This Ritz chicken casserole recipe turns my favorite snacking crackers into the most delicious, crunchy, buttery casserole topping. The creamy filling is packed with juicy shredded chicken, bacon, and cheese, and it’s hot from the oven in under an hour. Ideal for weeknights!
Whenever I need to use up leftover chicken, I make a casserole. Recipes like this Ritz cracker chicken casserole, my cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole, and Tex-Mex King Ranch chicken casserole have it covered!
Folks, today’s recipe is a comfort food home run. This Ritz chicken casserole is comforting for so many reasons, but mainly, 1) it’s rich, creamy, cheesy, and packed with juicy chicken and bacon, and, 2) it needs a handful of ingredients I already had in the pantry. No trips to the store = comfort, if you ask me. I also had some green beans in the crisper drawer, too, so I steamed those while this chicken casserole baked up all bubbly beneath a layer of buttery Ritz crackers. Dinner was ready in 40 minutes, and we scraped our plates CLEAN.
Reasons to Love This Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole
- 10 minutes to prep. This recipe uses an easy, no-cook sauce that gets tossed with chicken, layered under crispy Ritz crackers, and baked. It takes all of 10 minutes to prepare and you leave the rest to your oven.
- Crunchy cracker topping. I borrowed the classic Ritz cracker crumb topping from my cheesy potatoes to make this chicken casserole. One of my best ideas yet!
- Extra flavorful. This Ritz chicken casserole has plenty of creamy texture and delicious flavor thanks to ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, salty bacon, and tender chicken. I throw in a few handfuls of shredded cheese, too. It reminds me a lot of my creamy crack chicken recipe, which is always a good thing.
- Perfect for weeknights. Any recipe that takes less than an hour has my weeknight stamp of approval. This chicken and Ritz cracker casserole is foolproof, even if you’re just starting out in the kitchen. You’re going to love it.
Recipe Ingredients
You can count the ingredients for this casserole on less than two hands. It’s very fridge and pantry-friendly, and I’ve included some notes here to get you off on the right foot. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for the printable recipe with the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Bacon – Any type of bacon works, whether it’s streaky, back bacon, turkey bacon, smoked, etc. You’ll cook the bacon in a skillet or using your desired method. You can also substitute cooked and diced ham or pancetta.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – Canned condensed mushroom soup, or you can use homemade. Cream of chicken soup also works in this recipe.
- Parsley – I use dried parsley. If you’re using fresh herbs, you’ll need about 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs per 1 teaspoon dried.
- Sour Cream – This can be full-fat or low-fat sour cream. Plain or Greek yogurt makes a good substitute.
- Chicken – Cooked and shredded. Leftover rotisserie chicken works great here, or you can use any cooked chicken you have on hand. Or, you can quickly boil chicken and shred it.
- Shredded Cheese – I use cheddar, but any melty cheese goes well in this recipe. Try Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack (if you like it spicy), Gouda, Mozzarella, Gruyere, or a mix of shredded cheese. Grate the cheese fresh from the block so that it melts smoothly.
- Ritz Crackers – Crushed up for the topping, plus a few whole crackers for garnish. Feel free to use name-brand or store-brand. If you don’t have Ritz crackers, you can still make this chicken casserole with another topping, see below.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted.
What Can I Use Instead of Ritz Crackers?
It might not technically be a Ritz chicken casserole, but this recipe still turns out delicious with another crunchy topping. Good options are panko crumbs, crushed cheese crackers, cornflakes, crushed potato chips, or a favorite stuffing mix, like the cornbread stuffing I use to top my chicken stuffing casserole.
How to Make Ritz Chicken Casserole
I love that this recipe is super quick to prep. I can whip together a quick salad, a side of fries, or roast veggies in the air fryer while the casserole bakes in the oven. Dinner is on the table in under an hour (my goal on most weeknights), and everyone licks their plates clean. The steps are quick and simple. Remember to scroll for serving suggestions!
- Cook the bacon. First, cook up a batch of crispy bacon on the stovetop or air fryer. Crumble it up afterward.
- Combine the ingredients. Meanwhile, add the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and parsley to a large bowl. Stir in the bacon, shredded chicken, and shredded cheese, along with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill the pan. Add the chicken casserole filling into an oiled 9” baking dish.
- Make the topping. Next, lightly toast the Ritz cracker crumbs in a skillet with melted butter to make the topping. Spread the cracker crumbs evenly over the chicken filling.
- Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes until it’s hot and bubbly. Afterward, let the casserole rest for 10 minutes to set up a bit for serving, and dig in!
Easy Variations
This Ritz chicken casserole is rich and creamy yet mild, which makes it great for families (especially kids). Along with a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, however, there are a few easy ways to change up the ingredients and amp up the flavor in this chicken casserole. Here are some I’d suggest:
- Swap chicken for turkey. I actually love making this Ritz cracker casserole with shredded leftover turkey in the days after a holiday, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- Herbs. In addition to dried parsley, you can season the casserole with dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, or a blend like Herbes de Provence.
- Spices. Add in sweet or smoked paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder.
- Seasoning blends. Add a little Italian seasoning or chicken seasoning for extra flavor. If you like spice, try my Jamaican jerk seasoning for a little something different.
- Add-ins. Swap regular bacon for smoked bacon to give the casserole a more unique flavor. You could also substitute spicy Italian sausage or chorizo.
- Veggies. Add pre-cooked vegetables like broccoli, carrots, celery, or onion. Try a frozen vegetable medley for some chicken pot pie vibes.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover chicken casserole airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. I like to reheat this casserole in the oven, either whole or in portions, to crisp up the topping again. Use an oven-proof dish and cover the casserole with foil before warming it at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes.
- Freeze. You can freeze the cooled casserole for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge before you reheat it.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes
Pin this now to find it later
-
Cook the bacon. Heat a splash of oil in a large skillet. Add bacon slices and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon and place it on paper towels. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
-
Mix the casserole ingredients. In a large bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, parsley, and sour cream. Stir in the cooked shredded chicken, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-
Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and gently coat a 9-inch baking dish with some olive oil.
-
Fill the pan. Add the prepared chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish.
-
Make the topping. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in the cracker crumbs and stir to combine. Remove from heat and spread the cracker topping over the casserole.
-
Bake. Bake the casserole for 25 minutes.
-
Serve. Remove it from the oven and cool the chicken casserole for 10 minutes before serving.
- Soup options. You can use cream of mushrooms or cream of chicken soup for this recipe.
- Cheese choices. Instead of cheddar cheese, substitute any type of cheese you’d prefer.
- Bacon. I recommend plain bacon or a smoked version. The smoked bacon gives a unique flavor to the dish.
Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 561kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 878mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 725IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
