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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.
I think Joyce’s comment was very rude as well! There are a lot of things you can do to take out some of the fat. You can use light sour cream and mayo. They even sell heart healthy cream of chicken soup. Just about all recipes can be tweaked for ones dietary life style. Anxious to make this!
Thanks Barbara for sharing. I sure hope you like it. Let me know what you think 😉
Excellent casserole! I did not have celery or green beans so I threw in a bag of sweet peas and celery seeds! Love it!!
Great backup choices! Glad you liked it! Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing! I loved the idea, but wanted to slim it down a bit. It’s only me and my husband so I didn’t want to make too much! I used one 12 oz chicken breast, one can of cream of mushroom (it’s what I had in the cupboard), one can of French style green beans, about 1/2 cup cheese and about 1/2 a can of french’s Fried onions, some mixed in and the rest on top. We put the casserole over some rice. It came out perfect! Super yummy! Can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing your changes!! Sounds great! Glad you both liked it!
Really good with green beans. I would just cut back the onions a little the whole container is a bit much.
Green beans are a great choice! You could definitely add as much or as little of the onions, as you like 🙂 Thank you!
So good!! Did fresh green beans and it added a great crunch
Great idea and thank you so much for letting me know!
My husband was very pleased with this dish. I only used a half of stock of celery and a can of mixed vegetables. I also added a little poultry seasoning and garlic and herb seasoning. Very good recipe.
Thanks so much!! I’m glad you liked it and your changes sound great!
Huge difference without the slivered almonds? I hardly ever buy those and hate them just sitting in the cabinet for the next recipe I use them with. Can’t wait to make this with the green beans!
Those go great with oriental salads! But, you don’t have to add them 🙂 Let me know what you think 🙂
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was very good. Made it with the French green beans instead of the celery, and since husband doesn’t like mayo baked in anything, I substituted it with a cup of Cambells nacho cheese soup. Also added some onion powder. It was a big hit and will be one recipe I’ll make again.
Sounds good! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Made this tonight and the entire pan was gone!!! I left out the celery cause my crew doesn’t care for it. I added 2 cups shredded zucchini well drained. My picky husband ate 3 helpings!!!! Will definitely make again!!! Thanks!!!
This is the 3rd time making this. I substitute cream of mushroom for the mayo and use the French style green beans. Delicious!!
Love hearing that!! Thanks so much for letting me know!