I Tried Our 5 Most Popular Chicken Casseroles and This Is the One I'll Feed My Family Again and Again

We tried our most-loved chicken casserole recipes to find out which one is the best of the best—here's the one my family can't get enough of.

In search of a superior chicken casserole recipe, I opened no less than 14 cans of soup while trying the five most popular recipes from Allrecipes—and it was so worth it.

Chicken casserole is one of the most ubiquitous dishes found in family cookbooks across the country. Show me a grandma who doesn’t have a go-to chicken casserole recipe. I’ll wait. See what I mean?

Most of us grew up eating some variation of chicken casserole and most of us have an opinion about what makes the best one. It’s the dish that you throw together when a neighbor needs comforting, when a loved one is under duress, or if you simply need to feel a sense of home. Ideally, you should already have most ingredients on hand in your pantry for such emergencies (be them physical, spiritual, or emotional).

What Makes the Perfect Chicken Casserole?

The quintessential chicken casserole comes out of the oven hot, bubbly, and positively dripping with comfort and nostalgia. In order to accomplish this, the casserole must embody three things: ease of execution, simple homey flavor, and some sort of textural interest. Appearance doesn’t even come into play as far, as I am concerned. If there ever was a time to embrace the power of beige, it’s with a cozy chicken casserole. 

Related: 20 Vintage Casseroles That Start With a Can of Condensed Soup

Which Casseroles Did We Test?

We pulled the five most popular chicken casseroles from across the site. The contestants are as follows:

1. Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole, from Katie Benham

2. King Ranch Chicken Casserole, from Chef John

3. Million Dollar Chicken Casserole, from Amanda Stanfield

4. Chicken Noodle Casserole, from Dawne

5. Broccoli Chicken Casserole, from Tracy

The Criteria

I used three basic criteria to weigh our contestants:

• Simplicity of instructions and ease of execution: The perfect chicken casserole should be straightforward to make and should come together in a pinch, without sacrificing the end result. These dishes are often delivered or eaten during trying times. The recipe should be simple enough to execute while putting your whole heart into the emotional support of the receiver.

• Flavor: When I think of chicken casserole, I immediately think "comfort." No need to overcomplicate the flavor profile, as less is often more when it comes to cozy.

• Texture: The perfect chicken casserole should be deeply creamy and have some sort of textural interest, usually from a crispy topping or lightly cooked vegetables. I grew up with the classic cracker/butter topping, and let me be honest: It's still my favorite.

The Results

The Easiest: Mamaw's Chicken and Rice Casserole

• The recipe: Mamaw's Chicken and Rice Casserole, submitted by Katie Benham

• Average rating: 4.6

• Rave review: "This is now a go to recipe at our house. We are making it tonight and the kids all asked me to double it so there might be some leftovers. Super easy to make and my picky 8-year-old son loves it too!" —harvey5

Mamaw clearly knows that when you need a chicken casserole, you probably need it fast. This recipe was the simplest of the bunch, both in terms of ingredients and execution. She even instructs the cook to mix all of the ingredients directly in the casserole dish, which eliminates the need for any extra dishwashing afterwards (always helpful in a casserole emergency).

Mamaw's recipe combines raw chicken, instant rice, water, and three kinds of cream soups. She tops it all off with a full stick of butter, cut into pats and dotted across the top before baking. This dish scored high in ease and comfort. 

Best for Potlucks: Broccoli Chicken Casserole

• The recipe: Broccoli Chicken Casserole, submitted by Tracy

• Average rating: 4.2

• Rave review: "Oh my gosh!!! I’ve made this several times and this is amazing!!! I doubled the cheese. Just fantastic!!!” —Patsy Rich

I absolutely love the addition of broccoli to a classic chicken casserole recipe. It adds the perfect amount of interest and wholesomeness. This recipe was the driest of the bunch, calling for a solitary can of cream of mushroom soup and a mere tablespoon of mayonnaise. For this reason, it is our clear winner in the crowd-pleasing category, as some folks tend to be condiment/sauce averse. I also loved the textural twist of topping this casserole with boxed stuffing mix and Cheddar cheese.

This recipe was simple to execute and called only for readily available ingredients: perfect for the person who just remembered that the potluck is happening in an hour—not that I’ve ever done this before (I’ve absolutely done this before).

Best Texture: King Ranch Chicken Casserole

• The recipe: King Ranch Chicken Casserole, from Chef John

• Average rating: 4.5

• Rave review: “This recipe is excellent! I followed the recipe to the tee. Our family loved it! I will be making this again, this a definite keeper!” —Janeska

This recipe is full of Tex-Mex flavor and requires a bit more in terms of prep than the others. Onions and peppers are sautéed and combined with cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with green chili peppers, and a smattering of Southwestern spices to make a creamy sauce.

This mixture is then layered in a dish with chicken, corn tortillas, and cheese. This is the perfect recipe for when you simultaneously want to eat enchiladas and find yourself with 12 extra guests around the table. The layering of the tortillas and fresh veggies puts this dish squarely in the “best texture” category, as each spoonful is chock-full of each element.

Most Nostalgic: Chicken Noodle Casserole

• The recipe: Chicken Noodle Casserole, from Dawne

• Average rating: 4.4

• Rave review: "Very easy to make with common staples, quick to make, and disappears even faster!" —Oliver Nussbaum

As far as chicken casseroles are concerned, this is a versatile recipe that instantly evokes feelings of home. The cream to crunch ration is spot on, thanks to the additions of cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream. Some of the noodles get browned and crunchy on their way out of the oven, and the topping consists of buttery crackers tossed with yet more butter. The end result is deeply satisfying and tastes like a childhood memory. What I love most about this recipe is that if you want to add veggies, or different herbs and spices, you can feel free to go right ahead, knowing that your base recipe is strong enough to handle it.

The One I’ll Feed My Family Again and Again

The recipe: Million Dollar Chicken Casserole, from Amanda Stanfield
Average rating: 4.3
Rave review: “Great recipe to use for a base and then add to it whatever your family likes to make it your own. Comfort food at its best.” —Queen Bee

This recipe was the clear winner at our dinner table. Easy to execute? Absolutely. Cozy? One hundred percent. Crispy butter cracker topping? You know it. This recipe stole the show.

A first glance at the ingredients gave me pause and I was genuinely concerned that the mixture would be too wet. The recipe calls for cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream, which seems like an awful lot, but I trusted the process and am so glad that I did.

The sauce is combined with chicken, Creole seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh chopped parsley. Just before baking, the dish is sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and crushed butter-garlic soaked crackers.

The end result, in my humble opinion, is exactly what a chicken casserole should be: deeply creamy, crispy, and dripping with comfort.

Read the original article on All Recipes.