3 Amazing Hot Chicken Salad Comfort Bakes

Oh, I love those moments when you pull something truly soul-satisfying out of the oven! If you’re anything like I was before I found my way back to cooking—feeling stressed and looking for the easiest win—this recipe is for you. Now, let’s be clear right away: when I say **Hot Chicken Salad**, I’m talking about that lush, creamy, baked Southern tradition, not that fiery Nashville hot chicken you see everywhere! That rich, cheesy, wonderfully retro casserole is pure comfort. I found so much peace creating simple, delicious food like this after leaving my demanding corporate life, and you can read more about my journey over on my About Page. This **Creamy Chicken Bake** is exactly the kind of dish that brings everyone together, making it a complete showstopper at family dinners or your next big potluck, trust me.

Why This Hot Chicken Salad Casserole is a Simple Potluck Favorite

I promise you will want this **Hot Chicken Salad** recipe tucked away for those times you need unbeatable comfort food fast. It’s genuinely one of my favorite things to take to any kind of gathering! It’s incredibly reliable, and it travels so well, which is huge when you are looking for those easy entertaining wins.

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• It’s a true **Comfort Food Casserole**. Think warm, cheesy, and creamy.
• You can pull this together in about 15 minutes of actual work, making it an **Easy Baked Chicken Dish**.
• You know those nights when you’re just done? You can mix this whole thing up the day before! Check out my tips for quick weeknight meals here.

Key Characteristics of this Hot Chicken Salad

What sets this apart from a regular cold salad is that lovely texture contrast. You get that super luscious, **Creamy Chicken Bake** filling thanks to the sour cream and mayo base. Then, you get that beautiful crunch on top. It’s all about that golden, buttery cracker crust achieving the perfect chew against the soft filling. It’s basically the best kind of **Retro Chicken Casserole** the South ever gave us!

Ingredients for Your Hot Chicken Salad Bake

When you look at this ingredient list, you realize why this is such a straightforward winner. We aren’t using anything fancy or hard to find—just everyday pantry staples that come together beautifully. Making sure you have your chicken already cooked and shredded makes this whole thing come together in a flash.

For the main body of the casserole, you’ll need:

• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I usually grab a rotisserie chicken for speed, don’t judge my shortcut!)
• 1 cup celery, nicely chopped (This adds that necessary, fresh crunch.)
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced (These are optional, but I always toss them in for a great textural surprise!)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (Also optional, but they toast up nicely in the oven.)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Use the good stuff, it brings the richness.)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (This cuts the richness just a hair and keeps it tangy.)
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup (This is the binder that makes it super cozy.)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Sharp cheddar makes the flavor pop!)

Topping Ingredients for the Crunchy Topping Chicken

This topping is non-negotiable, folks! It is what takes this from a nice creamy scoop into that spectacular **Retro Chicken Casserole** experience everyone loves. The contrast where the cheesy center meets the buttery crumbs? Heaven.

• 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (Truly, stick to Ritz if you can—they crumble perfectly.)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (Make sure this is fully melted so you coat every crumb evenly.)

See? Nothing scary here! Just simple components ready to bring the comfort. If you are looking to skip the step of making your own base, you can check out some of the best meal delivery services, but honestly, once you see how easy this is, you won’t need them!

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Creamy Chicken Bake

Alright, let’s get this soul-satisfying **Creamy Chicken Bake** into the oven! Remember my philosophy: cooking has to be approachable, so we’re taking this step-by-step. I’ve found that keeping my wet mixture separate from my dry ingredients until the last minute stops me from accidentally over-mixing, which is the kiss of death for any good casserole. Set your mind to something comforting and easy, just like when I experimented with my favorite comfort recipes.

Preparing the Filling for the Hot Chicken Salad

First things first, get that oven preheated to 350 degrees F, and go ahead and grease that 9×13 baking dish. You want everything ready to go! In one big bowl, toss together your cooked chicken, chopped celery, and those fun optional additions like water chestnuts or almonds. Give that a quick stir.

Now, grab a smaller bowl—this is important when dealing with a creamy base! Whisk your mayonnaise, sour cream, the can of cream of chicken soup, and all your seasonings (onion powder, salt, pepper) until it looks smooth and happy. Seriously, you want this part completely combined before it meets the chicken. Once it looks like soft silk, pour that wet mixture right over your chicken and vegetables. Gently fold it all together. We just want it coated, not beaten into submission!

Assembling and Baking the Hot Chicken Salad Casserole

Time to layer! Spread that creamy chicken goodness evenly into your prepared dish. Now, sprinkle that shredded cheddar cheese right over the top of the mixture. Don’t skimp here; the cheese helps hold the topping on later!

In a separate tiny bowl—I use the one I just mixed the wet ingredients in if I’m washing fast, oops!—toss your crushed Ritz crackers with the 6 tablespoons of melted butter until every single crumb is coated in that gold. Sprinkle this buttery layer right over the cheese.

SAVE

Bake it! Pop it into that 350-degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. You are looking for the edges to be seriously bubbly—you’ll see that cheese melting through the crackers. The topping should look beautifully golden brown. When it comes out, please, please let it rest for about five minutes before you serve it. Cooling just slightly lets the casserole set up so it doesn’t turn into a runny mess when you scoop it out!

Expert Tips for the Perfect Hot Chicken Salad

You want this **Hot Chicken Salad** to be perfect every time, right? When I transformed my cooking life, I realized that while the base recipe is simple, the little tricks make a huge difference between good and truly phenomenal. That’s why I always stick to a few absolute rules when I put this **Family Dinner Chicken** together. Seriously, the quality of your starting ingredients sings through in the final bake, but don’t stress if you need to make swaps—I’ve been there!

My number one time-saver secret? Cooked chicken. If I’m not batch-cooking chicken breasts over the weekend, I grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It cuts the prep time almost in half, which is so important when you are trying to make incredible food without letting it become another chore. That’s what this site is all about: finding that pure joy in simple cooking! If you’re looking for more ways to simplify serving when you have company, I talk about that a lot on my Easy Entertaining page.

One thing I learned the hard way when I tried making this for a big party is managing moisture, especially if you are prepping ahead. If you are serving this for **Easy Entertaining**, you MUST let it rest for those final five minutes after it comes out of the oven. This gives the liquid time to redistribute and lets that stunning **Crunchy Topping Chicken** layer firm up instead of melting into soup upon serving. Don’t skip that rest time!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Your Hot Chicken Salad

Because this is such a beloved recipe, everyone has their own version, and I love playing with it! My personal preference is the Ritz crunch with celery and sometimes almonds, but you have total freedom here. If you need to change things up, here are some swaps that I know work well:

• Forget the Ritz crackers for a moment? Potato chips work great! Be generous with that butter, though, because chips tend to be thinner.
• Nuts are optional, which is perfect if you’re cooking for someone with an allergy. If you skip the almonds or water chestnuts, consider adding a bit more finely chopped celery or maybe even some diced bell pepper for color and crunch.
• That cream of chicken soup is key, but if you need a non-dairy option or just don’t like canned soup, you can make a quick mornay. Just melt two tablespoons of regular butter, sprinkle in two tablespoons of flour to make a roux, cook for one minute, then whisk in about 1.5 cups of milk, letting it thicken nicely before mixing it into your mayonnaise and sour cream.

Whatever you substitute, just make sure you balance the creaminess! This dish is supposed to be rich, thick, and totally satisfying. Keep enjoying those **Simple Potluck Favorite** recipes!

Make Ahead and Storage for this Potluck Chicken Casserole

One of the biggest reasons I love this **Hot Chicken Salad** casserole so much is that it totally shines as one of those fantastic **Make Ahead Casserole Ideas**! If you are heading to a potluck or just have a super hectic week coming up, you can completely assemble this baby ahead of time. I actually prefer assembling it the night before because I find the flavors mingle just a little bit longer, making it even better the next day.

When you want to prep ahead, go ahead and mix everything right up through the cracker topping. Cover that baking dish tightly with plastic wrap—I usually go for two layers just to be safe—and slide it right into the fridge. It’s happy chilling there for up to 24 hours. I talk a bit more about maximizing your prep time for those big events over on my post about make ahead breakfast burritos, which uses similar principles!

Now for the baking adjustment. If you bake it straight from the fridge, it will be cold in the center, so you absolutely need to give yourself some extra time. I always plan on adding about 5 to 10 extra minutes to the baking time. You’re still aiming for that gorgeous bubbly, golden top, but you might need to check it around the 35-minute mark instead of 25.

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What about leftovers? Oh yes, we always have leftovers! If you have some of this **Potluck Chicken Casserole** hanging around, heating it up is easy. Scoop out whatever portion you want into a smaller oven-safe dish, cover it loosely with foil—that protects the crunch a bit—and reheat it at 325 degrees F until it’s hot all the way through. If it’s looking a little dry after reheating (which happens!), maybe sprinkle just a teaspoon of milk over the portion before you cover it with foil. That little bit of steam perks it right back up!

Serving Suggestions for Your Family Dinner Chicken

When you pull this rich, cheesy **Hot Chicken Salad** casserole out, you need sides that complement its comforting nature without making the whole meal feel heavy, right? Since this dish is already creamy and cheesy—it’s definitely the star of the show—I always try to balance it out with something bright or fresh. That way, every bite feels satisfying instead of overwhelming. This is where great **meal planning** really saves the day; having these quick complements ready means you don’t have to panic when dinner time hits!

For those busy weeknights when this **Family Dinner Chicken** is on the menu, I keep things super simple. I love pairing it with something vibrant. If you’ve got a bag of fresh green beans, steam them quickly and toss them with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice and salt. That tiny bit of acid cuts right through the richness of the casserole beautifully. You can find some fantastic salad ideas on my post about sides for sloppy joes, too—many of those crisp salads work perfectly here!

If you want something a little heartier, but still light enough, a simple sliced tomato salad dressed with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper is fantastic in the summer. And if you want bread (because honestly, who doesn’t want something to scoop up those casserole edges?), skip the heavy garlic bread and go for a simple, crusty baguette or homemade dinner rolls. That way, you get to enjoy the fantastic texture of the **Crunchy Topping Chicken** without having too much heavy starch on your plate!

Frequently Asked Questions about the Retro Chicken Casserole

I always get so many questions when people first try this recipe because they are used to the cold versions! That’s totally fine; this **Retro Chicken Casserole** is a classic for a reason, and I want you to feel totally confident making it. Addressing a few common worries right here helps make sure your **Hot Chicken Salad** turns out perfectly cheesy and delicious right out of the oven!

Can I substitute the cream of chicken soup in this Hot Chicken Salad?

Oh, absolutely, you can! While the cream of chicken soup is such a Southern classic and helps give that recognizable flavor profile to our **Creamy Chicken Bake**, it isn’t the only way to get that creamy texture. If you don’t have it on hand, you can make a quick béchamel sauce—which is basically the fancy French term for that roux-milk sauce I mentioned earlier. Just melt 2 tablespoons of butter, whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour, cook it for a minute until it smells nutty, then slowly whisk in about 1 and 1/2 cups of milk until it’s smooth and thick. Let that sauce cool slightly, mix it with your mayo and sour cream, and you’ve got a homemade binder that tastes amazing!

What is the best way to use this recipe for **Meal Planning**?

This dish is genuinely one of my best **Make Ahead Casserole Ideas**! When I talk about simplifying things, it means making life easier on the actual busy days. I often suggest assembling the entire casserole—filling, cheese, and topping—the night before. If you’re trying complex, restrictive **meal planning** systems, sometimes that feels like too much pressure, but this casserole is the opposite. You just pull it from the fridge, add that 5 or 10 extra minutes to the bake time, and boom—you have a fantastic **Family Dinner Chicken** ready to go without breaking a sweat.

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The key to stress-free **meal planning** with this particular casserole is pairing it with sides that need zero active cooking time. Think pre-washed greens for a quick salad, or cooking a pot of rice while the casserole is baking if you want something starchy underneath it. It lets you concentrate on getting that perfect golden-brown topping instead of juggling three pots on the stove! If you ever need to reach out with more specific questions about using this recipe, feel free to send me a message through my contact page!

Nutritional Estimate for This Warm Chicken Casserole

Okay, friends, I want to be upfront about this part. While this **Hot Chicken Salad** is pure comfort food heaven and perfect for sharing, it definitely leans into the rich, satisfying side of things, thanks to that creamy sauce and buttery cracker topping. If you are tracking things very closely, or maybe doing a super rigid **keto meal plan delivery**, you’ll definitely want to treat these numbers as a general guideline, not gospel.

Here is the estimated nutritional breakdown based on the standard ingredients list we used:

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 3g
• Sodium: 650mg (Yep, that cracker salt adds up, so be mindful if you’re watching sodium!)
• Fat: 30g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Unsaturated Fat: 20g
• Trans Fat: 0.5g
• Carbohydrates: 15g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 30g
• Cholesterol: 95mg

Remember what I always preach? Food should bring joy, and while it’s great to know what’s in our **Warm Chicken Casserole**, we shouldn’t let numbers overshadow the happiness a dish like this brings to a family dinner! These figures are just estimates, mind you. The brands of cheese or mayonnaise you use can definitely shift these values around. For more details on how I approach transparency in my recipes, you can always check out my disclosures page.

Share Your Hot Chicken Salad Success

That’s it! You’ve just made a batch of the creamiest, crunchiest, most satisfying **Hot Chicken Salad** casserole ever. I really hope this comforting dish brings as much simple, pure joy to your table as it does to mine. When I see folks enjoying these easy, shared meals, it reminds me why I started this entire site.

Now, I absolutely live to see what you create in your kitchen! If you made this for a potluck or a big **Family Dinner Chicken** night, please take a snapshot! Snap a picture of that beautiful golden topping and tag me on social media so I can see where my recipe has traveled. It truly means the world to me when I see your smiling faces enjoying the food.

If you loved how easy this was to pull together, please leave a star rating and a quick comment right here on the page. Your feedback helps other home cooks feel brave enough to try something new! And if you want to join our little community where we share quick tips and behind-the-scenes cooking fun, make sure you follow along over on my page on Facebook! You can connect with me and see what I’m cooking up next right here: follow Pure Cooking Joy on Facebook. Happy cooking, friend!

Simple Baked Hot Chicken Salad Casserole

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You can make this creamy, comforting Hot Chicken Salad Casserole with everyday ingredients. It is a simple, soul-satisfying dish perfect for family dinners or potlucks.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Total Time: 45 min
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Casserole
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced (optional)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, celery, water chestnuts, and almonds if you are using them.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the chicken mixture and stir gently until everything is coated well.
5. Spread the chicken mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
6. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken mixture.
7. In a small bowl, toss the crushed Ritz crackers with the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly coated.
8. Spread the buttery cracker mixture over the cheese layer.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
10. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before you serve it hot.

Notes

• You can prepare this casserole ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add about 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time if cooking directly from the refrigerator.
• If you are planning meals for the week, this recipe pairs well with simple sides, saving you time compared to using meal delivery companies.
• For a different texture, substitute potato chips for the Ritz crackers in the topping.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 3
• Sodium: 650
• Fat: 30
• Saturated Fat: 10
• Unsaturated Fat: 20
• Trans Fat: 0.5
• Carbohydrates: 15
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 30
• Cholesterol: 95