Million dollar chicken casserole is an easy, creamy, and comforting meal that’s topped with buttery Ritz cracker crumbs. It’s the perfect dinner casserole for busy weeknights.
Why this recipe works
With simple ingredients like chicken, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup you’ll have yourself this delicious million dollar chicken casserole. In our opinion, this dish isn’t complete without the crisp crumbled Ritz crackers on top for the perfect creamy-crunch ratio.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CHICKEN – Cooked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken will both work for this recipe.
ADDITIONS – Cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup come together to make this dish ultra-creamy and thick. Make sure your cream cheese is well-softened at room temperature. You can use homemade cream of chicken soup if desired.
How to Make Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and seasoning. Mix well.
- To the same bowl add the chicken and stir to coat well. Pour into a 9×9 casserole dish.
- In a seperate medium bowl add a sleeve of Ritz crackers and crush into small bits. Pour in the melted butter and toss to coat the crackers.
- Top the casserole with the Ritz crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, million dollar chicken casserole freezes well. To do so, follow the instructions through step 4 (before adding the crackers) and store with an air-tight lid or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as normal, but covered with foil. You may need to add a few minutes since the dish is going into the oven cold.
Store with an air-tight lid or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
Some people like to add bacon to their chicken casserole, so feel free to add some if desired. This dish is great for using up leftover chicken. Serve with a side salad, bread, or steamed veggies.
More Casserole Recipes
- Taco Casserole
- Ground Beef Casserole
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Stuffing Casserole
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Chow Mein Casserole
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Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate It Text ItIngredients
- 4 cups chicken cooked and shredded – roughly 1 1/2 lbs of boneless chicken breasts
- 4 oz cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 10.75 oz cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 32 Ritz crackers 1 sleeve
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Things You’ll Need
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and seasoning. Mix well.
- To the same bowl add the chicken and stir to coat well. Pour into a 9×9 casserole dish.
- In a separate medium bowl add a sleeve of Ritz crackers and crush into small bits. Pour in the melted butter and toss to coat the crackers.
- Top the casserole with the Ritz crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Video
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Easily double this recipe and bake it in a 13×9 casserole dish. Bake until thoroughly heated through.
- You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store or cook 1 1/2 – 2 lbs of chicken breasts.
Nutrition
Amanda Formaro
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Julie says
I don’t have any cottage cheese: can I just leave it out or substitute something else in its place? This sounds so good I want to try it today without having to make a trip to the store!
Kristen Formaro says
Hi Julie, yes you can substitute it with ricotta cheese. Hope that helps!
Tammie Collins says
This recipe has been around for a long time it came from Southern living. I have been making this recipe for years!!
Mandy Gross says
Can you use something other than cottage cheese? I’m not fond of it. Thanks!
Kristen Formaro says
Yes, you can substitute the cottage cheese with ricotta :)
Gynni Perez says
What can I use instead of cottage cheese?
Kristen Formaro says
Hi Gynni, you can try substituting the cottage cheese with ricotta cheese.
Sonya Caudle says
I have not made this yet but am planning on making an alternative version in the next few days to use up what I have left from our Christmas turkey that has been in the freezer for a few days while I tried to decide how to use it. I plan on leaving out the cottage cheese and replacing it with Ricotta cheese. I hate cooked cottage cheese and think the flavor of Ricotta will actually blend better with the other ingredients. Also plan on using better than bouillon onion flavor in place of the onion powder as I don’t keep onion powder in stock on a regular basis. I am looking forward to trying this recipe as it looks like a good one!
Laurie Farley says
Absolutely the best chicken casserole yet! I added cooked broccoli and minced onion, cause we love both! Thank you!! This one is a keeper!!!!!
Michelle Clark aka Bipolar Bandi says
This looks delicious. I am going to try it.
Lisa says
Great recipe :) I changed only two things due to.being snowed in and not having them on hand. Instead of Ritz I used French fried onions and instead of cream of chicken I used cream of mushroom.. it turned out amazing 😊 thank you!
Barbara says
My fiancé and I enjoyed this delicious casserole for our quiet, stay-at-home New Years Eve. dinner. It was a definite hit! It couldn’t have been easier to make and I had the ingredients on hand. My fiancé had two large helpings! I served it with a simple green salad and some steamed asparagus. It was a yummy meal. I will be making this casserole again and again. Thank you, Ananda, for this terrific recipe. Happy New Year!
Kelly says
Eh, tasted like cream of chicken soup. Nothing to write home about. Would be good as a base recipe to build on according to ones favorite flavor profile, however as is there simply isnt enough going on.
Jennifer Talatzko says
Why are there no reviews on your recipes?
Kristen Formaro says
Hi Jennifer. This post was published only 3 days ago, I’m sure in time there will be more comment reviews.
Mark Smith says
I will copycat this omitting the Ritz for club crackers, only because of a Ritz Christmas commercial I seen a couple years ago smdh