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
It was so good loved browning the chicken first gave a whole new dimension to the dish
..next time i will make more sauce.Thanks Nastasha its a keeper..
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sharon!
It was really really good..next time I will increase the sauce..Loved doing the chicken like that first gave a new dimension to the casserol.Thanks so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sharon!
I have never been led astray with Natasha’s recipes and this no exception. I followed the recipe exactly and the meal came out heavenly, heaven on a fork to be precise. I served it over rice and we enjoyed every bite. Thank you, Natasha!
Thank you, that’s really wonderful! I’m happy that you’re enjoying my recipes!
Can i use a parchment paper to cover the pan? I ran out of foil and i don’t know what to use to cover it while baking.
I think that will work too
Have never made a recipe of yours Natasha, that wasn’t 5 star delicious. We’ll add this to that long list. Delicious!
Aw! Thank you, Nathan. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
I cut this recipe in half, and wished I hadn’t. Delicious. I did add red peppers to it, and it worked. Next time I will make the full recipe.
Sounds good! I’m glad you liked it!
Hi Natasha! Wondering if I can use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe. It will need tweaking- maybe marinate the chicken in the sauce??? Thanks for your recommendations!
Hi Maureen! I haven’t tried it that way but one of my readers left a super helpful review about just that! “I made your chicken and mushroom casserole and used a rotisserie chicken. When I sauteed the mushrooms, onions and garlic I added extra flour to compensate for the flour from the chicken. I did steps 2 to 4 and then added the chicken I had cut into smaller pieces. I added some parsley at the end before serving it over rice. It was delicious.”
I hope that helps.
I made this tonight and wanted to love it. Chicken, mushrooms and a tasty sauce are my love language. But I found this very bland. I added more garlic, some chicken bullion and a little white wine to the sauce before baking but it was still lacking flavor. I usually love your recipes Natasha but this was a no for me unfortunately.
Hi Linda, sometimes a dish just needs to have more salt added. Also, did you change anything in the baking instructions. The flavors meld in the oven and that’s when the magic happens to make the chicken super tender and full of flavor.
I thought the same – that it was lacking in flavor.
Question: Can I add egg noodles to the casserole before baking?
Hi Tasha! I haven’t tested it myself, but I’ve seen a few comments from my viewers stating they added noodles to it or served them on the side. If you prefer it more saucy, you may consider doubling the sauce since the noodles will also absorb some of the sauce (this is what one of my viewers did).
This recipe is delicious. I didn’t have heavy cream, I substituted about a quarter cup of cream cheese.
Thank you for the recipe.
Absolutely DELICIOUS! My husband said it could be served in a nearby high end restaurant!
Great recipe to make ahead and put in the oven just before eating.
Thank you so much!
Absolutely amazing dish full of flavor and super simple to make
Made this for the first time tonight and absolutely loved it, clean plates all round and few portions left over for re-heats. Being a complete novice I stuck to the recipe but my prep was longer than stated but that’s just me being slow. This is a must try!
I lightly browned chicken without flour. Added potato chunks. Delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Barbara!
Delicious!!! As a mushroom lover, I will double the amount of mushrooms next time but overall it was a lovely comfort food dinner that can be easily served with any starch as a side.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Katie!
This was FANTASTIC! I didn’t have chicken in the fridge but opted to use some leftovers and made with some pork tenderloin we cooked previously, still came out great.
Sounds great! I’m glad that you enjoyed it!
Can this be made ahead of time and frozen ahead of time? I have a reunion coming up and need to triple batch this and plus a ten hour drive away. it could thaw and bake when i get there. Would that work?
(My life is complicated.) Thank you!
Hi Dirose! See the “common questions” section above for instructions on this.
This was delicious. My experience with Natasha’s Kitchen recipes have never disappointed. I have never found it necessary to modify the ingredients. Now I am going to look for a soup recipe. Great job Natasha! I appreciate all your recipes.
Aw, thank you so much, Becca!
Definitely tasty! But my prep time was more like 60 minutes (not 30). Maybe I’m a slow cook 🙂 Question – I only had 2 lbs chicken. Is the cut up golden chicken pieces only supposed to fit in one layer in 9×13 dish? Mine is 2″ deep and a few pieces overlapped. 2nd Question – I used 1 cup flour (plus S&P) to dredge and still had 1/3 cup flour left over. Did I insufficiently dredge? Or is this normal given I only had 2 lbs to work with. But overall it knocked my socks off! Love you Natasha!
Hi, it is normal to have a little extra flour left over. If you get through every bit of flour then the last of it gets really gummy and doesn’t coat the chicken properly. Also, it’s totally fine if the chicken overlaps. I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
OH MY WORD!!!!! I just made this tonight and it’s outstanding! Sauce is amazing chicken has lots of flavor. I love all your recipes. So easy to make, followed the the recipe exactly. I didn’t have half and half and your tip for using heavy cream and milk worked out perfectly. Thank you so much!!
That’s great! So glad you loved it.