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
Easy steps to a superb dish, thanks, I added some green olives to enhance the Mediterranean feel, roasted sprouts are one of my favorite vegie dishes and do very well cold with olive oil and lemon juice.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Martin!
Made this delicious chicken and mushroom casserole tonight, and the family loved it! When it came time for making the sauce, I melted the butter first then into it 1/4 tsp pepper and salt and 3/4 tsp garlic powder since I didn’t have fresh garlic. Continued sauce with 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 whole milk. Also used 1 Tbl of chardonnay since I didn’t have lemon juice. Casserole was divine over homemade mashed potatoes and green beans!! Better than a restaurant!! Thank you, Natasha!! 😊
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Debbie! Don’t you love it when home-cooked meals turn out better than at a restaurant?!
The tips/substitutions and additional pairings are much appreciated! Mashed taters and green beans it is! Thanks! (And thanks to the always amazing Natasha)
❤️
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was fantastic! I only put it in the oven for 30 minutes instead of 45. Served it over Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and Green Beans served al dente with olive oil and sliced almonds. It was the perfect meal.
Sounds fantastic! I’m glad the recipe was a success, Jennifer. Thank you for the review!
Hi Natasha, can I use double cream for the half and half please for the sauce.
Thank you.
Sharon.
Hi Sharon, you may use half whipping cream and half whole milk as a substitute for half and half. I haven’t tried using double cream but you can try as an experiment.
Utterly delectable!
We are a family of coeliacs and so I subbed the flour for an equal blend of tapioca flour and ground almonds.
At the dredging stage there was too much flour for this substitute as it will become gummy and unpleasant. Instead, I added the chicken strips to a large bowl and seasoned 3-4 tbsp of the flour blend with salt and pepper, covered the bowl in cling film, and shook the bowl to coat the chicken. It gave excellent light coverage, and when fried in butter rather than olive oil it came out beautifully golden.
The flour blend worked fabulously with the sauce. I use the same method to make gravy. I used 3 heaped tbsp with a generous 3 tbsp of butter.
For the vegetables I used mushrooms, asparagus, and carrots. It was a very enjoyable combination, and my family very much enjoyed it.
Lovely to hear that the substitutions that you used worked well, Jenn! Thank you for sharing this valuable info with us.
Look forward to making this! I’d love to add some sherry to the sauce before baking. How much would you suggest? Thank you!!
I hope it becomes your new favorite. I haven’t tested that to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Can I use heavy whipping cream in this instead of half and half?
Looks Delicious.
Thank You
Hi Nanci, you may use half whipping cream and half whole milk as a substitute for half and half.
This looks so good can I use heavy cream instead of the half and half?
Love your blog
Thank You
Nanci
You may use half whipping cream and half whole milk.
Hi Natashas
Making this now haw long will it last in fridge ones cooked
Many thanks Gillian
Hi Gillian, in general, you should store cooked chicken for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and I would follow that same guideline for this chicken casserole.
Can I substitute the half and half with buttermilk? And maybe omit the lemon to account for the acidity?
Hi Alexis, Buttermilk wouldn’t work for this recipe. You can replace the half and half with 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream but I wouldn’t use buttermilk.
Loved it! Used tenders to make my life easier and added spinach for veggies!
Sounds great, Joan. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This is my go to casserole when we have company. So far everyone has loved it (and I make it without any changes)!
Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mary!
Natasha, I am beguiled by the covered baking dish you use in this chicken/mushroom recipe. Can you tell me where to get one like it please?
Hi Sandra, you can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
Definitely an amazing recipe! (Happy Anniversary btw!) I made this recipe years ago and messed up somehow and gave up (newbie married cook lol). I made again last night for my husband and it was SO good!
Thanks for your greeting and for your good feedback! Glad you loved this recipe, Valeriya.
could this be made with stuffing?
Hi Tara, I haven’t tried that to advise on the outome. If you happen to try it, I’d love to know how it goes!
Wow!! This recipe is so good!! Would make it again! The only thing I changed was doing all heavy cream instead of the half and half or milk.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jody! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it with heavy cream!
Hi Natasha,
Can I use bone-in whole chicken chopped into quarters? Big family to feed here, thanks in advance!
Hi Sha, I haven’t tested that but I imagine that will work too, please share with us how it turns out if you try it!
It was unbelievably delicious, definitely making this again and again!!
That’s so great, Jane! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This is a great comfort food recipe. While I really liked it, I didn’t think it was extraordinary enough to rate 5 stars. HOWEVER, DH absolutely RAVED about it – so it gets 5 starts after all. Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome, Terry. Thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe! Glad you liked it.
I love this recipe! I think I have made it at least 5 times now and portion it for lunches served with cauliflower mash.
I add some extra veggies like pumpkin, broccoli and whatever else might be in the fridge.
Truly delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Tinanel!
This was delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it!