Ritz Crackers Chicken Casserole is rich, creamy, loaded with chicken and broccoli and then topped with buttery Ritz crackers. This tried and true recipe is what I like to call “pure comfort food”!
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Forever is how long I have been making this casserole. Along with some other awesome recipes, my cousin Sandy gave this recipe to me. Thanks Sandy!
If you’ve never tried Ritz Crackers Chicken Casserole, allow me to introduce you! Comfort food at its best is how I would describe this mouth-watering recipe.
It’s creamy. It’s flavorful. It’s loaded up with shredded chicken, fresh steamed broccoli, angel hair pasta and a combination of cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Then you top it with buttery, crushed Ritz Crackers.
Does it get any better than this? I think NOT!
Not only is this casserole delicious the first day you make it, but it’s SO good leftover too. And guess what else?? It feeds a crowd! Perfect for company.
Now that I’ve tempted your taste buds, let me tell you how to put together this delicious dinner!
What will I need to make Ritz Crackers Chicken Casserole?
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (About 3 breasts)
- 1 large head broccoli (About 3 cups)
- 16 ounces (1 pint) sour cream
- 2 cans (10.5-ounce) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked
- 1 1/2 – 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed
What are the steps to making this casserole?
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook your chicken. There are a couple of ways I like to make my shredded chicken. In this case, I used my Instant Pot to make my shredded chicken, but I will also give you instructions for the Crockpot and the stovetop.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add 1 cup of chicken broth to your instant pot.
- Add the Instant Pot cooking trivet to the bottom of the Instant Pot and add the chicken back into the pot.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Seal the lid of your Instant Pot and make sure the steam valve is in the sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to high pressure and cook for 15 minutes.
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Your Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and then it will start counting down the cooking time.
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When the chicken is ready, you will hear the Instant Pot beep. You can let the Instant Pot release its pressure naturally until the pin drops or you can do it manually.
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For manual, using a thick pot holder or the handle of a wooden spoon, release the steam valve until the pin drops.
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Once the steam is released, carefully open the Instant Pot.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred on a cutting board with two forks.
You can use frozen chicken in this recipe. Use the same cooking time, but use the natural pressure release for 10 minutes instead of the quick release.
Only use this method if your chicken breasts are separated and not frozen together.
Crockpot Instructions:
- Add 1 cup of chicken broth to your Crockpot. Add chicken breasts.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. (These times are for fresh chicken. If you are using frozen, you will need to use the greater of the cooking times.)
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred on a cutting board with two forks.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Add chicken breasts to a large saucepan and cover with water.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Simmer chicken for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours until tender enough to shred. (You may need to add a little more water throughout cooking time.)
- Remove chicken from pot and shred on a cutting board with two forks.
- Trim the stems of your broccoli and add to a medium-sized saucepan. Add water about 1/3 of the way up the pot and cover.
- Boil broccoli for about 10 minutes until soft. (I like mine very soft, so if you like your broccoli a little more firm, lessen the cooking time.
- When broccoli is done cooking, remove from pot and chop into pieces.
- In a large bowl, add soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well and set aside.
- Boil 8 ounces of angel hair pasta until al dente. (I like to break my spaghetti in half before cooking. It makes it easier to mix together after it’s cooked.)
- While the pasta is cooking, add the chicken and the broccoli to the bowl with the soup and sour cream mixture. Stir until combined.
- When the pasta is done cooking, drain the water and add to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir until combined.
- Add the mixture to the casserole dish and spread evenly.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add Ritz crackers to a large, resealable plastic food storage bag.
- Using a rolling pin, crush up the crackers.
- Sprinkle the crackers on top of the casserole.
- Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and crackers are golden.
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Ritz Crackers Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 large head of broccoli About 3 cups
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 21 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 2 (10.5-ounce) cans
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
Instructions
- Cook your chicken. See post for three ways to make shredded chicken.
- Shred your chicken on a cutting board with two forks.
- Trim the stems of your broccoli and add to a medium-sized saucepan.
- Add water about 1/3 of the way up the pot and cover.
- Boil broccoli for about 10 minutes until soft. (I like mine very soft, so if you like your broccoli a little more firm, lessen the cooking time.
- When broccoli is done cooking, remove from pot and chop into pieces.
- In a large bowl, add soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well and set aside.
- Boil 8 ounces of angel hair pasta until al dente. (I like to break my spaghetti in half before cooking. It makes it easier to mix together after it's cooked.)
- While the pasta is cooking, add the chicken and the broccoli to the bowl with the soup and sour cream mixture. Stir until combined.
- When the pasta is done cooking, drain the water and add to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir until combined.
- Add the mixture to the casserole dish and spread evenly.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add Ritz crackers to a large, resealable plastic food storage bag.
- Using a rolling pin, crush up the crackers.
- Sprinkle the crackers on top of the casserole.
- Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and crackers are golden.
Notes
ARE YOU MAKING THIS RECIPE? I LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS, SO SNAP A PHOTO AND TAG @WENDTHOUSELIFE ON INSTAGRAM WITH THE HASHTAG #WENDTHOUSELIFE AND PLEASE GIVE A STAR RATING BELOW ★
Variations
- If you don’t like broccoli, you can substitute the veggies that you like in this recipe.
- You can omit the angel hair pasta in the recipe and reduce the soup to 1 can and the sour cream to 1 cup. Serve over rice.
- You can lighten up this recipe by using fat free soups and light sour cream.
This casserole is for sure a family favorite around here. My kids love it when I make this dish. Having a potluck? This recipe is perfect. You won’t be able to leave without handing out the recipe. SO delish!
-Michele
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