Chicken Zucchini Casserole is quick, easy, comforting, and so deliciously satisfying – and there’s no canned soup in sight! It’s a great weeknight dinner all year long, and an excellent way to use up extra zucchini from your garden!
I first made this Chicken Zucchini Casserole late one summer when I had so much zucchini in my garden I was trying all kinds of recipes to use up what I couldn’t give away. This casserole was a star among the bunch. It went straight to my “keeper” file, and now I make it all year long.
I did make one change to the original recipe, which was taking out the canned soup. I’m one of those people who would rather not use canned soup in my casseroles, so I made a quick and easy substitution using some butter, flour, chicken broth, and milk.
It worked like a charm!
Now, even though I try to avoid processed foods in my cooking, there are definitely a few exceptions to that rule, and stuffing mix is one of them. I grew up loving it, still love it, and will always love it. It has such a great flavor that I didn’t want to mess with, and I’m so glad I didn’t.
It’s the BEST part of this casserole!
Most of the stuffing mix gets mixed into the casserole, but some of it is sprinkled on top, and it gets nice and brown and crispy and just… YUM!!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE:
- Flour
- Butter
- Chicken stock or broth
- Milk
- Chicken-flavored stuffing mix
- Zucchini
- Onion
- Cooked chicken breast
- Sour cream
- Salt and pepper
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE:
Your house will smell sooo good while this casserole is cooking! You won’t be able to wait for it to come out of the oven!
A quick note on the soup substitute: it will be quite thick (it should be very similar to the consistency of canned condensed soup). When you are mixing everything together, you might think it’s just a bit on the dry side, but the zucchini will release some liquid as the casserole cooks, which will make a nice, creamy sauce.
COMMON QUESTIONS:
- I don’t have any pre-cooked chicken, but I would like to make this recipe tonight. Any suggestions? Sure! Cut up a pound of chicken breasts or tenders into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook them in a skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil until just cooked through. You could also cook the chicken in an Instant Pot, if you have one, while you are getting the other ingredients ready.
- Can I use yellow squash instead of zucchini? Yep! In my book, yellow squash and zucchini are pretty much interchangeable. It would be great in this casserole either by itself of combined with the zucchini.
- Can I use canned soup? Yes. One 10.75-ounce can of condensed cream of chicken, cream of celery, or cream of mushroom soup can be used in place of the homemade soup substitute.
- Can I use my own leftover stuffing? Absolutely! Substitute 3 cups of your leftover stuffing for the stuffing mix and the melted butter. Come to think of it, you could use turkey instead of chicken, and this casserole would be an excellent way to use some of those holiday leftovers!
Even though we usually associate zucchini with summer, this casserole is so easy and delicious it’s worthy of a place on your dinner table all year long!
I hope you give this Chicken Zucchini Casserole recipe a try and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Chicken Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients
Soup Substitute:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
Casserole:
- 1 (6-ounce) package chicken-flavored stuffing mix
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 cups diced zucchini
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken breast
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cooking spray, for greasing the pan
Instructions
Make the soup substitute:
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, milk, and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened (the consistency should be similar to that of canned condensed soup – if you feel it’s too thick, just add a bit of milk or chicken stock to thin it out).
- Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble the casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix and 8 tablespoons melted butter. Remove 1/2 cup of the stuffing mixture and set aside to use as a topping.
- Add the soup substitute, zucchini, onion, chicken, and sour cream to the remaining stuffing mix and stir to thoroughly combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place the zucchini mixture into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of stuffing mixture over the top of the casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Notes
- You can replace the soup substitute with one 10.75-ounce can of cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery soup.
- If you don’t have any pre-cooked chicken, cut one pound of chicken breasts or tenders into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook in a skillet in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until just cooked through.
Recipe adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff. Soup substitute recipe adapted from The Kitchn.
Colleen
Another thumbs up from us! A comfort food that isn’t overly heavy! Enjoyed a lot.
Michelle
Thank you!
ken bush
GREAT meal thanks will use again !! smiles
Michelle
Thank you, Ken! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jacquie
I’m gluten free and when I saw some gf stuffing mix recently(it’s usually only available in season, like fall!) I picked it up in a hurry with this recipe in mind. I do have gf cream of chicken soup so I’ll probably use that. I got a crazy deal on Italian turkey sausage, (only $1 for a #) so that’s my chicken tonight! 😉
Michelle
Hey, Jacquie! I love changing up a recipe when I need to based on what I like or what I have on hand. Let me know how it turned out!
Jan
Oh lordy. This was so good. Been looking for recipes to use up our zucchini from the garden. This recipe is a winner. Made it last week and had to make it again tonight for my family. So easy….so quick….and soooo delicious! Thank you so much for this keeper!
Michelle
Thank you so much, Jan! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the casserole! I have some other recipes featuring zucchini that you might like…check them out if you get the chance!
Shelley
This is such an easy one dish meal recipe. That’s my favorite kind of recipe! I’ve used it about 10 times now and every time we have it, we get excited about it all over again. I’ve even gotten son # three to love it and he is no veggie lover! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for such a great recipe. It’s so good, I’m actually putting it on a card!
Michelle
Thank you, Shelley! I’m so happy to hear how much you and your family love this casserole and that you make it often!
Renea
This dish is more delicious than it looks in the photo! I’m so glad I ran across this recipe. It was great. I cooked it for a friend and she absolutely loved it.
Michelle
Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe, Renea! I’m so glad both you and your friend enjoyed the casserole!
Christine
My husband loved it! Always looking for new zucchini recipes. This is one we’ll be using again. I added leftover carrots. I like that you gave a substitute for the canned soup which we don’t care for. Easy meal to throw together.
Michelle
Hi, Christine! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the casserole, and those carrots sound like a yummy addition. Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!