Creamy Chicken Orzo Casserole
This creamy chicken orzo casserole combines rotisserie chicken and dry orzo in a sour cream and condensed soup base with two kinds of cheese and a buttery Ritz cracker topping baked until golden and bubbly.
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups chicken broth or chicken bone broth
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 can Campbells garlic parmesan with herbs condensed soup
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese
- 8 oz sharp white cheddar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 6 oz ritz crackers or 2 sleeves
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a 9x13 casserole dish, add chicken broth or chicken bone broth, sour cream, garlic parmesan with herbs soup. Mix until well combined and there aren’t any clumps present.
- Next add seasonings listed above.
- Next add orzo, rotisserie chicken, and spinach. Mix until well combined, and there aren’t any dry pockets of orzo present.
- Next add ½ the amount of cheese listed above. Mix together.
- Top casserole with remaining cheese.
- In a separate bag, add 2 sleeves of ritz crackers to bag. Crush the ritz crackers until it has a fine grain texture, then add 1 stick melted butter.
- Mix until well combined, then add to top of casserole.
- Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- At the 30 minute mark, uncover and continue baking for 15-20 additional minutes, or until the top has a golden brown color and the sides are bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let it sit for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
- Make sure the broth, sour cream, and condensed soup are whisked completely smooth before anything else goes in.
- Any clumps at this stage stay clumps throughout the finished casserole.
- The dry orzo goes in uncooked and absorbs the liquid during baking. Make sure every bit of it is submerged and surrounded by the liquid mixture before the foil goes on so it cooks through evenly.
- Freshly shredded cheese only. Pre-shredded bag cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly into the casserole.
- The full 10 to 15 minute rest after baking is essential. The orzo continues absorbing liquid during the rest and the casserole firms into a scoopable consistency that holds together on the plate.
