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
Just wondering, can I replace the chicken with beef?
I haven’t tried it and I’d be concerned that the beef would become tough in this recipe. It doesn’t really cook long enough to get beef tender. If you do test it out, let me know what you thought of it.
I’m embarrased to ask this, but would you have your own beef stroganoff recipe 🙂 #loveyourrecipes
You should never be embarrased to ask. My favorite is: https://natashaskitchen.com/2011/04/03/marias-russian-beef-stroganoff/. I also have a slow cooker version: https://natashaskitchen.com/2015/06/03/slow-cooked-beef-stroganoff/
Natasha,
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.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!!
This recipe is a keeper. I used boneless chicken thighs & added a little more lemon juice. As we are a household of two, I make the full recipe & divide into portions for two & freeze.
Nancy, thank you for the great review :). I’m glad you enjoyed it.
How would you add the artichokes?
I’d add them before it goes in with the mushrooms before it goes in the oven.
Hi Natasha!Absolutely love your site,great recipes,never disappointed!Would you recommend this casserole recipe for freezing?are there any other recipes on your site suitable to freeze?I am expecting a baby in the end of August,just wanted to cook and freeze lots of things to make life a bit easier when baby arrives!thanks in advance,Katya
I think this one would work well for freezing. I actually don’t freeze very many recipes so that’s a tough question. I think the best frozen things for when baby arrives are frozen pelmeni. I think my lasagna would freeze well (divide it into 2 aluminum half-size pans before freezing).
I also added a half cup of sour cream to the sauce before I poured it over. My family loved this recipe and my son in law put it into his top 3 favorite meals
That makes me ridiculously happy! Thank you for sharing your awesome review 🙂
Would this recipe also work using a rotisserie chicken cut up in it?
I don’t think it would thicken properly since the chicken is coated with flour and then sauteed – that contributes to the thickness of the sauce while baking. A rotisserie chicken might toughen up if baked that long.
Has anybody tried this in a crockpot? If so, what setting and for how long?
Natasha, thank for sharing your receipt, I will be making this dish on tomorrow.
You’re so welcome and I hope you love it! 🙂
Oooh look at all that sauce. Yes please and over rice ok?
Thanks for the recipe. Love that the chicken is browned first.
Added flavor there. Will have to take this for a spin soon.
Enjoy! It’s a family favorite 🙂
really good,can you freeze this recipe?
I haven’t tried to do it myself but I think it would work.
i made this last night for the whole family and they all loved it. I prepared the chic, onions and mushrooms and let it sit in the refrigerator until I was ready to put it into the oven. Then I made the sauce. Turned out great!
Thank you for sharing your prep method. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
This was so freaking yum!! Thankyou.
The second time I made it, I added smoked paprika too the mushrooms mix and wraped the chicken in bacon and it was the biggest hit for my family.
thank you again
Georgia, thank you for such a great review and awesome job on improvising, I might try wrapping chicken in bacon now :).
Made this tonight….. would not change a thing!!!!!! our family of 7 loved it!!!!!
Thank you Barb for such a great review, I’m glad everyone loved it :).
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! Followed the recipe to a T and it turned out great. Tonight I used the leftovers, shredded chicken, added Parmesan and macaroni noodles and made a great “Mac and cheese”. Thanks you so much for this recipe that my toddlers loved and I will use always.
A mac and cheese out of this sound delicious!! Isn’t that the best when toddlers love what you make? 🙂
This was fantastic! I forgot to add the fresh garlic and didn’t had any half and half on hand (used regular milk instead) and it was still great! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the great review Carmen and great job on using what you have on hand :).
My family loves this dish!!!! With 2 little ones cooking always takes me twice as long so I was wondering if I can prep everything and put it in the fridge over night and just bake it the next day?
I haven’t tried to do it that way but I think it would work. It also reheats well the next day if you wanted to bake it in advance.
This looks amazing and I want to try it tonight but don’t have half and half. Can I substitute buttermilk instead and how much should I use? Thanks and love your site!
Sorry for the late reply. 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.
Yummy it is so so delicious! We loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
Can I freeze this chicken recipe?
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work well.