Description
A creamy and cheesy Neiman Marcus chicken casserole made with pantry staples like canned chicken, sour cream, and shredded cheddar. Topped with buttery crackers for crunch and flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Here’s what you need:
- 2 cans (12.5 oz each) chunk chicken breast, drained
- (Rotisserie or any cooked shredded chicken works too. Just aim for about 25 oz total.)
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped green onions (or more or less, depending on your taste)
- ½ cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional but adds a good crunch)
- 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 to 2 sleeves Ritz crackers (or any buttery cracker)
- 1 stick melted butter
- Hot sauce, optional (I used 10 to 12 shakes — mild, not spicy)
- Salt, optional (I added a little after mixing everything together)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven
- Set your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Get the chicken ready
- Open the canned chicken, drain it, and break it up with a fork.
- Drop it straight into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
3. Mix the sauce
- In a separate bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup and sour cream.
- Stir until smooth.
4. Add the good stuff
- Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the chicken in the pan.
- Add in green onions, cheddar cheese, and almonds.
- Shake in your hot sauce if you’re using it.
- Then pour in the sour cream mixture and stir everything together right in the dish.
5. Make the topping
- Crush 1 to 2 sleeves of crackers into a bowl.
- Pour in the melted butter and toss to coat.
- Spread the buttery crumbs evenly over the top of the casserole.
- You can sprinkle a few extra almonds on top if you want a little more crunch.
6. Bake
- Cover the dish with foil.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
- Remove the foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes to get the topping golden and crisp.
7. Serve
- Let it sit for about 5 minutes after baking.
- Scoop and serve while it’s hot.
- It goes great with salad, steamed vegetables, or even rice.
Notes
- Chicken shortcut: Canned chicken saves time, but rotisserie or shredded boiled chicken works fine too.
- Customize it: Don’t like almonds? Leave them out. Like it spicier? Add more hot sauce or mix in some diced jalapeños.
- Crackers: I had two sleeves left and it was just enough. If you want a thicker crust, use a third.
- Butter: I melted a full stick but didn’t use it all. You can start with half and add more if needed.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 750mg
- Fat: 34g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 95mg