Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken

This Easy Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken is the ultimate simple and delicious dinner for a busy night. Made with just 6 ingredients and one casserole dish, you can have this chicken dinner from the fridge to the oven in minutes! Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken is super rich, creamy, and comforting making it a crowd pleasing dinner idea.

this Recipe

 

Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole – The EASY Way!

It doesn’t get much better than tender chicken breast smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce!

Being a mushroom lover, I have lots of recipes I have shared here like my Baked Chicken Marsala, Baked Cheesy Mushroom Chicken, Beef and Mushroom Casserole. We also have a from scratch Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce recipe we LOVE, but when I am busy or don’t want to make a mess, this is my go-to short cut recipe that is every bit as delicious and only uses 6 ingredients and one casserole dish.

It literally doesn’t get any easier than this, and the chicken is so good, people may think it took you all day!

What I love about this recipe:

• Semi-homemade– We use Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and Italian dressing mix to pack the recipe full of flavor, while saving time!
• Oh the flavor! Have I mentioned how rich, creamy, and delicious this is?!
• So fast- It just tastes like it took all day… really all you need is 5 minutes to get it to the oven and 20-30 minutes of bake time!
• Bakes hands off- It really only takes 5-10 minutes of your attention to get this recipe going. Then it bakes with no babysitting needed so you can do what you need to do on a busy night.
• Comfort food at its finest– Creamy, savory, and rich, this chicken breast dinner checks every box for a true comfort food lover!
• Scales easily! You can easily double or triple the recipe if you need to feed a crowd.

What to Serve with Cream of Mushroom Chicken

Being such a quick and easy meal to make, I like to pair Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole with equally easy side dishes. I try to get in a veggie, and I also like to add a starch or bread to help soak up all of that delicious cream of mushroom sauce!

Side Dish Ideas

• Mashed Potatoes– My easy go-to recipe!
• Rice- It is a favorite to serve the cream of mushroom chicken over simple white or brown rice
• Roasted Vegetable Medley– Sounds fancy, but it is delicious and so simple
• Garlic Parmesan Broccoli– A family favorite!
• Squash Casserole– Comfort food with comfort food!
• Tomato Basil Salad– This is an easy, kid friendly, classic
• Side Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette– Take the extra 5 minutes to make the dressing… trust me!!
• Pasta – Egg noodles are a favorite!
• Garlic bread– A family favorite, or try this pesto garlic bread for a fun twist!

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner. 

Recipe Notes

This Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken recipe is as simple as promised! Just one casserole dish and 6 ingredients for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

• Chicken breast– You will want to use about 3-4 chicken breasts. I like to either pound them or split them to help them to cook more quickly and evenly (more on that in tips!) You can also substitute other boneless, skinless cuts like chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins in this recipe. It may impact the cooking time through.
  
• Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup– This is the good stuff that brings all the flavor. I use the original version to make this recipe, however, you can use light, low fat, low sodium, or a different brand if preferred. You can also use homemade cream of mushroom soup. There can be variations in flavor if doing this, but you should get a generally good result.
  NOTE: You will use this soup condensed. You do not need to add water or anything other than what is on the ingredient list here before mixing into the recipe.
  
• Sour cream- I use regular sour cream, but you can also substitute low fat sour cream or greek yogurt in this recipe with good results.
  
• Italian dressing mix– Both pre-packed Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons) or homemade Italian Dressing mix can be used here to load up on flavor.
  Note: This is not Italian seasoning, it is Italian Dressing Mix!
  
• Milk– You can use whatever you have on hand!
  
• Parmesan cheese– I prefer shredded in this recipe (over grated.) You can substitute or add mozzarella in addition to parmesan if you like a cheesier topping!

• Freshly chopped parsley– Optional for garnish! I don’t usually add this on a busy weeknight, but it does really dress it up with some color to make it pretty if you are serving to guests!

Recipe Tips

1. Use thin chicken breast- Using chicken breasts that are thin, or pounded or cut to be thin, will help this dish cook faster, bake more evenly, and remain more tender and juicy. I almost always cut my chicken horizontally so that it is half the thickness with any of my baked chicken dishes. It just comes out better! I often end up with 6-8 pieces of chicken instead of 3-4 since I cut them which makes serving a family easier as well.
   
2. Use a big dish– You will want to use a dish large enough for the chicken to lay the chicken flat. If the chicken is not flat it takes longer to cook and you can end up with spots that aren’t completely done, or spots that are over cooked.
   
3. Don’t over cook- The enemy of delicious, tender, juicy chicken is over-cooking so make sure to cook just until the middle of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165˚F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer I highly recommend getting one. They are inexpensive and take the guess work out of cooking so you seem like a hero with perfectly cooked meat every time!

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster! I have 3 suggestions that can help depending on the amount of time you have.

• Pre-mix the cream of mushroom soup mixture– Mix all of the ingredients for the topping together up to 2 days in advance. Refrigerate until you are ready to cook. Lay the chicken in the dish and continue with the recipe as directed.
• Prepare in advance– You can make this dish earlier in the day, or up to a day in advance, and place it in the refrigerator ready to cook. Once dinner rolls around, preheat and bake the dish as directed. It may take up to 10 minutes longer to cook coming straight from the refrigerator.
• Prepare as a freezer meal– You can make it up to 6 months in advance as a freezer meal. See full directions below.

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Cream of Mushroom Chicken with Rice– The original recipe does not include rice, but can be served over a bed of rice. If you prefer to cook it all together, you can add 2 cups of quick cooking rice and 2 cups of water to the mushroom soup mixture. Add this to a large baking dish, then lay the chicken in and push down until submerged in the rice mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
  
• Cheesy Cream of Mushroom Chicken– Layer the top with a combination of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese, or an Italian cheese blend.
  
• Cream of Mushroom Chicken with Crunchy Topping– If you love a little crunch then prepare this recipe as directed. Bake for 25 minutes, then add a topping of seasoned bread crumbs mixed with a little melted butter and return the oven for the remainder of the cook time.

Freezer Meal Instructions

Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole can be prepared as a freezer meal to make on another busy night, or give to a friend in need.

1. In a large bowl, combine the mushroom soup, sour cream, Italian dressing mix, and milk. Mix until smooth.
2. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper, then lay them in freezer friendly container or zip top bag .
3. Cover with the soup mixture and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top.
4. Freeze
5. When ready to cook, thaw meal completely, by placing the fridge for 24-48 hours.
6. Cook as directed.

For the best flavor, this meal can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making Cream of Mushroom Chicken Casserole, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
• in the freezer up to a month

Leftover Recipes

Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!

• Cream of Mushroom Rice Bowls– Place chicken and sauce on a bed of freshly cooked rice. Add roasted broccoli, carrots, and other veggies as desired (spinach, peppers, onion, zucchini, squash, etc.) Sprinkle with a little parmesan and serve.
  
• Baked Potatoes with Cream of Mushroom Chicken– Chop the leftover chicken and spoon chicken and sauce over freshly baked potatoes. Top with sour cream, cheese, and green onions.
  
• Cream of Mushroom Chicken Stuffed Peppers– Half and hollow bell peppers. Shred leftover chicken and mix into remaining sauce. Combine chicken mixture with cooked rice (or cauliflower rice) and then stuff into hollowed bell peppers. Top with cheese if desired. Bake at 350˚F for 30-40 minutes or until the peppers are tender.

More Easy Casserole Recipes

If you enjoyed this smothered chicken recipe with cream of mushroom soup, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my Dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
• Chicken Fajita Casserole
• Chicken Parmesan Casserole
• Mississippi Chicken
• Cheddar Bay Chicken Pot Pie
• 7 Layer Taco Casserole