This creamy chicken casserole is a real crowd pleaser. I make it as a big batch then freeze half for a quick dinner another night.
You can cook it on the hob (stovetop) or in the oven. It reheats beautifully, and there’s plenty of sauce to soak into your mashed potato and veggies!
I don’t know about you, but I desperately crave creamy sauces and mashed potato whenever the weather is even marginally cold.
This is one of my favourite big batch meals to make because:
- It’s great for feeding a crowd (easy to make for 10+ people)
- You can make it ahead
- It’s suitable for freezing….
- …..which also means you can eat some for dinner and freeze some for a super quick dinner next time
📋 What do we need?
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP Make sure you’ve got a very large frying pan or casserole pan as this recipe is pretty big!
If your family are anything like mine when it comes to comfort food like this, you should hear lots of ‘Mmmms’ and chomping noises for the first 5 minutes, before the chatting resumes. Always the sign of a good meal!
🍽️ What to serve it with
I love that there’s plenty of sauce with this dish, so you’ve got enough to drizzle over your chicken, potatoes and vegetables ❤️
🍲 More fantastic Creamy Chicken recipes
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Creamy Chicken and Mushroom One Pan Casserole
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 5 chicken breasts (1kg/2.25 lb) chopped into big chunks or strips
- 45 g (6 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 small-to-medium onions peeled and finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp celery salt optional
- 25 g (3 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 litre (4 1/4 cups) chicken stock
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk whole milk or half-fat
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice juice of approx. 1 lemon
- 20 chestnut mushrooms thickly sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 240 ml (1 cup) double (heavy) cream
- 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 5 tbsp cold water – to make a slurry, (cornstarch in USA) **Optional**
- small bunch parsley chopped
Serve with:
- mashed potatoes
- sprouts
- peas
- sweetcorn
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bowl with the flour, salt, and pepper. Toss to cover the chicken in the flour and seasoning.5 chicken breasts, 45 g (6 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Heat the oil over a high heat in a large frying pan (skillet) and working in 2 batches, add the chicken. Brown all over (it doesn't need to be cooked through at this point). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side.2 tbsp oil
- Place the butter in the same frying pan and melt over a low-medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, and celery salt and cook for 5 minutes until the onion softens. Sprinkle on the flour and stir for a minute (it will be lumpy).2 tbsp unsalted butter, 3 small-to-medium onions, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp celery salt, 25 g (3 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Pour in a splash of the stock and stir, using a whisk until combined. Continue to add in stock, a little at a time, whilst stirring, until all the stock is added and you have a smooth sauce with no lumps (the onions will still be in there though – so it will look a little lumpy because of that).1 litre (4 1/4 cups) chicken stock
- Add the milk and continue to stir over the heat until the sauce thickens, then add in the lemon juice.300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk, 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Add the mushrooms, the cooked chicken and the salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan and simmer gently on the hob for 20 minutes.20 chestnut mushrooms, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- **Alternatively you can transfer to a casserole dish at this point. Cover with foil and place in the oven at 175C/350F (fan) for 30 minutes**
- Remove the lid and stir in the cream, then heat through for a further 5 minutes (place back in the oven if oven cooking).240 ml (1 cup) double (heavy) cream
- If you'd like the sauce to be any thicker, then at this point you can stir in the cornflour slurry. Add a little splash at a time, whilst stirring, until you get the thickness you want.2 tbsp cornflour
- Serve the casserole with vegetables (I like to serve mine with mashed potatoes, sprouts, peas and sweetcorn) and a sprinkling of parsley.small bunch parsley, mashed potatoes, sprouts, peas, sweetcorn
Video
Notes
Heat through thoroughly in the oven (covered) at 175C/350F for approx 20-25 minutes. Or heat through on the hob for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat until the chicken is hot all the way through.
Add a splash of cream or milk if needed to loosen it up. Freezing: Make the casserole, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator and heat through thoroughly in the oven (covered) at 175C/350F for approx 20-25 minutes. Or heat through on the hob for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat until the chicken is hot all the way through. Reducing the quantities: You can halve the quantities if necessary – no change to the cooking times. Can I make it in the slow cooker? I haven’t tried this one in the slow cooker yet. If you try it, please let me know how it went. I’ll update the notes when I test it using the slow cooker. Nutritional Information is approx. per serving WITHOUT Serving suggestion of Mash Potato, Sprouts, Peas and Sweetcorn.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in September 2017, then updated Feb 2019 and again in February 2023 with new images, recipe video and a bit of housekeeping.
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My wife fell in love with me all over again
Love this recipe. Can I add white wine to make it a bit special. If so when & how.
We both enjoyed this! Very flavoursome sauce. I used chopped chicken thighs and small whole portobello mushrooms served with rice. Will definitely cook again. Thanks
Hi Nicky and Chris I’ve just recently come across the Kitchen Sanctuary and your recipes are fantastic. I feel so inspired, I want to try them all! Last night I made this chicken and mushroom casserole and it is DIVINE! Off to make some Saag Aloo now 😀. Thank you for these great recipes xx
This was delicious,but my sauce was very runny.was this because I never stirred it slowly enough?
Just wondering could I cover with puff pastry and bake ? Looks yummmy
Absolutely! I bet that would be fab 🙂
all100%proper peoples grub thank you and gord bless you
this is why i became a chef
This looks and sounds delicious but can the cream be substituted with a healthier option ?
This recipe is one of my families favourites it is a lovely winter warmer. Easy to make and great with suggestions to.
Did anyone add wine to this? I did. I’m not entirely convinced I should have. I will make it once more without one and see if I prefer the flavour which I suspect will be creamier or shroomier or both. Or maybe I won’t add lemon if I add wine again, hard to tell. Something was tipping the scales.
A big hit even with the ones who “don’t like mushrooms” Cooking it again this week 🙂
Really good recipe.
We are dairy free
Substitute good soy milk for dairy milk. Soy cooking cream and nuttlex or vegan butter for dairy butter.
Added teaspoon djon mustard and chilli flakes.
Really nice simple dinner.