Cheese-Crusted Creamed Chicken and Chips

This casserole is full of chicken, cream sauce (no canned soup), sour cream, potato chips, and cheese. Use different flavors of chips to add variety.

Baked chicken and potato chip casserole with a spoon

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Do you like to raid the recipe boxes of family members?

Me, too. I got this easy chicken and potato chip casserole from my sister’s recipe box. It’s a “goodie.”

The word “casserole” sounds so June Cleaver-ish. But I’m a Texas city girl with roots in Indiana farm country. Casseroles equal comfort food in my book.

RELATED COMFORT FOOD: Chicken and Dumplings

I thought about outlawing this dish at my house. The original recipe called for chips, cheese, and canned soup. But we all like it, including the kids. So, I’m not ready to banish it from my repertoire.

baked chicken and potato chip casserole fresh out of the oven

Upping the freshness factor:

Recently, I decided this easy recipe using leftover rotisserie chicken needed a makeover. Some freshness and kick were required without making the directions too complicated.

Instead of buying condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup, try whipping up a quick cream sauce. Use a skillet and your stove (see video), or save time by cooking the sauce in a microwave (illustrated below.)

This cream sauce is the same recipe as my Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup. It’s a handy recipe to have in your back pocket.

Gluten-Free?

Incidentally, the cream sauce is thickened with cornstarch, not flour. If you use a gluten-free chicken base, the entire recipe will be gluten-free. (That assumes you also aren’t using any other substitutes with gluten.)

Out of curiosity, I researched the chicken base I use, Better Than Bouillion. According to their website, “We do not make the gluten-free claims upon any of our Better Than Bouillon Food Bases.” Hmmm.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time or freeze it?

Yes, you can assemble this earlier in the day as long as you bake it the same day. Otherwise, the chips will absorb moisture and get soft.

I don’t recommend freezing this casserole. The chips tend to have a leftover potato-chip flavor, in my opinion.

If you are only feeding 2-3 people, try making a half-recipe. You may still have leftovers, but not as much.

Substitutions:

Substitute 2 cans of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup for the scratch cream sauce to save time. (This substitution makes the recipe easy enough for kids to cook it themselves.)
Kettle-baked potato chips hold up the best and make a fabulous crunchy crust on top. However, you can use any chips you have on hand. This a great way to get rid of leftover chips from your last party.
Consider using flavored chips. We love jalapeño chips for their flavor and spice.
Replace the sour cream with full-fat yogurt if you prefer. Don’t use fat-free yogurt, or you run the risk of it separating when the casserole starts to bubble with heat.
Instead of rotisserie chicken, you can use leftover turkey or any cooked chicken you have on hand.

CHEESE-CRUSTED CREAMED CHICKEN AND CHIPS

How to assemble Chicken and Potato Chip Casserole:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

milk, oil, and chicken base in a blender — Add milk, oil, and chicken base to a blender or food processor.

adding onion powder and white pepper — Add onion powder and white pepper.

adding cornstarch — Finally, add cornstarch.

cream mixture in a blender — Blend milk mixture until smooth as seen below.

mixture in a microwave-safe bowl for cooking — Pour cream mixture into a microwave-safe bowl.

mixture in the microwave — Cook in the microwave for 6-8 minutes or until thickened.

whisking cream mixture — Whisk 2-3 times during cooking time in the microwave.

adding rotisserie chicken (or leftover turkey) — Add chopped, cooked chicken to sauce.

adding sour cream and milk — Whisk in sour cream and final half-cup of milk.

crushing chips — Use your hands to press an unopened bag of chips to crush them.

first layer of chips in casserole dish — Sprinkle half of the chips on the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish.

cream sauce with chicken spread over chips — Spread the cream sauce with chicken over the chips.

second chip layer — Sprinkle the other half of the chips over the chicken sauce.

cheese layer — Finish with shredded cheddar cheese.

baked casserole — Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until chicken mixture is bubbling on the edges.

Pin the picture below to save for later.

pinterest image for chicken and potato chip casserole

If you make this and enjoy the recipe, it would help me and others if you would return to this post and leave a rating (on the recipe card itself underneath the picture). Although always appreciated, no comment is required. Thank you for visiting! Paula

Yield: 8 servings

Chicken and Potato Chip Casserole Without Canned Soup

Kid-friendly way to transform leftover rotisserie chicken or Thanksgiving turkey into a creamy casserole with a crispy, cheesy, and chewy crust

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chicken base
3 cups whole (or 2%) milk (divided)
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken)
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces kettle-baked potato chips (use plain or flavored--we like jalapeno chips)
4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Combine first six ingredients in a medium bowl, a blender, or a food processor.
Pour into a large skillet and heat until thickened. Alternatively, cook in a microwave for 6-8 minutes until thickened, stirring a couple of times while cooking.
Whisk sour cream into the sauce until smooth. Stir in chicken and remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Season with pepper.
Crush chips and layer half of them on the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Distribute creamed chicken on top of the chip layer, then cover chicken with remaining chips. Sprinkle cheese over top chip layer.
Bake at 350 30-40 minutes until bubbly. If chips start to brown too much, lay a piece of foil over the top but don't seal. You want the chips to be crispy.