Broccoli casserole with cream of chicken soup and ritz crackers

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This Ritz Chicken Broccoli Casserole is so quick and easy to make – prep just takes a few minutes, and you only need ten simple ingredients to whip up this main dish!

Oh boy, do I love a good casserole! If it was just me, I’d probably have casserole every single day, haha.

This recipe is similar to my Ritz Broccoli Casserole, but it has more sauce and also chicken added, which turns it from a side dish into a main dish.

My family loves this casserole over rice or over baked potatoes – and it’s always gone in seconds! It’s definitely a recipe to keep on hand for those extra busy nights, because it’s so quick to throw together, too.

Ingredients you’ll need

This is just an overview of the ingredients needed – scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for exact quantities and instructions.

Ingredient notes

• Chicken: I use cooked chicken breast, but you can also use cooked chicken thighs or even rotisserie chicken if you’re really short on time. Canned chicken is also an option here, which is especially budget friendly.
• Soup: I mostly use cream of chicken in this recipe, but cream of mushroom is also nice to change things up. Broccoli cheese soup works great, too! If you’re not a fan of things being too “chicken-y”, I highly recommend trying the cream of mushroom or broccoli cheese soup.
• Cheese: Mozzarella or cheddar both work very well here. Monterey jack is also a good option.
• Seasoning: My favorite seasoning is Italian in this recipe. I know many people know this as Chicken Divan and make it with curry powder in the sauce. Feel absolutely free to add curry powder, it’s not my personal preference so I don’t ever add it, but I have many friends who swear by it. You can also just use salt/pepper/garlic powder. It’s best to go by your own taste here!
• Broccoli: Frozen broccoli needs to be fully thawed, drained and patted dry with paper towels. Fresh broccoli must be pre-cooked, and it must also be drained very well.
• Mayo/sour cream: Mayo makes this a little richer, sour cream a little lighter. You can also do a mix.

How to make Ritz Chicken Broccoli Casserole

1. Add the chicken and broccoli to a 2-quart casserole dish.

2. Combine the mayo and/or sour cream with seasoning, lemon juice, soup and milk. I always prefer to combine the mayo with the lemon juice first, then add the milk to keep it from curdling. Spread this over the chicken and broccoli in the dish.

3. Sprinkle the cheese on top, then combine the crushed crackers with melted butter and evenly sprinkle over the cheese.

4. Bake the casserole on the lower-middle rack for 20-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly all the way through. If the crackers get too dark after 15-20 minutes, loosely cover with foil for the remaining time.

It’s best to let the casserole sit on the counter for 5 minutes before serving! It helps the sauce to thicken and makes it easier to serve.

Recipe tips

• Don’t forget to check on your casserole after about 15 minutes in the oven, you don’t want the crackers on top to burn. If they seem very dark, please loosely cover the dish with foil after 15-20 minutes, or they may scorch.
• You can easily double the casserole if you have a 4 quart casserole dish, or bake it in two pans if you need to feed a crowd.
• You can either dice or shred the chicken, it won’t make that much of a difference to the recipe. If you have young children, especially ones who are too lazy to chew, I highly recommend chopping the chicken a little smaller to make sure they don’t choke on it when they try to swallow an entire piece.

Serving ideas

Like I said, we like this dish best over rice or baked potatoes. If you’re watching your carbs, cauliflower rice is also a good side here.

Sometimes I’ll also make Instant Pot Baby Carrots to serve on the side, some green beans or a tossed salad for a little extra greens if it fits into our budget that week.

More easy casserole recipes

• Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole

• Easy Baked Rigatoni Bolognese

• Easy Shepherd’s Pie

• Rotel Chicken Spaghetti

If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to add a review by tapping the stars in the recipe card below!

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups cooked and diced chicken
• 16 ounces frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained and patted dry (I use half of a 32-oz bag)
• 1 (10.5-oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise OR sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or any seasoning you like - salt, pepper, garlic powder, curry powder…
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 sleeves ritz crackers, crushed
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. 
2. Place chicken and broccoli in 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Combine soup, mayonnaise/sour cream, milk, lemon juice, and seasoning in medium bowl. Spread over chicken mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Combine crackers and melted butter, then evenly sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake for 20-30 minutes on lower middle rack, or until casserole is hot and bubbly all the way through (may need to loosely cover with foil after 15-20 minutes, to keep crackers from burning).
5. Allow casserole to sit on counter for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Recipe tips