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Just 10 minutes of prep time and you have a delicious creamy concoction of chicken, celery, and cheese topped with crispy fried onions!
If you think you don’t like casseroles, then you probably just haven’t tried the right one. We have several favorite chicken casseroles, like a chicken crescent roll casserole, chicken and broccoli casserole, and this French onion chicken casserole!
A casserole for even the pickiest eaters
I really don’t like being a picky eater, but I am. Yes, it’s true… I can’t stand onions. They gross me out. BUT, having said that I actually like french fried onions… maybe the fact they’re breaded and fried makes them okay. 😉
This next recipe I’m sharing is topped off with those delicious french fried onions and filled with all sorts of goodness like chicken, cheese, sour cream, mayo and almonds. It is DELICIOUS!
The best thing about this French Onion Chicken Casserole is that it takes little prep time. Literally, it takes minutes to throw together if your chicken is already made. You can buy cooked, chopped chicken, but I like to bake my chicken earlier in the morning.
10 minute prep
Although it takes awhile to bake, it really only takes about 5 minutes of prep work. Add that with the 5 minutes it takes to put this casserole together and you’re looking at about 10 minutes of work.
PREP. Preheat oven to 350 and coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
BAKE. In large bowl, stir celery, cheese, sour cream, mayo and cream of chicken. Add chicken and almonds. Spoon into dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
TOPPING. Sprinkle fried onion and cook another 5 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Tips + variations
Here are a few ideas to tweak the recipe to make it a little more healthy:
- Use a low fat Mayo and sour cream
- Substitute all or a portion of the Mayonnaise with a low fat Greek yogurt
- Add veggies—sliced carrots, peas, broccoli florets, and shredded zucchini are all good choices
- Make it even more keto friendly and sprinkle cooked chopped bacon bits on top
- Serve over white or brown rice, pasta, cauliflower rice, or zucchini pasta
Serve French onion chicken casserole with any of the following:
Storing info
To make ahead of time, assemble and cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a day. If freezing, then add another layer of aluminum foil and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. Do not add the fried onions until the last 5 minutes of baking time.
To STORE, divide the leftovers into single serve portions. Store the portions in airtight containers and keep in the fridge for days. To reheat quickly, use the microwave. If you have a little more time reheat in the oven.
The fried onions may become mushy as it sits in the fridge. To crisp them back up simply stick the casserole under the broiler. Watch carefully as they can go from soggy to burnt really quickly.
For more great chicken casseroles, check out:
- One Pan Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken and Green Bean Casserole
- Parmesan Chicken Bake
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Chicken Stuffing Casserole
French Onion Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped (or french style green beans)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 can cream of chicken
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 6 oz French’s fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir celery, cheese, sour cream, mayo and cream of chicken. Add chicken and almonds. Spoon into dish.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Sprinkle fried onion and cook another 5 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG! This is to die for! So quick,easy & inexpensive. Great flavors & not too much leftover. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you think so!!! Thanks so much for letting me know what you thought and for giving it a try!!
I made this tonight with the following changes: added 1/4 cup chopped onion, replaced half the mayo with cheddar cheese soup (Campbell’s canned), added 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tsp black pepper, and sprinkled a little cheddar over the top along with the French onions and used light versions of the sour cream and mayo. It ended up being 8 servings at 361 calories per serving. Definitely not a crazy calorie number for something like this. It was DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! We’ll definitely make it again!
You’re welcome!! I’ll have to try with your changes!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Made this last night. I used green beans and celery. It was very good. Next time I think I will add hash browns too. Very good recipe as is!! Will definitely make it again!
That sounds great!! I’m so glad you liked it!!! Thanks so much!
My mother made this for my husband and I to eat after the birth of our son. She gave it to us frozen, cooked, with the onions to add to the top after we reheated it. We’ve eaten a million casseroles in the last month, and this is the winner!! It is incredible, we served with green beans on the side and I will make it again soon.
I love when I find winners!! So glad you liked it! Thanks a lot!!
I just made onion chicken casserole Sorry but it was to soupy and mayo was to over powering
Sorry it didn’t turn out quite how you thought. Haven’t had it come out soupy, so wondering what made it that way. If you like something other than mayo to substitute you could or maybe use a little less. Hope you’ll try it again 🙂
Going to make this for a friend who lost her husband and I want her to be able to freeze it. If I do the first round of cooking and then add the onions part, will that work? Or will they burn when she heats it back up? Any suggestions most welcome. This looks like a good chix casserole but wanted to make something she could freeze in case she has too much food already. Thanks!
So sorry to hear that!! I haven’t put it in the freezer yet, but I would maybe leave the onions off and give those to her separately to add on. That is only if you are wanting her to freeze it & not eat it, right away. Hope that helps!!
Good idea, thanks!
I used French style green beans instead of the celery, and added mushrooms and penne pasta. It was a little dry. I think baking it covered would help or increase wet ingredients to 1 1/2 cups. Tasty.
Maybe the pasta soaked up all the wetness? I haven’t added pasta before, but it usually isn’t dry. I’m glad you think it’s tasty!! Thanks for sharing!
Came out fantastic…. but in order for it to be a “casserole” rather than “soup”…. cook it longer….
Just a hint for those who don’t like “real” onions. To keep the real onions and flavor, AND to please the picky eaters, I use a cheese grater to grate the onion into soups, stews, and casseroles.
Thanks for sharing that tip Tess! That would be me 🙂
This was really good! I made it with a can of french-style green beans instead of the celery. My whole family liked it. Even my two little kids, ages 3 and 6, who don’t normally like regular green-bean casserole ate it. (They were hesitant at first but once they tried it, they cleaned their plates!) My 11yo has requested that I make it again for sure!
LOL..I’m glad they cleaned their plates!! We love this! I’ll have to try it with the green beans:) Thanks so much!