My all-time favorite meal?? My mom’s traditional Southern Chicken Casserole. Nothing compares!! It just tastes like home to me.
When I was a senior in high school, the moms from our class arranged a Mother/Daughter luncheon for all of us. The moms were asked to bring their daughter’s favorite dish to share with everyone. My mom brought two because she said she couldn’t decide which one I liked more – Chick-Fil-A nuggets and her Southern Chicken Casserole. If I was given the choice of what to have for dinner growing up, this chicken casserole was always the meal I chose. When I came home from college on weekends, my mom knew how much I loved it and always made sure to send me back to school with a big pan.
Now, when I ask my daughters to choose the menu for dinner, chicken casserole is always one of the options. I let them help me make it and am pretty sure E (age 11) could make it on her own by now. I’m excited to pass down recipes like this one to her. And, let’s be honest, one day I’m just going to ask her to make it instead of making it myself!
I realize there are many casseroles recipes out there….and many that are very similar. I have made my fair share of casseroles but this Southern Chicken Casserole is always my go-to recipe. It “freezes beautifully” (points if you know what movie that is from) and is perfect to take for meal trains and the like. The recipe makes a large casserole dish serving so you may even have some leftovers for school lunches (one of my daughters’ favorites), your own lunch, or even dinner the following evening.
A few of my favorite other southern recipes:
Mom's Chicken Casserole....with a twist
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1/2 lb spaghetti noodles
- 1 -1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
- 2 tbsp melted butter optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- If cooking your own chicken, drizzle both sides of chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and set aside. If using a rotisserie, shred about 2-3 cups of chicken.
- Cook spaghetti noodles according to directions on package.
- While the pasta is cooking, mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and shredded cheese together and set aside.
- When pasta is done, add it and shredded chicken to sour cream/soup mixture. Mix well. Once it is mixed, pour mixture into 9x13 casserole dish.
- Crush the Ritz crackers and pour them on top of the casserole.
- Melt the butter, if using, and pour it over the top of the crackers.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly along the edges.
Pingback: Southern Casserole - 365 Days of Sluggish Cooking and Strain Cooking - KitchenDyes
Pingback: Southern Casserole – 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking – Food Lover Recipes Blog
Pingback: Southern Casserole - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking
Pingback: Southern Chicken Casserole - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking
My mother in law has a recipe like this that she calls yum yum chicken. It’s this exact recipe. It’s one of my husband’s favorite meals. I’m not going to tell him that it’s called something else but I am going to write this down and use for later to see if he can tell a difference. Cannot wait to try it!
Hey Lauren! Thanks for your comment! This is such a great casserole recipe that I’m sure has definitely been around for awhile. Let me know how it turns out when you make it (& if your husband can tell a difference)!