Cornbread Chicken Casserole is cooked chicken and sharp cheddar in a creamy filling of cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup and milk, baked under a sweet cornbread topping made from a box of corn muffin mix and a can of cream-style corn. Rotisserie or leftover chicken keeps the work short, and the whole dish serves 6.
How to make it: Whisk the two soups with the milk, stir in the chicken and cheese, and pour it into a 3-quart baking dish. Whisk the corn muffin mix with the corn, sour cream, egg and melted butter, spread that batter over the top, and bake uncovered at 400°F for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cornbread is golden and baked through in the center.
Why You’ll Love It
- Pantry staples: canned soups, a box of corn muffin mix and a can of cream-style corn do most of the work.
- Cooked chicken: a rotisserie bird or leftovers keep it to 15 minutes of prep.
- Two textures: a creamy, cheesy chicken filling under a sweet, golden cornbread layer.
- Easy to change: make it Tex-Mex, add vegetables, use one kind of soup, or skip the soup for a sour cream filling.
Ingredient Notes
Cooked chicken: Four cups, diced or shredded so it mixes well with the sauce. Rotisserie chicken or leftovers make prep quick; plain poached chicken works too.
Sharp cheddar: One cup, grated. It goes into the filling and melts into the sauce as the casserole bakes.
Ingredients
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10.5 ounces)
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10.5 ounces)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 4 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded (rotisserie or leftover)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 box corn muffin mix (8.5 ounces)
- 1 can cream-style corn (14.75 ounces)
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
How to Make Cornbread Chicken Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Make the creamy base. In a large bowl, whisk the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup and milk together until smooth.
3. Add the chicken and cheese. Stir in the chicken and cheddar until everything is evenly coated, then pour the mixture into the baking dish.
4. Mix the cornbread batter. In a separate bowl, whisk the corn muffin mix, cream-style corn, sour cream, egg and melted butter together until just combined.
5. Top the filling. Spread the batter evenly over the chicken mixture, all the way to the corners.
6. Bake. Bake uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown, a toothpick in the center of the topping comes out clean and the center reaches 165°F. If the top gets too dark first, tent it loosely with foil.
7. Rest. Let the casserole stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve. The filling thickens slightly as it cools.
How to Tell It’s Done (No Soggy Middle)
The top can turn deep golden before the middle has finished baking, so judge it by the center, not the color.
Start checking at 40 minutes. Every oven is different. Checking early keeps the top from overbaking, though it can take closer to 50 to 55 minutes to cook through.
Use a toothpick first. Push it into the middle of the cornbread layer. Clean, with no wet batter, means the topping is baked. If any wet cornbread clings to it, bake a few more minutes and test again. A topping that looks soggy usually just needs more baking time.
Then use a thermometer. USDA FSIS lists 165°F as the safe temperature for casseroles and for all poultry. Check it in the center of the dish.
Protect the top. If the cornbread is getting too dark while the center still needs time, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the dish for the last 10 to 15 minutes, or move the dish down one rack in the oven.
Mind the pan. The recipe is written for a 3-quart dish. A 2-quart dish works too, but the cornbread layer comes out thicker and needs a few extra minutes to bake through.
Tips for Success
Do I need to add salt?
Taste your chicken first. Lightly seasoned rotisserie chicken probably won’t need extra salt. Plain poached chicken wants a pinch of salt and pepper stirred into the filling.
Why whisk the soups before adding the chicken?
Whisking the condensed soups with the milk breaks up the lumps and gives you a smooth, silky filling before anything else goes in.
How much should I mix the batter?
Only until the dry mix disappears. A few small lumps are fine, and the batter should be thick but pourable. Overmixing makes the topping less tender.
Variations
- Tex-Mex: add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, chopped jalapeños, cumin, chili powder or taco seasoning, and swap the cheddar for Monterey Jack or pepper jack. A small can of chopped green chilies stirred into the chicken mixture adds a little kick.
- With vegetables: stir a cup of cooked broccoli, peas or bell pepper into the filling.
- One kind of soup: use two cans of cream of chicken or two cans of cream of mushroom, or a homemade white sauce if you would rather skip canned soup.
- Sour cream filling, no soup: mix 4 cups of shredded chicken with 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and 2 cups of shredded cheddar, and spread it in a 9×13-inch dish. Leave the sour cream out of the topping. Bake at 400°F for about 35 minutes, until the topping is golden, a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the center reaches 165°F, then cool for 10 minutes.
- Gluten-free: choose a gluten-free cornbread mix and check the labels on the soups.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the cooled casserole well in foil; FSIS gives frozen leftovers 3 to 4 months for best quality. FSIS also lists cream sauces among foods that don’t freeze well, and notes that cream can separate after freezing.
Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat single portions in the microwave, or the dish in a 325°F oven, covered with foil, until the center reaches 165°F. A frozen casserole can also go straight into the oven; it just takes longer, and uncovering it for the last 10 minutes crisps the topping back up. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a green side salad, such as spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. With the Tex-Mex version, pinto beans on the side and sour cream, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro on top suit it well. For more chicken bakes with a bread topping, try creamed chicken and biscuits casserole or chicken and dumpling casserole. If you like a crunchy top instead, there’s cracker-topped chicken casserole and million dollar chicken casserole. And tamale casserole layers the same corn muffin mix above and below a taco-seasoned turkey filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the secret to a perfect cornbread casserole?
Start with cooked chicken, stir the batter only until just combined, and don’t pull it out until the middle passes both checks: a clean toothpick and 165°F on a thermometer. A short rest afterward lets the filling thicken.
What is the recipe for an old fashioned chicken and cornbread casserole?
A dressing-style chicken and cornbread casserole mixes crumbled cornbread with onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, seasoning and cooked chicken sautéed in butter. You stir in chicken stock until it is very moist, add cheddar and bake it at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F. This casserole puts a cornbread batter on top of a creamy filling instead.
Can I use raw chicken instead of cooked?
No. The cornbread topping bakes faster than raw chicken can cook through. Use rotisserie, leftover or poached chicken so both the texture and the food safety are right.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Assemble the filling in the baking dish, cover it and refrigerate it for up to 1 day. Mix the cornbread batter and spread it on just before the dish goes into the oven, then bake as usual and check that the center reaches 165°F.
Final Notes
Don’t overmix the batter, start checking at 40 minutes, and trust the toothpick and thermometer over the color of the top. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Cornbread Chicken Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 10.5 ounces
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounces
- 3/4 cup milk
- 4 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded; rotisserie or leftover
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 box corn muffin mix 8.5 ounces
- 1 can cream-style corn 14.75 ounces
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup and milk together until smooth.
- Stir in the chicken and cheddar until everything is evenly coated, then pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the corn muffin mix, cream-style corn, sour cream, egg and melted butter together until just combined.
- Spread the batter evenly over the chicken mixture, all the way to the corners.
- Bake uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown, a toothpick in the center of the topping comes out clean and the center reaches 165°F. If the top gets too dark first, tent it loosely with foil.
- Let the casserole stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve. The filling thickens slightly as it cools.
