This chicken hashbrown casserole is an easy dinner recipe made with tender potatoes, juicy shredded chicken, and veggies baked in a creamy, cheesy ranch sauce. It’s sure to be a family favorite!
I’m not one to pass up a chicken casserole recipe, and this cheesy chicken hashbrown casserole is one of our family favorites. It’s simple to make but packs in SO MUCH flavor into a 9×13” casserole dish. This recipe is:
Full of flavor. My casserole combines tender chicken, veggies, and hashbrown potatoes in a rich and creamy sauce packed with shredded cheddar, cream cheese, and ranch seasoning. Who doesn’t love huge forkfuls of melty, cheesy chicken and potatoes? (Correct answer: No one!).
Easy. Chicken hashbrown casserole is like a cross between crack chicken and cheesy potato casserole. This recipe uses frozen hashbrowns and condensed chicken soup for extra convenience. Simply mix the ingredients and bake!
Make-ahead friendly. Prepare your casserole for the oven the night before, and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. It’s perfect for meal prep, and even the leftover casserole tastes great for days.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ve rounded up the ingredients you’ll need to make this casserole below. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list of ingredients with amounts.
Cream of Chicken Soup – Good ol’ canned cream of chicken soup. You can use cream of mushroom soup if you don’t have cream of chicken. Keep in mind that this will slightly alter the flavor of the casserole.
Sour Cream – Regular or reduced-fat sour cream, whichever you prefer. You can also substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt.
Cream Cheese – I recommend using cream cheese that comes in blocks. Let it come to room temperature before using.
Milk – 1% or 2% milk is fine, or you can use whole milk.
Seasonings – Dried thyme, black pepper, and a packet of Ranch seasoning.
Corn – I like to add one can of whole-kernel corn, drained.
Cheese – The best cheese for this casserole is cheddar cheese. Grate the cheese fresh from the block so that it melts smoothly.
Chicken – You’ll need 3 cups of cooked cubed or shredded chicken.
Potatoes – The easiest way to make this casserole is to thaw out a bag of diced potatoes (like breakfast hashbrowns). You can also chop up the potatoes and par-boil them yourself if you prefer.
Topping – I top this casserole with crushed seasoned croutons or butter crackers. I find garlic croutons add lots of flavor. Use more or less depending on how much extra crunch you’re after.
How to Make Chicken Hashbrown Casserole
This easy chicken hashbrown casserole is so quick to make. All you need is a bowl to mix the casserole filling and a dish to bake it in! Below is a short step-by-step. Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
Combine the filling ingredients.Stir in the chicken and potatoes.
Make the filling. Add the canned soup, sour cream, milk, and cream cheese to a large bowl. Stir in the thyme, pepper, and ranch seasoning. Finally, fold in your drained corn kernels and about 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Add chicken and potatoes. Next, stir the hashbrown potatoes and chicken into the sauce. Transfer the filling to an ungreased 9×13” baking dish.
Top with cheese.Add crushed croutons (or crackers) and bake!
Add the crumb topping. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with additional shredded cheese, along with a topping of crushed crackers or croutons.
Bake. Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 30 minutes, or until the filling is hot throughout and bubbling at the edges.
Tips and Recipe Variations
Ready to make the best hashbrown casserole? Here are some last-minute tips before you get started:
Use up leftover chicken. I love having cooked shredded chicken on hand in my freezer to use in recipes like this chicken casserole, chicken noodle soup, and my cheesy chicken crescent bake. You can also use a rotisserie chicken or any other leftover cooked chicken you have on hand.
Check the casserole for doneness. After about 30 minutes, the casserole should be bubbling and the top should look browned. If the cheese and filling aren’t bubbly, let the casserole bake for a short while longer.
Add bacon. Cooked crumbled bacon is a great way to add even more flavor to this chicken hashbrown casserole. (We all know that bacon and ranch are a match made in heaven. Just ask my cheesy bacon ranch bombs.)
Add veggies. Bulk up this casserole with vegetables such as diced carrots, celery, onions, frozen peas, spinach, or kale. If you have leftover roasted veggies, those are also great to add in!
Vegetarian. To make a vegetarian hashbrown casserole instead, omit the chicken and replace it with your choice of vegetables (see my previous tip).
Can I Substitute the Condensed Soup In this Recipe?
Condensed chicken soup acts as a binder for the other ingredients in this casserole. If condensed soup isn’t your thing, there are a couple of ways that you can substitute it:
1 cup of additional sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
2 eggs, whisked into the milk.
Can I Make This Casserole Ahead?
Yes! You can prepare this casserole up to one day ahead. Assemble the casserole as directed, and instead of baking, cover the casserole and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time if you’re baking this chicken hashbrown casserole cold from the fridge.
Refrigerate. Store any leftover chicken hashbrown casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat. To reheat leftovers, pop the casserole into the oven at 350°F for a few minutes, with a little extra cheese. You can also warm individual servings the microwave.
Freeze. Place the casserole in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
This chicken hashbrown casserole is an easy dinner recipe packed with tender potatoes, shredded chicken, and sweet corn baked in a creamy, cheesy ranch sauce.
1– 1/2 cup crushed seasoned croutons or butter crackers (I used Garlic Croutons), depending on how much crunch you want!
Preheat oven to 350°
In a large bowl combine soup, sour cream, milk, cream cheese, thyme, pepper and Ranch seasoning. Stir until smooth. Mix in corn and 1 cup grated cheese.
Next mix in diced potatoes and chicken.
Spread entire mixture into an ungreased 9×13 pan.
Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top and finally the crushed croutons or crackers.
Bake for 30 minutes until mixture is hot and bubbly.
