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!
Chicken Casserole Video
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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 just as written and it was delicious. Served it over fettuccine noodles to come the dish. Definitely will make this again.
Linda, thank you for the great review,I’m so glad you liked it 😀.
It was very good but I used a nonstick pan that probably didn’t have even heat, (an inexpensive one I bought at Costco years ago. The chicken and mushrooms did not turn golden. 🙁
My husband loved it. The flavored are wonderful. I’d make it again but use my good nonstick pan.
Janet, thank for the nice review 😀.
Hi Natasha
Cooked this delicious recipe as per your instruction and it turn out so good. My family loved it very much. My husband told me to save the recipie. I am going to pass this recipie to my friends.
Thank you for sharing the recipi.
Janet, thank you for the nice review, looks like you might have a new favorite 😀.
Hi Natasha
Thanks so much for the recipe. I would also like to make it cheesy and wondered if I added cheddar cheese to the sauce if it would split the sauce??
Hi Wendy, I think you could make that work. I would probably sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole and broil if desired for 2-3 minutes at the end after removing the foil.
Hi Natasha
Do you think I could freeze it?
Lisa
Hi Lisa, one of my awesome readers, Terri, shared that it does work to freeze leftovers! She writes: “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. Frankly, I think Round Two tastes just as delicious, if not slightly better, than Round One! The one change I made: I took the foil off the last 15 minutes of cooking time so the top of everything got just a little crispy and golden. Delicious!”
Love this dish! Thanks for the recipe ! Do you think adding blanched broccoli in the end would taste good?
Hi Lora, yes, I do think it would work. Great idea!!
Has anyone tried to bake this with shredded mozarella on top? I loooove cheese and was wondering if it will work for this recipe))
Hi Nastia, you’re the second person to ask in 1 day! 🙂 I think you could make that work. I would probably sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole and broil if desired for 2-3 minutes at the end after removing the foil.
Awesome, thanks so much for the tip Natasha! Can’t wait to make this))
ps. Have you considered posting some of your recipes in Russian? My mom would love to try your recipes but she doesn’t speak english.
Hi Nastia, English is definitely easier for me but I think it would be a great idea to hire someone to translate them one of these days 🙂
That would be awesome)
If you do decide to go through with it, let me know! I’m perfectly fluent in both languages and would love to try my hand at this)
Awesome Recipe!
Can I add MOZERALLA cheese in the sauce? Will it taste better??
Please reply soon
I think you could make that work. I would probably sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole and broil if desired for 2-3 minutes at the end after removing the foil.
Does it matter what kind of mushroom I use? I was wanting to make a chicken stir fry with either portabello or shiitake and figured use the leftovers for this. Would that work or should I stick with what the recipe says?
Hi Yulia, using shitake would probably taste great although it is more expensive, especially with the amount needed for this recipe. I think portabello might darken the sauce. I always just use regular mushrooms for this recipe.
I made this delicious recipe dairy-free style. I used vegan butter to replace dairy butter and coconut milk to replace dairy milk. The sauce is creamy and the chicken is incredibly tender. I am making brussel sprouts as a side to accompany this dish. Thank you!
That’s awesome that you were able to make it dairy-free!! Thank you so much for sharing that. I’m sure that will be super helpful for others who are dairy free 🙂
This recipe is one of favorites! I make it a lot in my family and no one gets tired of it! Thank you Natasha for sharing this recipe!
Oh I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can I bake this in a Cast Iron Skillet?
Hi Lynn, I haven’t tried it that way but I think it would work in a large enough skillet. Just cover with foil or a lid if you have one 🙂
Worked out perfect in my cast iron skillet. Fantastic taste. Family loved it!!!
Oh awesome!! Thanks for reporting back! 🙂
Hi I love your recipes!! But I have a question what if I don’t have chicken broth available? What can I use to substitute it with ?? Please help !!
Zeba, you can replace it with the vegetable broth or make your own broth with bouillon cubes. Let me know what you end up doing.
I loved, loved, loved this recipe! Made it exactly as written and it came out perfect! I plan to make this for my grandkids when I visit them in a few weeks. Think it is easily adaptable but would highly recommend making it as written first before trying something to alter recipe. Initially served over mashed potatoes. Made rice with some of the leftovers. Both were wonderful. Leftovers heated beautifully.
Thank you for this recipe! I know I will be making this for years to come!
I’m so happy you loved it!! It sounds like you found a new favorite which is so awesome! Thank you for sharing that with us 🙂
I am looking for nutritional information on this recipe 😉 It was so yummy! I can’t wait to make it again !!
Thank you
Monica
Hi Monica, I don’t usually add nutritional info due to time constraints, but when I need something, I go to caloriecount.com and past the ingredients into their recipe analyzer.
Keen to make this dish but is it suitable for freezing?
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tried freezing it myself but I’ve had at least one reader report good results with freezing.
I tried it many times and it’s so delicious 😭😭🔥🔥🔥
Thank you for your great recipes❤️❤️
Lol I love how you described your feelings with emoticons. ha ha. That’s awesome! 🙂
I have just discovered your kitchen and your recipes are amazing!! I’m goi g to try this tonight and wondered if you think it would go better served with wide noodles, (egg or tagliatelle) or over rice? Since it’s my first time making it, I want my guys (hubby, 16 and 12 yr old sons) to love it!!
Hi Amy, to be honest, I think it would be amazing with all of those! We usually serve mashed potatoes with this dish to use the sauce as a gravy but it would be amazing over rice or wide noodles. I think my family would prefer rice but seriously it would be good over both 🙂
Help- I think I under seasoned it. It came out good but definitely not seasoned enough. What can I do now after its all done? Can I add some salt and mix it all in? Any suggestions?
Hi Lisa, yes you can definitely add more salt to taste to the sauce once it’s done. 🙂
Hi,
Sounds good. How would it work if you added asparagus or other green veg? Would you put them in for the full time or add them closer to the end?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Caitlin, it depends on the vegetable. I think asparagus or artichoke would work fine to start it at the beginning but something like zucchini would turn to mush so if using zucchini or broccoli, add it halfway or later if you like it to be crisp tender. To be honest though, I find it most appealing to make the casserole as is and just serve with steamed vegetables – that way they are perfect every time 🙂