One can of cream of chicken soup turns plain chicken into a perfect weeknight comfort food dish with this cream of chicken bake.
When Michigan weather is giving us its best version of Frozen, to fight the cold I try to stay armed with comfort food classics like this easy chicken casserole made with condensed cream of chicken soup, then topped with ham and cheese.
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What is great about this recipe is that it is made without rice or noodles, so as the chicken bakes in the sauce it makes a delicious gravy that is perfect for topping on mashed potatoes, another comfort food favorite!
After the initial bake, remove the foil and top it with shredded cheese, and put it back in the oven for a final bake. The melted cheese tucks into every corner and goes great with the sweet onions and diced ham. I mean LOOK AT THIS! If this isn’t comforting food, I don’t know what is.
Ingredients
This baked chicken with cream of chicken soup has-
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts lightly floured and browned in olive oil. Pre-cook the chicken so that it adds a little bit of flavor and helps keep the juices to a minimum creating a thinner gravy.
- Sweet onions sauteed in butter. Of course, you can skip this but I feel like it adds another layer of flavor.
- Black forest ham. I pick this up from the lunch counter already thinly sliced but you can swap for diced or leftover ham as well.
- A sauce made with condensed cream of chicken soup, whole milk, Dijon mustard, and seasonings
- Shredded triple cheddar cheese. Feel free to swap for your favorite shredded cheese. You can add a little kick with a shredded pepper jack.
How to make this recipe step-by-step
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Dice the ham and onions. Place the ham into a bowl and set it aside.
Take some butter and add to a frying pan. Sautee the onions until they are light brown then remove them and place them into a bowl.
While cooking the onion combine the flour, garlic powder, and oregano to a plate. Split 3 chicken breasts so that they are now between 6-7 pieces.
Next, to the same pan that the onion was cooked, add the olive oil. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and add it to the pan. Brown 2-3 minutes on each side.
You will not cook these all the way through, this is just to brown the chicken so cook for 2-3 minutes per side only.
Add the chicken to a greased dish.
Next, it’s time to make the sauce that gets poured over the chicken. Put the cream of chicken, milk, garlic powder, dried oregano, and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Stir to combine completely.
Pour on top of the browned chicken into the prepared dish. Cover with onions and diced ham. DO NOT add the cheese at this time.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After the dish has been baked for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and add the cheese on top.
Finally, leave the foil off and put it back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
Servings Suggestions
This dish goes perfectly with a pile of creamy mashed potatoes, air fryer green beans and bacon, and sugar cookie and apple cobbler for dessert.
Tips & Variations
- The cream of chicken can be swapped out for cream of mushroom and you could add sauteed mushrooms to the top to make an even heartier meal.
- I use shredded triple cheddar cheese but shredded Swiss or mozzarella would go great on this as well.
- Serve this baked chicken dish with a side of mashed potatoes or this homemade stovetop stuffing recipe From Valerine’s Kitchen.
Storage
Add leftovers to a covered container and refrigerate. Eat within 3 days. Reheat in the oven with 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Cover and bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
Because this dish uses dairy products it is not recommended to freeze this recipe. Chicken breasts can be frozen and used for up to 3 months. Purchase the canned cream chicken when on sale, and find this item at deep discounts during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Speaking of cozy food, want more comfort food recipes to try?
And here you are…..
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
Cream of Chicken Bake
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
- medium sautee pan for browning the chicken and onions
- tongs for flipping the chicken
- spatula for serving
Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts split into 6-7 pieces
- 1/2 cup unbleached flour
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound black forest ham diced
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon oregano divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 ounces triple cheddar cheese blend
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Dice the ham and place it in a bowl and set it aside.1 pound black forest ham
- Take some butter and add the diced onions to the pan. Sautee until a light brown then remove them and place them into a bowl.1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 yellow onion
- While cooking the onion, combine the flour, garlic powder, and oregano to a plate. Split 3 chicken breasts so that they are now between 6-7 pieces.1/2 cup unbleached flour, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- To the same pan that the onion was cooked, add the olive oil. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and add to the pan once the oil has heated. Brown 2-3 minutes on each side.1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Add the chicken to a greased dish.
- In a bowl put the cream of chicken, milk, garlic powder, dried oregano, and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine completely.1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 cup milk
- Pour on top of the browned chicken in the prepared dish. Cover with onions and diced ham. DO NOT add cheese at this time.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- After the dish has been baked for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and add the cheese.4 ounces triple cheddar cheese blend
- Leave the foil off and put it back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips for making this recipe:
- I like to brown the chicken before adding it to the casserole dish, I find that it leaves less watery liquid as it bakes. The chicken does not have to be cooked through, just browned on both sides.
- If you do not brown, add 15 minutes to the baking time.
- To store: add leftovers to a covered container and refrigerate. Eat within 3 days. Reheat in the oven with 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Cover and bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
This post was originally from October 2016-it has been updated with photos & text.
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Last Updated on August 20, 2023 by Erin@BottomLeftoftheMitten
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the inspiration.
I hope you really enjoy it! Thank you, Ann.
Wow! I am drooling! This looks amazing!!
Thank you so much!
This is a great family-friendly meal.
Yes, everyone in the family loves it!
Sounds & looks so delish!
Thanks a bunch Sonya!
Trying this tonight !
Hope you enjoy it! Thank you.
Has anyone put noodles in this or possibly served it over noodles or rice!?
I serve mine with mashed potatoes, but egg noodles or rice would be great with it as well!