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 have not tried this recipe but my mouth is salivating already. Thanks
Mission, accomplished! I hope you love it as much as we do!
Earlier in the week I had posted wondering if anyone had made this dish in a 4 in 1 slow cooker. I tried it this weekend and it turned out great. Following the recipe, I browned the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker, removed the chicken and sautéed onions and mushrooms, and returned chicken to the pan. I combined all the sauce ingredients in a pan on the stove, poured it over the chicken and slow cooked for five hours. Chicken came out so tender. Per other people’s recipe suggestions I also added two heaping tablespoons of sour cream just before serving.
Jil thank you so much for sharing that with me!! I really appreciate it. I will have to try your method soon! 🙂
hi natasha, is it possible to saute the chicken and make the sauce night before? then put it all together next morning? having a 4 month old makes it hard to make long recipies and this is my absolute favorite dish!
Yes that should work fine to make it that way then refrigerate everything to assemble and cook the next day. You might need to warm the sauce slightly before using if it thickens too much.
This dish was pretty good but a little on the bland side for my taste. I punched it up by adding garlic salt
I’m glad you liked it. You definitely want to season it to taste. I love the idea of garlic salt though! thanks for sharing!
This recipe has great flavor and texture. I have gluten issues and it can be made using equal parts of gluten free flour. Thanks for the recipe.
John, thank you for the review and for the tip 🙂 .
Has anyone tried making this in a slow cooker? I have a Cuisenart 4 in 1 that Browns, sautées, steams, and slow cooks. I’m wondering if I can brown the chicken as stated in the first step, sautée the onions and mushrooms in the second step, and then add the sauce and finish cooking the chicken in the slow cooker.
I haven’t tried but if I did, I would do it the way you’re describing. If you test it out, please let me know how it worked for you 🙂
I made this recipe for the first time last night, I don’t know where I’ve been all this time lol! It’s so so delicious, I added in a grated carrot as well and my family loved it! It reheats perfectly too, you’re amazing 😉
I’m so happy you loved it! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your awesome review. I love the idea of adding grated carrots. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve made this a few times and I LOVE it. I’ve made a few adjustments. During the last few minutes of the onions and mushrooms sauteing, I’ve added a splash of dry white wine, a generous dollop of sourcream and a sprinkle of finely ground red pepper flakes.
Also, I use the same pan (as suggested) for all 3 steps and let the previous flavors combine with the next step (ie: I do a very “lazy” cleaning out of the pan in between steps). For the white sauce, I use a chicken base from a jar, that I add to water instead of chicken stock. I also use less 1/2 & 1/2 (maybe 3/4 cup) because of the addition of the sour cream.
These changes gives the dish a hint of stroganoff which I adore. Enjoy!
Betsy, thank you for such a nice review and great job improvising the recipe 😀 .
Hi,
Your recipes are great and easy to follow! Just one question could we just use full cream milk in place of half and half/cream? Thanks
What do you mean by full cream milk – is it just whole milk or something different? If the milk fat content is the same as half and half, it would work fine, or mix whole milk with heavy cream to make your own half and half.
what if i just have milk? will it still work?
I don’t think it will thicken properly. You can mix equal parts of milk and heavy cream to make half and half but just milk will probably be watery.
everyone in my family loves it. lemon adds great flavor to the sauce.
I love that idea! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Based on the reviews I’m excited to try this recipe tonight! Gonna make a half batch since I only have 1 lb of chicken with fresh green beans! I’m thinking the two will go great together 🙂
Carrie, I haven’t tried parring it with green beans. Let me know how it works out :).
So good! My ninety year-old neighbor said she had been craving something tasty so I gave this a go. I received nothing short of rave reviews from her, her daughter, and son-in-law, and my bunch. I made two batches at once, one for their household and one for ours.
I froze our leftovers to find out how well the concoction would fare since so many comments centered on that question.
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!
That is so sweet and thank you for sharing your story with me :). You’re so sweet to make it for your neighbor 🙂 That is awesome to know that it works well in the freezer!! Hooray for freezer friendly meals! Thank you!!!
Deliscous! I love mushrooms, but my husband is a little more apprehensive. This looked SO good I just had to make it. I crossed my fingers hoping he would like it too. Well, he devoured it 🙂 I will be making this again for sure!
Haha, that’s great Nicole :D. Thank you for writing in and for the great review.
I’ve found a new comfort food dish! This was wonderful — made a mess of my kitchen– but worth every moment of clean up time! I did sprinkle paprika over it before baking an it added a little color and a bit more zip. But it was a family pleaser for sure…Thank- you so much for sharing !
Dawn, thank you for such a great review and you are welcome :D.
Excellent! I’ve made it a few times and my family loves it. Tonight I switched the chicken to cubed steak instead. Country fried steak and gravy. Great! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Melissa, thank you for the great review and nice job improvising the recipe :).
You serve this chicken with what?? Rice, noodles, salad?
I like it best with mashed potatoes since the sauce serves as a gravy also. A green salad pairs really well with this. I do think it would taste great over white rice also.
Hi Natasha!
I’d love to include your chicken casserole in a casserole round up I’m doing for Parade Magazine.
If you’re fine with that, could I use one of your gorgeous photos with a link back to your original post (https://natashaskitchen.com/2011/04/17/chicken-and-mushroom-casserole/)?
Thanks so much!
felicia
Yes that would be fantastic! Thank you so much. I really appreciate it!! 🙂
I made this last week for the two of us. I used two plump chicken breasts and the full amount of sauce since I know Himself likes to drown everything on his plate with the good stuff. It was excellent. Last night we finished it up as leftovers (I chopped up a double handfull of spinach and added it to the pot) and it was almost better the second time around. Definitely a keeper!!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks so much Nancy 🙂
Made this just an hour ago. Chicken is so tender and sauce is so delicious. My husband loves it and so do I. Thank you Natasha.😆
That’s so great! Thank you Vera for an awesome review! I’m so happy you both loved the recipe.
Love this recipe!! Have made it several times and my husband loves it. It has become a staple in our weekly rotation for meals.
Nancy, thank you for such a great review, I’m so happy that you guys love the recipe :).