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 had an ancient rotisserie chicken from Costco laying around my fridge and needed to use it for something. I picked the meat off the bones, chopped it up into large pieces and then used it to make this dish. Besides using precooked meat (I didn’t bread it or fry it, just threw it in as is) I followed the recipe to a T It came out A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! I buy rotisserie chicken often to use for my husbands lunch sandwiches and random recipes; this is another perfect recipe to use up the extra that ends up lost in the fridge 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you for the great review Roxanne :). What a great way to use up precooked meat.
I made this last night and it was FABULOUS! With a few alterations, I layered a can of sweet peas under the chicken (I like the veggies on bottom better) and omitted mushrooms from half the dish since my son and husband aren’t fans of it. I also added a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the sauce. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS AND WILL DEFINITELY BE MAKING THIS AGAIN.
I’m so happy you all loved it! Thanks so much for sharing your modifications (I love the idea of adding veggies!) and thank you for the great review 🙂 You’re awesome Melissa! 😉
any idea of calories or weight watchers points?
I don’t have those calculated for most recipes, sorry 🙁
Thank you so so much for the amazing recipe! It’s super! Love it!!!!
I’m so happy you love it! Thanks Alina for the great review 🙂
Extremely delicious dish! I made it for dinner last night and it turned out great. Thank you for this recipe Natasha!
I’m so happy you loved it. Thank you for an awesome review! I sure appreciate it.
How many tablespoons do i take of better than bouillon chicken base for 1 ½ cups chicken stock?
1/2 Tbsp, since it’s 1 tsp for every cup and 1 1/2 tsp = 1/2 Tbsp. 🙂 Enjoy!
This was fantastic! the right amount of everything! We all loved it, thanks for sharing!
You are welcome Samantha and thanks for the great review :).
I tried this recipe tonight over brown rice with a side of broccoli. It was a hit with five out of six, that’s a win in my book! I altered the sauce just a tad, adding a tsp of smoked paprika and 2 tsps of garlic powder. Thanks for jazzing up our Friday night!
Thanks for the great review Amanda, and you are welcome :).
Hello!! I would like to thank you for so many awesome recipes, I cook like a pro because of your step by step photos and videos, thank you so much!!! I am going to be going through some busy time soon and would like to make some freezer dishes for my four kids and hubby…do you think this dish would work? And if you were to freeze how would you do it? I have made this casserole and absolutely loved it!!! Was really surprised that something so simple can taste so delicious! Thank you again for all that you do and may God Bless you and your beautiful family!
To be honest, I have not tried freezing this dish. I do however think it would work as a freezer meal. If I were to try freezing it, I would probably put it in a foil baking dish that is freezer safe and make the recipe up until the point before you bake it. You will probably need to bake it a little longer if it’s going from the freezer directly into the oven. I hope that helps and please do let me know if you try the freezer method.
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes, makes my like so much simpler . I have a question ,would you put any veggies in your casserole if so what kind I’m thinking red pepper, broccoli, carrots . What’s your opinion
Broccoli might get mushy, but sliced carrots would be really good! My Mom adds sliced carrots 🙂
Well serves 8 and I live alone so will have to cut it down to half or less. Looks like a good recipe. Thanks.
You can definitely cut this down and still have great results. Just use a smaller baking dish so it doesn’t dry out 🙂
Looks delish. By using G-f flour, and non-dairy milk, this may become my next fave casserole!
I hope you LOVE it! 🙂
Made your fabulous recipe yesterday, and we absolutely LOVED it! I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you Natasha for all your wonderful recipes!!!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you Alina for the awesome review 🙂
Hey Natasha, I was reading some comments and noticed people commenting about the over yet than bulion paste and I I didn’t see where in the recipe you add the better than bulion paste.. Thanks for your hard work!(:
I simplified the recipe since there was no reason to write water and bouillon paste if what you’re doing is basically making chicken broth. I buy the Better than Bouillon chicken paste from Costco because the value is much better than buying chicken stock but you can also just buy broth. If you’re making your own, just make it according to the instructions; 1 tsp per 8 oz of hot water so 1 1/2 tsp for 1 1/2 cups of hot water to make 1 1/2 cups broth. I hope that makes sense :). Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
I made this tonight, and it was so delicious! I almost followed the ingredients to a T, with a couple additions(that I already had on hand). I put in about a tsp of minced fresh rosemary, and about 3 tsp of minced fresh thyme (half in the veggies and half in the sauce). I thinly sliced three carrots and 3 stalks of celery, and added them in with the mushrooms and onions just after the garlic went in, and sautéed them for a few minutes. I followed the recipe for all the other ingredients, and it came out amazing! The sauce was like a nice thick gravy. The lemon juice is definitely the secret ingredient in this recipe! Just enough to make you wonder “what is that?”. I served it over mashed organic amorous fingerling potatoes, and I topped it with toasted buttered panko crumbs. My husband said 10 out of 10.
Megan, thank you so much for sharing how you made it! This is one of my favorite recipes and I’m always looking for creative ways to change up the classics. Thank you for an awesome review! 🙂
Hi,
By weight, how much chicken did you use? I saw chicken breasts yesterday that weighed around 1 pound each.
Thanks,
Mary Lou
I used about 4 lbs if I’m doing my math correctly based on the chicken breasts I buy from Costco.
Thanks Natasha
Delicious!!
i am making this for the second time this week! Soo good. You’ll want to file this one away
Thank you for the great review Kayla, your comment is making me hungry for it :).
Terrific dish prepared here in Vancouver Canada tonight! I parboiled some small nugget potatoes and put them as the bottom layer, added half a shallot to the onion, mushroom mix and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, plus a pinch of fresh sage and rosmary. Also, I didn’t notice your Dutch oven warning until afterward and actually cooked mine in a cast iron (coated) one (like a cheap Le Cruset), but it worked out beautifully.
Thank you for the great meal.
I’m so glad it all worked out and you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful review and hello from Idaho! 🙂
Amazing!!!!!! Turned out soooo good the whole family loved it no leftovers left hehe:) thank you so much for the recipe
I’m so happy you liked it 🙂 Thanks for a great review!
Natasha, if I use parts from a whole chicken, how long should I leave them in the oven?
Thank you! Gonna try this soon!
If it is going to be bone-less and skinless, it should be the same amount of baking time.