Hot Chicken Salad Casserole
It’s the perfect time of year for all the casseroles for an easy weeknight dinner! This Hot Chicken Salad Casserole is one that I grew up eating and I made a few tweaks to it to share here! It’s simple to make and perfect to reheat during the week for an easy meal. This definitely needs to be added to your menu for the next easy weeknight dinner!
If you’re like me, you like dinner time to be easy, delicious and includes leftovers for the next day. That’s a few reasons why I love this Hot Chicken Salad. Depending on how many you’re serving, you’re likely to have leftovers for the next couple of days to easily reheat and make into an easy meal to have around. This casserole is easy to make, budget friendly and so cozy.
A lot of times in casseroles, you can find the heavy addition of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. While those are convenient to add for a creamy taste, they usually include a lot of ingredients and sodium. In this recipe, I make my own version of cream of chicken to add to the Hot Chicken Salad Casserole. This is made with the simple ingredients of butter, chicken broth, all purpose flour and whole milk. A great addition with less ingredients but still a creamy taste!
What you need for Hot Chicken Salad Casserole:
This casserole is filled with chicken and brown rice and then filled with crunchy additions like celery, slivered almonds and green bell pepper. The creamy addition of the mayo with greek yogurt and then a homemade “cream of chicken soup” makes this a creamy casserole that’s satisfying and hearty!
Why this casserole is great for an easy weeknight dinner:
- It’s simple to make and perfect to just toss in the oven to bake!
- This casserole is full of protein, fat and carbs which will keep you feeling satisfied after.
- You’re more than likely going to have leftovers of this casserole! Making it perfect to reheat and have your lunch covered the next day.
Can I use a different method for cooking the chicken?
I like to use cubed chicken tenders for this casserole. You can also do this with shredded chicken if you’d like!
How long will this casserole last?
This casserole will last up to 4 days in the fridge! If you make it and have leftovers, I recommend keeping it in a sealed container in the fridge.
What do I do with leftovers?
You’re likely to have leftovers with this recipe! Which is great, that means your lunch or dinner the following day is covered! I like to store any leftovers in these containers. When you’re ready to eat, portion out the amount that you’d like and reheat in the microwave for a minute to warm.
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy these on One Balanced Life:
- Southwestern Chicken & Rice Casserole
- Chicken Apple Sausage Sheetpan
- White Chicken Chili
- One Pan Turkey and Rice Skillet
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Hot Chicken Salad Casserole
This Hot Chicken Salad Casserole makes for a delicious casserole to have for a weeknight dinner! Filled with flavor and great for leftovers.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenders, cubed
- 1 cup celery
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1/3 cup yellow onion
- 3 hardboiled eggs
- 1/4 cup diced pimentos
- 1/3 cup green pepper, diced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup Avocado Oil Mayo
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup crumbled potato chips for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Start by cutting the chicken tenders into nugget pieces. Heat up on the stove on medium to high heat in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook until tender.
- Prepare brown rice according to package. Set aside.
- Hardboil eggs by placing 3 eggs in boiling water and setting timer for 12 minutes. Place in ice water after.
- Chop up remaining ingredients: onion, green pepper and celery.
- In large bowl, combine cooked chicken, pimentos, brown rice, celery, green pepper, onion, slivered almonds and chopped hardboiled eggs.
- In small bowl, combine greek yogurt, mayo, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix together to combine and pour into large bowl.
- On stovetop, heat up the skillet with the butter on low heat. Once the butter has melted, mix in the all purpose flour until it's smooth. This should be lightly bubbling.
- Whisk in the chicken brown. Slowly pour in the milk to the pan and bring it to a simmer. You'll want to continue to stir until this thickens into a creamy consistency.
- Pour mixture into large bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Pour into casserole dish and top with crumbled potato chips.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the top of the casserole begins to brown.
- Enjoy!
Notes
You can use shredded chicken if you prefer.
I don't recommend making any replacements for ingredients.
