlier than you reheat it.

Extra Rooster Casserole Recipes

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Cook dinner the bacon. Warmth a splash of oil in a big skillet. Add bacon slices and prepare dinner till crispy. Take away the bacon and place it on paper towels. Crumble the bacon and put aside.
Combine the casserole components. In a big bowl, mix cream of mushroom soup, parsley, and bitter cream. Stir within the cooked shredded rooster, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Season to style with salt and pepper.
Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and gently coat a 9-inch baking dish with some olive oil.
Fill the pan. Add the ready rooster combination to the ready baking dish.
Make the topping. Soften the butter in a saucepan over medium warmth. Add within the cracker crumbs and stir to mix. Take away from warmth and unfold the cracker topping over the casserole.
Bake. Bake the casserole for 25 minutes.
Serve. Take away it from the oven and funky the rooster casserole for 10 minutes earlier than serving.

Soup choices. You should utilize cream of mushrooms or cream of rooster soup for this recipe.
Cheese selections. As a substitute of cheddar cheese, substitute any sort of cheese you’d want.
Bacon. I like to recommend plain bacon or a smoked model. The smoked bacon provides a singular taste to the dish.

Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values could differ based on the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.