Creamy, filling, and protein-packed in every bite. This delicious creamy crunchy chicken casserole is one of my husband’s absolute favorites. There are over 16 grams of protein in every delicious serving. This comfort food is a go-to on busy week nights, because its pretty close to throw-and-go style with only 6 ingredients! What’s awesome is that there are less than 300 calories in every serving! Score!

Over the years, we have made so many variations of chicken casseroles. I’ve always gravitated towards heavier, calorie-dense ones because they are so gosh darn good. Our goal with this dish was to have a yummy, belly-warming casserole that wasn’t all cheese and sour cream. Greek yogurt is such a fantastic substitute for sour cream in 99% of things we have tried. In this dish, it gives that creamy texture but not the guilt! We pair it with our spinach and walnut salad and we have a very balanced and tasty meal.

Do you have to cook the chicken before putting in the casserole?

With this specific recipe , the answer is yes. You will definitely need the chicken cooked before mixing with the rest of the ingredients and baking. We have not tried raw chicken in this dish before and we know it would significantly alter the cook time. In the event you don’t have time to cook chicken, I constantly run to a rotisserie chicken! They are slightly higher in calories and sodium, however the ease of that option outweighs the negative! Also, one rotisserie chicken yields enough needed for this recipe too.

Can I freeze this casserole dish?

Absolutely! We recommend putting everything together like you would up until the baking part. Then, instead of baking, make sure you have it in an air-tight container and then go ahead and freeze. This is great to do when you know you have a busy week coming up and won’t have to time to do anything other than throwing a dish in the oven.

Can I use regular rice or does it have to be instant rice?

We highly recommend Minute rice. We have tried baking it both ways. You would have to extend your bake time when using regular rice and it really dries out your casserole to have it in the oven that much longer. Even after 60 minutes, some of the rice was still hard in the middle. Stick with Minute rice!

Ingredients for Cream Crunchy Chicken Casserole

• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 4 cups cooked chicken
• 2 cups minute rice
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup plain 2% greek yogurt
• 3/4 container of French’s Crispy Fried Onions

How to make Creamy Crunchy Chicken Casserole:

Preheat over to 350 degrees, F.

Cook and dice chicken.

Add all ingredients EXCEPT the French’s Crispy Fried Onions to a bowl and thoroughly stir.

Pour bowl mixture in a greased 9×13 dish.

Bake for 30 minutes without French Fried Onions.

After 30 minutes, pour French Fried Onions all over mixture and bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and serve!