Crack Chicken Casserole

This Crack Chicken Casserole recipe holds up to its name, your whole family will be obsessed with this creamy, cheesy, crispy bacon, chicken filled casserole dish.

While the amount of simple ingredients might look like a lot, this truly is an easy recipe you can make for busy weeknights, and know that the entire family will actually eat it!

It has tender chicken tossed in a rich creamy ranch sauce and plenty of gooey cheese with a topping of Ritz crackers that makes for a delicious meal and an easy dinner recipe. 

Recipe Ingredients

For the chicken 

• Chicken: use boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
• Oil: I like to use olive oil but avocado oil will work well too
• Seasonings: use salt and black pepper to season the chicken

For the casserole 

• Casserole base: you will need a can of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, mayo, ranch seasoning 
• Cheese: use shredded cheddar and shredded parmesan 
• Bacon: use precooked bacon crumbles
• Crackers: Ritz crackers make for the perfect buttery crispy topping
• Butter: use unsalted melted butter

How to Make Crack Chicken Casserole

1. Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 
2. Season the chicken. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil, salt and pepper. 
3. Roast. Arrange the chicken in an even layer in the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the largest piece reads 165°F.
4. Rest and shred. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board and shredding it with two forks. Work on the filling and the topping in the meantime.
5. Adjust. Turn the oven down to 375°F and re-grease the baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 
6. Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, mayo, and ranch dressing mix until smooth. Fold in the cheddar, parmesan, bacon, and shredded chicken.
7. Make the topping. Add the Ritz crackers to a food processor. Pulse until they become fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse just until combined. 
8. Assemble. Spread the creamy chicken mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter the Ritz mixture over the top of the chicken mixture in an even layer.  
9. Bake. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the Ritz topping is nice and golden brown.

Expert Tips

What chicken to use for this delicious casserole:

For the recipe as written, we love to use boneless chicken thighs with this creamy chicken casserole. But, if you want to make this recipe even easier, you can either use leftover chicken from another dinner or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and you can turn this into a really quick meal to prepare.

Add even more flavor to this ultimate comfort food recipe:

One or more of these would be a great addition to the creamy sauce with cooked chicken: diced green onions, diced bell peppers, cooked pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, or canned corn.

Storage Instructions

Fridge: Place the leftover casserole dish lid on the container or scoop the rest into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Explore More Delicious Casserole Recipes

Our family loves casseroles. They are cozy, full of flavor, easy to freeze, and so easy to make. If you want more casserole inspiration, check out our full list of casserole recipes!

• Bob Clark Casserole Recipe
• Million Dollar Chicken Casserole Recipe
• Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole Recipe
• Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe