Cheesy Chicken Casserole with Crescent Roll Crust

This chicken casserole is the one I make when I want dinner to feel like a hug and I don’t want to think very hard. Crescent dough on the bottom, onion and broccoli in the middle, a creamy chicken sauce poured over, then cheddar and buttery cracker crumbs on top. Into the oven. Done.

It’s a casserole with a built-in bottom crust, which is the part I like best. No separate sides needed. It’s all right there in the dish.

Why This Chicken Casserole Works

The crescent sheet bakes up under all that creamy filling and turns golden and soft, kind of like a biscuit base. Skip it and you’ve got chicken soup in a dish. Not the same thing.

The cream cheese is the quiet hero here. Melted into the two soups, it takes the sauce from salty-canned to actually rich. And you heat the sauce before pouring it over. Hot sauce on the dough means the bottom starts cooking right away instead of going gummy.

Soaking the chopped onion in water for a few minutes sounds fussy. It’s not. It takes the raw sharp bite off, so you get sweet onion flavor and not a punch in the face. [PLACEHOLDER: real mistake-then-fix story, e.g. what happened when you skipped the soak.]

The buttery cracker topping does what breadcrumbs wish they could. Crunchy, salty, golden. Drizzle the melted butter over it and don’t be shy.

Ingredients

• 1 can crescent roll sheet
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped broccoli (more or less to taste)
• 1 can sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper (generous amount)
• Chicken broth, as needed to thin mixture
• 2 lbs cooked, chopped chicken
• 1 block sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 sleeves buttery crackers, crushed
• 1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
• Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Press the crescent roll sheet evenly into the bottom.
3. Soak the chopped onion in water for a few minutes to reduce the bite, then drain.
4. Spread the onion evenly over the crescent dough.
5. Add the chopped broccoli evenly on top of the onion layer.
6. Add the sliced mushrooms, if using, on top of the broccoli.
7. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir until smooth.
8. Add chicken broth a little at a time until the mixture is thinned to your preference, continuing to stir.
9. Stir in the cooked, chopped chicken. Mix well and heat through.
10. Pour the hot chicken mixture over the broccoli, mushrooms, and onion layers in the baking dish.
11. Top with the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
12. Sprinkle the crushed buttery crackers evenly over the cheese layer.
13. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top.
14. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Servings: 8

Tips

• Add the broth slowly. A splash, stir, look. You can always thin it more, you can’t un-thin it.
• Go heavy on the black pepper. Canned soup needs it.
• Shred your own cheddar if you can. Sharp cheddar melts better and tastes like something.
• Crush the crackers in a zip bag with a rolling pin. Leave a few bigger chunks, they stay crunchier.
• Bake uncovered. Foil makes the top soggy and that’s the whole point of the top.
• Use rotisserie chicken if you’re tired. I won’t tell.

Variations

Skip the mushrooms. They’re optional for a reason. If anyone at your table side-eyes mushrooms, leave them out and nobody misses them.

More broccoli. I’d go for it. A cup is fine, a cup and a half is better.

Swap the chicken for turkey after the holidays. Works fine.

What I wouldn’t do: use the reduced-fat cream cheese.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

Don’t assemble the whole thing ahead and bake later. The crescent dough goes soggy under the wet filling if it sits. You can prep the pieces though: chop the onion and broccoli, shred the cheese, cook the chicken. Then it’s a ten-minute build.

Leftovers keep in the fridge for a few days, covered. Reheat in the oven if you want the top to stay crisp. Microwave works, it just goes soft.

FAQ

Final Thoughts

Next time, try serving it with a simple vinegary cucumber salad on the side. The sharp, cold crunch cuts right through all that cream and cheese. It’s a good pairing.

Kima

Cheesy Chicken Casserole with Crescent Roll Crust

A creamy chicken casserole on a crescent roll crust, layered with onion and broccoli, then topped with sharp cheddar and buttery cracker crumbs.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 can crescent roll sheet
• 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped broccoli more or less to taste
• 1 can sliced mushrooms optional
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 block cream cheese 8 oz
• salt to taste
• black pepper generous amount
• chicken broth as needed to thin mixture
• 2 lbs cooked chicken chopped
• 1 block sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 sleeves buttery crackers crushed
• 1 stick butter ½ cup, melted
• nonstick cooking spray

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Press the crescent roll sheet evenly into the bottom.
3. Soak the chopped onion in water for a few minutes to reduce the bite, then drain.
4. Spread the onion evenly over the crescent dough.
5. Add the chopped broccoli evenly on top of the onion layer.
6. Add the sliced mushrooms, if using, on top of the broccoli.
7. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir until smooth.
8. Add chicken broth a little at a time until the mixture is thinned to your preference, continuing to stir.
9. Stir in the cooked, chopped chicken. Mix well and heat through.
10. Pour the hot chicken mixture over the broccoli, mushrooms, and onion layers in the baking dish.
11. Top with the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
12. Sprinkle the crushed buttery crackers evenly over the cheese layer.
13. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top.
14. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Notes

Oven temperature: 375°F. Baking time: 30 minutes. Use more or less broccoli to taste. Mushrooms are optional. Add chicken broth gradually until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency. Soaking the chopped onion in water for a few minutes helps reduce its sharpness.