Cheesy Chicken Hashbrown Casserole (With Bacon!)

This Chicken Hashbrown Casserole is the definition of easy, cheesy, and oh-so-cozy. It’s also a great way to use up leftovers, so your fridge gets a little cleanup too!

 

Why We Love This Easy Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

• Cozy Cheesy Potatoes – This dish is super creamy, cheesy and cozy, similar to the very popular funeral potatoes but a full meal in a dish! Plus we’ve made this version with no cream of chicken soup.
• Great Way To Use Leftovers – Have leftover chicken, leftover bacon or leftover vegetables? This easy casserole recipe is a great way to clean out the fridge a little bit, dice everything bite sized and add what you have to the mixing bowl!
• Bacon Makes It Even Better! – That diced bacon in the dish adds something a little bit extra that’s simply tasty.

Ingredients For Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

• chicken breast cooked chicken, diced or shredded chicken, can use rotisserie chicken or cooked boneless chicken thighs
• cheddar cheese shredded
• Monterey jack cheese – shredded
• shredded hash browns frozen
• bacon cooked, chopped, 16 ounces is about 2 cups of bacon, see notes
• frozen mixed vegetables I used a vegetable medley of corn, peas, carrots and green beans. 12 ounces is about 1 1/2 cups. Canned vegetables can also be used if drained well
• butter – salted butter is fine, if you have unsalted butter just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt when you add the butter. You could also use oil such as olive oil, canola oil or another cooking oil but you will have better flavor using butter.
• all purpose flour – I have not tried this with gluten free flour, but it should swap easily if you already have a gluten free flour you like. I don’t recommend using almond flour
• chicken broth – I prefer low sodium chicken broth
• heavy cream can also use half and half, we’re using the cream, broth and the flour to make a creamy sauce instead of using condensed soup
• garlic powder
• onion powder – you can also dice up 1/4 of a fresh onion into small pieces, and add it to the potato mixture
• salt
• black pepper
• sour cream I used full fat sour cream, you could also use plain greek yogurt.

How To Make Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with spray cooking oil and set to the side.
2. Chop the chicken and the bacon into bite sized pieces. Add the frozen hashbrowns, chicken, cheddar cheese and veggies to a large bowl. Mix well until combined then set to the side.

3. Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and allow the butter to melt. Add flour to the butter and with a whisk mix continually. Cook the flour mixture for 1 minute while whisking which will get rid of any floury taste. Add chicken broth and heavy cream to the flour mixture, mixing with a whisk every few minutes. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Pour sauce over the hash brown mixture and add sour cream. Mix the hashbrown mixture and the sauce together until the hashbrowns, meat and vegetables are thoroughly coated. Scoop the potato mixture into the prepared pan evenly, then cover with aluminum foil.

5. Bake the cheesy chicken hash brown casserole for 1 hour until hot all the way through to the center. Remove the foil, then bake the casserole for and additional 10-15 minutes until top is golden brown and crispy. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Hashbrown Casserole Variation Ideas

Top With Crushed Corn Flakes – Top this casserole with crushed corn flakes to give the top a bit of crunch that goes great with the cheesy chicken and potatoes. Crushed buttery Ritz crackers sprinkled evenly over the top also make a great topping for this chicken casserole.

Swap The Cheese – Use whatever cheese you like in this cheesy casserole recipe. Try sharp cheddar, mozzarella, provolone or your favorite cheese you can shred.

Try Other Frozen Vegetable Mixes – You can also use another variety mix of frozen vegetables. If you use one that has broccoli or another vegetable that is sometimes in large pieces cut the bigger pieces into smaller bite size pieces first. I do this by defrosting it in the microwave for a minute, draining any water, and then adding it to the casserole. The vegetables don’t need to be cooked through, just defrosted enough you can slice them.

Some vegetables like carrots, corn and peas don’t hold a lot of water and won’t make the casserole soggy even when added frozen. Vegetables like broccoli, spinach and cauliflower do hold a lot more water so it’s best to defrost them and drain some of the water away so the casserole doesn’t become mushy.

Use Fresh Vegetables – You can add fresh vegetables to this casserole, in fact it’s an easy way to clean out the fridge. Any vegetables you add dice them into bite sized pieces before you start. Try bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, green beans or corn sliced off the cob. I find broccoli and cauliflower need to be chopped into fairly small pieces or they may not cook all the way through.

Some vegetables like spinach, onions or tomatoes which have a little more water in them can be added but will taste better if you sauté them in a pan first to remove some of the water before they are added.

How Long Will This Chicken Hashbrown Casserole Recipe Last?

Expect this casserole will last for about three days if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can place the entire casserole dish in the refrigerator once it is fully cooled, but I recommend covering it with either a tight fitting lid or tight fitting plastic wrap.

You can also freeze leftovers of this casserole. I recommend freezing in individual pieces as it is much quicker to reheat. You can bake leftovers until warm all the way through. Heating in the microwave is a little more mushy then the oven, but still delicious.