Chicken Hashbrown Casserole is a creamy, cheesy dinner that bakes in one 9×13 dish. Thawed hash browns, cooked chicken, diced onion and mixed vegetables are stirred into a ranch-seasoned sauce of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk and cheddar, then covered with buttery crushed Ritz crackers. It takes 10 minutes of prep and 1 hour in the oven, and it serves 8.
How to make it: Whisk the soup, sour cream, milk and ranch seasoning until smooth, stir in the hash browns, onion, cheddar, chicken and vegetables, and spread everything in the baking dish. Toss the cracker crumbs with melted butter, scatter them over the top and bake at 350°F until the casserole is hot, bubbly and golden.
Why You’ll Love It
- Mix and bake: one big bowl for the filling, one small bowl for the topping, and no stovetop cooking.
- A job for cooked chicken: rotisserie chicken or leftover thighs and breasts all work.
- Made for a crowd: a full 9×13 dish that feeds 8.
- Plan-ahead friendly: assemble it early, or freeze single servings for busy nights.
Ingredient Notes
Frozen hash browns: One 30-ounce bag, thawed before it goes into the bowl. The FAQ below covers how to thaw them safely.
Cooked chicken: Three cups, shredded or chopped. A rotisserie chicken is the easy route: one bird gives about 4 to 5 cups of chopped meat, so you will have enough with a little to spare. Leftover chicken thighs or breasts work just as well.
Cream of chicken soup: One 10-ounce can of condensed soup, used straight from the can.
Sour cream and milk: Two cups of sour cream and 3/4 cup of milk make up the rest of the sauce.
Ranch seasoning: Three tablespoons, or one envelope. A store-bought packet or your own homemade mix both work.
Cheddar cheese: Two and a half cups, shredded, all of it stirred into the filling.
Onion and vegetables: One cup of diced onion and 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables go in with the chicken.
Ritz crackers and butter: One sleeve of crackers, crushed and stirred with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. There are more topping options further down.
Ingredients
- 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons ranch seasoning (or 1 envelope)
- 30 ounces frozen hash browns (1 package), thawed
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (rotisserie or leftover)
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
How to Make Chicken Hashbrown Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the sauce. In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk and ranch seasoning until smooth.
3. Stir in the rest. Stir in the thawed hash browns, onion, cheddar, chicken and mixed vegetables until combined.
4. Fill the dish. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
5. Add the topping. In a small bowl, mix the crushed Ritz crackers with the melted butter and sprinkle them over the casserole.
6. Bake. Bake for 1 hour, until the casserole is hot and bubbly, the topping is golden brown and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
Ritz, Cornflakes or Fried Onions: Picking the Topping
A chicken hashbrown casserole needs a crunchy lid over its soft, creamy filling, and there is more than one way to build it. Choose by what is in your pantry and how buttery you want the top. Each of these goes on right before the dish goes into the oven.
Ritz crackers, lightly buttered. The recipe above: 1 sleeve of crushed crackers stirred with 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a small bowl, then sprinkled evenly over the filling.
Ritz crackers, well buttered. Crumble half a sleeve straight over the casserole, then pour 4 tablespoons of melted butter over the crackers.
Ritz crackers with cheddar. Crush 12 to 14 crackers, about half a sleeve, and stir them with 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar before you sprinkle them on. This top bakes under foil at first, then uncovered.
Cornflakes. Crush 2 cups of corn flakes and toss them with 1/3 cup of melted butter. Or use 3 cups of lightly crushed cornflakes with 1/2 cup of melted butter. Either way the flakes bake until golden brown.
Crispy fried onions. Spread 2 cups of crispy fried onions evenly over the filling, with no butter, and bake until the top is golden brown.
Potato chips. Crushed potato chips can stand in for the crackers too.
Tips for Success
How do I know it’s done?
The edges bubble, the topping turns golden brown, and a food thermometer pushed into the middle of the dish reads 165°F. The chicken goes in already cooked; the bake heats the whole casserole through.
Should it rest before serving?
Yes. Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven, or at least a few minutes, before you scoop it.
What size dish do I need?
A 9×13-inch baking dish holds the full batch. Spray it with nonstick cooking spray before you fill it.
Variations
- Two soups: use one 10.5-ounce can each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom.
- No ranch: season the sauce with 1 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper, or with 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Another cheese: Colby Jack in place of the cheddar, or any shredded cheese you like.
- Bacon: stir in 1/4 cup of bacon bits and 1/8 teaspoon of dried thyme with the chicken.
- Bell pepper: add diced red bell pepper, or any color you have, with the other vegetables.
- Extra creamy: stir some cream cheese into the sauce and use whole milk.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. For the freezer, wrap portions well and use them within 3 to 4 months. Cream sauces don’t always freeze well, so the sauce can look a little separated after thawing. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator, or reheat them straight from frozen in the oven or microwave, which takes about 1 1/2 times as long.
Reheat leftovers until the center reaches 165°F. In the oven, cover the dish with foil so the cracker topping doesn’t over-brown. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Scatter chopped chives or green onion over each serving. If you love the creamy potato layer on its own, the Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole is the side dish without chicken. The same buttery cracker top finishes the Ritz cracker chicken casserole and the million dollar chicken casserole. For chicken with other kinds of potatoes, try the chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole or the chicken bacon ranch casserole with potatoes. And for breakfast, hash browns go into a bacon, egg and hash brown casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to thaw the hash browns first?
Yes, thaw them before you mix the filling. Plan ahead and thaw the bag overnight in the refrigerator. For faster thawing, set the sealed, leak-proof bag in cold water or use the microwave, then make the casserole right away.
Can I make chicken hashbrown casserole ahead of time?
Yes. Mix the filling, spread it in the dish, cover it and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake. Keep the crackers and butter aside and add the topping right before it goes into the oven. Keep the dish in the refrigerator until then; perishable food should not sit out for more than 2 hours.
Can I use a different soup?
Yes. Cream of celery or cream of mushroom works in place of the cream of chicken.
Can I freeze chicken hashbrown casserole?
Yes. Cut the baked casserole into single servings and freeze them for quick meals later.
Final Notes
Thaw the hash browns, keep the filling cold until it bakes, and pick the crunchy top your pantry allows. If you make it or have a question, tell me in the comments below.
Chicken Hashbrown Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10 ounces, condensed
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons ranch seasoning or 1 envelope
- 30 ounces frozen hash browns 1 package, thawed
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded; rotisserie or leftover
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk and ranch seasoning until smooth.
- Stir in the thawed hash browns, onion, cheddar, chicken and mixed vegetables until combined.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix the crushed Ritz crackers with the melted butter and sprinkle them over the casserole.
- Bake for 1 hour, until the casserole is hot and bubbly, the topping is golden brown and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
