Creamy Chicken Casserole with mushrooms is a treasure of a recipe. It’s popularly called “Chicken Gloria” and it will win you over. This chicken bake is the perfect party dish and is a reader favorite.
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We love easy chicken casserole recipes like Chicken Tetrazzini and One-Pot Chicken and Rice. This Chicken and Mushroom Casserole does not disappoint!
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Why we love this Chicken Bake
Crowd-Pleaser! Galina (my sister’s mama-in-law) is an amazing cook and this is her chicken and mushroom casserole. It is always a hit at parties and church potlucks. We make this often.
The chicken is incredibly tender – you will savor every morsel. I’ve seen sorta-somewhat similar recipes online referred to as Chicken Gloria, but I love that this one is made from scratch. It uses simple, non-canned ingredients (no cream of chicken soup needed).
Reheats Well – This chicken and mushroom casserole also re-heats really well (if you are lucky enough to have leftovers). You will likely add this recipe to your list of favorites.
Ingredients for Chicken Casserole
The ingredients for this recipe are surprisingly simple but they just work (see full printable ingredient list below):
- Chicken breast (or chicken tenders)
- Chicken broth
- Half and half*
- All-purpose flour (or use a GF substitute)
- Mushrooms
- Onion – it disappears into the sauce
- Garlic – don’t skip it
- Lemon juice – fresh is best
*What is half and half? Half and half is basically light cream. If you aren’t able to find “half and half” at your grocery store, you can substitute with equal parts of milk and heavy cream.
Can I Substitute the Mushrooms?
You can replace white mushrooms with portabello mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms, you can substitute with different vegetables, just pick sturdy veggies (avoid zucchini which turns mushy). Here are some great options to replace mushrooms:
- Frozen peas
- Asparagus
- Caramelized onions
- Artichoke hearts (well-drained)
How to Make Chicken Casserole
1. Sautee Chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Once the oil is hot, add chicken and saute until golden, and transfer to a 13×9 casserole baking dish.
Pro Tip: Work in batches if needed so you don’t crowd your pan. Don’t worry about cooking the chicken through; it still needs to go in the oven
2. Sautee Mushrooms: Add 3 Tbsp oil along and saute mushrooms and onions until soft and golden. Add garlic and saute another 1-2 min. Spread mixture over the chicken.
3. Make the Sauce: In a medium saucepan (or in the same pan you’ve been using), melt 3 Tbsp butter. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour until lightly golden (1-2 min). Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add 1 cup half & half and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Combine and Bake: Pour sauce over the chicken casserole. Cover with foil and bake chicken and mushroom casserole at 350˚F for 45 minutes. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Serve with
This chicken bakes in gravy so it is great served over Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Egg noodles (the same way we serve Beef Stroganoff). It’s also great paired with these fresh sides:
Common Questions
You can use trimmed chicken thighs or chicken tenders instead. If using chicken tenders, you don’t need to slice them.
Make and combine the chicken and mushrooms and refrigerate. The next day, make the sauce, assemble, and bake as directed.
Yes, you can reheat a pre-baked and chilled chicken casserole in the oven: cover with foil and bake at 325˚f for about 20 minutes or just until hot, or reheat on the stovetop over low heat just until hot, stirring occasionally.
Yes! You can freeze leftover chicken casserole. One of my readers shared her method: “It works! I took the pan out of the freezer, left it in the fridge most of the day, and reheated it in a 350* oven for about 40 minutes.”
One of our readers reported great results using a multi-cooker/ slow cooker: brown the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker using the sautee function and remove. Sautée onions and mushrooms then return chicken to the pan. Combine sauce ingredients in a pan on the stove, pour it over the chicken, and slow-cook on low for five hours.
More Casserole Recipes:
Casseroles are perfect for parties and gatherings because they are easy to make and easy to scale up. These casserole recipes always get rave reviews:
- Lasagna – arguably the “ultimate” casserole
- Stuffed Shells – so easy with a 3 cheese filling
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole – creamy, cheesy, delicious!
- Green Bean Casserole – elegant and made from scratch
- Sweet Potato Casserole – with crunchy pecan topping
- Baked Tilapia Casserole – topped with veggies
Chicken Casserole Recipe (Chicken Gloria)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chicken and Mushroom Casserole:
- 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts , (4 to 5 large), cut into 1 -inch thick strips
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt , plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour , to coat the chicken
- 6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb white mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Ingredients for the Sauce:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, for the sauce
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup half and half, or 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in flour. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken and saute until golden. Work in batches if needed so you don't crowd your pan. Don't worry about cooking the chicken through; it still needs to go in the oven. Transfer chicken to a 13×9 casserole baking dish.
- Scrape of any debris from the skillet. Add 3 Tbsp oil along with sliced mushrooms and diced onions and saute until soft and golden. Add garlic and saute another 1-2 min. Spread mixture over the chicken.
- In a medium saucepan (or in the same pan you’ve been using), melt 3 Tbsp butter. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour until lightly golden (1-2 min).
- Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add 1 cup half & half and bring to a simmer. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour sauce over the chicken and mushrooms. Cover with foil and bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes. Serve warm or hot over mashed potatoes, pasta or rice.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I made this tonight & it was fantastic. I seasoned it wir
Th garlic salt & pepper. My husband likes more gravy … So next time I would double the gravy. And there will definitely be a next time😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This was awesome. Served over noodles. Next time I think get a little adventurous and add spinach and asparagus. Thx
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
My wife has a fruit allergy. Is there something I could substitute for the lemon juice?
You might try a splash of white wine or just omit it and add a little more seasoning to taste.
I’ve made this before following your instructions exactly. It was very delicious! i want to make it again but this time i want to opt out of frying the chicken first. Can i season the chicken and bake it in the oven half way cooked then add the cream and mushrooms and bake it until the chicken is fully cooked through?
Im trying not to fry food at all to keep it healthier.
Hi Tina, it sounds healthier but I’m not sure if it would work as well. Dredging the chicken in flour before sautéing also helps to thicken the sauce as it bakes. I don’t think it would work to dredge the chicken and then bake it. It would end up dry. If you do end up experimenting that way, let me know how it works out. I’m curious!
Hello, Natasha, I expected a lot more than I got from this dish. No flavor at all. Totally boring. If I ever make this again, which I doubt, I will use white wine instead of chicken broth in the sauce. I might even add some fried raisins (so they’re nice and puffed up) and perhaps some browned almond slivers—at least a spice of some sort to give it some flavor. My heritage is Russian and I had a lot of hope for the recipe until it actually reached my mouth. Sorry about it, but there you have it. Very boring.
Hi Doral, it’s rare to see a negative review on this recipe as it is a reader and family favorite. Did you use the lemon juice? If you thought it lacked flavor, you may have just under-seasoned it. If you try with the white wine, let me know how you like it. I’m curious!
If you can not say something good do not say anything at all .
The purpose of giving a review, good or bad, is to help others see if there is something that should be added to make the recipe even better. Everyone has a different taste preference, so just looking at the recipe can also give you a clue as to what you personally would change. But, inexperienced cooks can’t see it and need the reviews to help them.
I agree that this recipe is bland, not underseasoned, and is “missing something”. It’s ok. I’ll try it with white wine instead of chicken stock next time.
Hi Brittany, did you make sure to use fresh lemon juice – it adds great flavor to this dish. Also, did you try adding more seasoning to see if that would change the outcome – under-seasoning is most often the culprit of bland food. But you definitely can add a splash white wine to kick up the flavor a notch.
How did you get your chicken to brown to nicely. I made this recipe lastnight and it is out of this world good!!!!! I just couldn’t get my chicken tenderloins to brown like that. I did have more oil then called for and I don’t know if I had my heat high enough. They turned out pale light brown then I gave up and put them in the pan
Lisa, those are both possible reasons why, also if the pan was overcrowded. Either way, dish would turn out great 😀
A friend made this dish and took it camping, we reheated it in alfoil tray in the camp oven, OMG!!!!!!!!! this is delicious.
I totally love that you gave this recipe a camping option! Awesome!! 🙂
Loved the way each step is put in the picture, makes cooking interesting and fun.
I’m so glad you find it useful and fun. Thank you for the great feedback! 🙂
Sounds like a lip smacking recepie , will surely try making it very soon . Thank u
You’re so welcome! Enjoy! 🙂
OMG, this chicken and mushroom casserole dish is AWESOME…and soooo easy. Plated it up with some wild rice….Yum!
Thank you for such a nice review 😄. Reading your comment is making me hungry 😋!
I was wondering if I could prepare this a day ahead of time for someone at church who just had a baby, and then she can bake it…or should I bake it the first day, and then she can reheat it the next day in the oven? Thanks so much for all your delicious recipes:)
Hi Sarah! I have made this ahead by cooking the chicken the day before and refrigerating it overnight. I also prepped the rest of the ingredients and the day I was serving it, I made the sauce and baked. You can complete and bake the chicken the first day also as this casserole dish reheats really well. That’s so sweet of you to make this for a new mom!
YUM….this came out great. I will definitely make this again. Taking some over mom’s tomorrow. Thank you!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I made this last night (halved the recipe) and served over egg noodles. My husband absolutely loved this dish!!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your awesome review 🙂
What kind of chicken broth do you use? Do you make your own? If so, recipe for chicken broth?😜 Thanks
I always keep a supply of the organic low sodium better than bouillon chicken base in my refrigerator. (I but it from Costco). It saves alot of space versus buying broth in cans or cartons. If I buy it pre-made, I try to get organic and the carton packaging to avoid BPA associated with cans.
This is delicious! My whole family enjoyed it.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Can you use white wine in place of some of the chicken broth?
I haven’t tried it with white wine but some of my readers have reported great results with white wine. One of my readers wrote: “White wine goes very well in this recipe as well as a generous among of grated gruyere cheese. However I do suggest that you use heavy whipping cream only if you are adding wine. Otherwise the sauce may curdle.” There were several others that said they added a splash of white wine with great results.
Absolutely delicious! Served over mashed potatoes. My fiancé decided to soak up some of the sauce with white bread, I loved this idea in place of the mashed potatoes. Thank you for the recipe!
My goodness you’re making me so hungry!! Thanks for sharing your awesome review 🙂
Thank you for sharing this, it was amazing! I added spring onion, didn’t include the lemon and instead of half and half, I added 1 cup of Coconut Cream. Just gave it a lovely light coconut flavour. Used chicken drumsticks instead, and added rice and steamed broccoli when serving
Debbie, thank you for the great review and nice job improvising 😀.
This was very good. I made it for my Bunco group when I hosted. The second time I made it, I added a little more garlic and lemon. Also with some leftovers, I chopped up the chicken, added some sauteed green pepper and had creamed chicken over fresh biscuits.
I’m so happy you loved it enough to make it twice! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and modifications 🙂
this recipe is a keeper. Used boneless chicken thighs, I find them just more flavourful. Added just a bit more lemon juice, but that is my preference. I make a big recipe & freeze in portions for 2. If freezing, make sure you use Half & Half or whole milk or else it separates when reheating.
Thank you so much for sharing your great review and the freezing tips!