“Little Hen” is a creamy chicken casserole loaded with creamy, saucy chicken over mashed potatoes baked to perfection. 

This creamy chicken casserole is hearty, comforting and so easy to make. It’s known by many names like chicken little casserole and chicken and mashed potato casserole, but we’ve always called it little hen casserole. It’s one of my family’s favorite dinners.

This “Little Hen” Casserole is very nostalgic for me. Our best friends growing up Kat, Ingie, and Beth all went to the same school with us. We spent most of our elementary childhood together. Kat and Ingie would even attend our family camp trips and vacations.

Their mom Betsy has the biggest heart of anyone I know and she literally spoiled her girls. They are and were her everything. Even when asking her for this easy chicken casserole recipe, she told me that she prefers to use a rotisserie chicken vs boiled chicken breast, but as her girls hate dark meat, she always chose to boil chicken breast even though it took more time.

Being a mom myself, I am completely amazed by my parents (obviously) but also Betsy, as she was a single mom. I honestly don’t know how she worked all day and still made the most delicious meals.

My sister Nicole remembers the “Little Hen” Casserole as her favorite and this past weekend wanted it so badly, so I called Betsy and got the recipe. She joked with me and said you guys won’t believe how easy it is; friends, this dish is SO EASY!

photo of a serving of chicken casserole

She told me that this recipe is actually called Chicken Little Casserole aka creamy chicken casserole but that her girls called it “Little Hen” because she baked it in a white hen-shaped casserole dish. Of course, I had to keep the name we remember it by.

Ingredients

  • Red Potatoes
  • Cooked shredded chicken
  • Milk
  • Cream of chicken soup
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic powder

Because my family loves gravy and likes things a little saucier, I added an additional can of cream of chicken and some seasonings.

close-up photo of the casserole

How do you make a creamy chicken casserole?

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Peel and diced red potatoes, while bringing a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add potatoes to water and boil for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  • In a large mixing bowl add potatoes, 1/2 cup of milk and season with salt and pepper to your taste. Beat the potatoes, milk, and seasonings until they become creamy and smooth. Add more or less milk, depending on the way you like.
  • There should be about 6 cups of mashed potatoes, place on the bottom of a 9×13 pan or casserole dish.
  • Top the mashed potatoes in the pan with the shredded cooked chicken.
  • In a large glass measuring cup (4 cups) or small mixing bowl, add both cans of cream of chicken. Add milk to one of the empty cream of chicken cans (full). Add the milk to the bowl along with the spices. Mix well.
  • Pour “gravy” evenly over the chicken/potatoes. Cover pan with foil and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the casserole, is hot and the gravy is bubbling.
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately. Top with cheese if so desired, which is what we like to do.
photo of the final dish in a serving bowl

Betsy always made this for us and her girls when we were sick – because it is mild and comforting. Since my kids were sick this weekend, I made this and I’m so happy I did. It pleased all, and of course, because we love cheese, we topped it with lots, which made a great addition.

Enjoy one of my childhood favorites, I am sure this easy chicken casserole will become a part of your menu rotation like it is in our home. XOXO San

Other casserole recipes we love.

Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

If you want more delicious recipes be sure to check out more of my favorite casserole recipes.

Creamy Chicken Casserole

Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 249 kcal
This creamy chicken casserole is loaded with creamy, saucy chicken baked over mashed potatoes, simple comforting meal everyone will love. 

Ingredients
 

  • 3 pounds red potatoes
  • 3-4 chicken breasts boiled and shredded or large rotisserie chicken
  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • 21 ounces cream of chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Topping

  • cheddar cheese shredded, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Peel and diced red potatoes, while bringing a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
  • Add potatoes to water and boil for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  • In a large mixing bowl add potatoes, 1/2 cup of milk and season with salt and pepper to your taste. Beat the potatoes, milk and seasonings until they become creamy and smooth. Add more or less milk, depending on the way you like.
  • There should be about 6 cups of mashed potatoes, place on the bottom of a 9×13 pan or casserole dish.
  • If you are using a rotisserie chicken, shred or coarsely chop all the meat from the chicken, removing skin and bones.
  • If you are boiling the chicken breasts, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add chicken breast and boil until chicken is fully cooked; around 15-25 minutes. Time varies depending on the size of the chicken breast.
  • Once cooked, remove from water and shred or coarsely chop.
  • Top the mashed potatoes in the pan with the chicken.
  • In a large glass measuring cup (4 cups) or small mixing bowl, add both cans of cream of chicken. Add milk to one of the empty cream of chicken cans (full). Add the milk to the bowl along with 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well.
  • Pour “gravy” evenly over the chicken/potatoes. Cover pan with foil and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until mixture is hot and gravy is bubbling.
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately. Top with cheese if so desired, this is a family favorite in our home.
Calories: 249kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 22gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 299mgPotassium: 1157mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 125IUVitamin C: 15.7mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 1.5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

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49 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      I’ll be making this recipe soon,Im going grocery shopping Tomorrow then I make it. im going to make half with cheese because although Id love It with the cheese you never know with the teet.They drive me bonkers but they do love their vegetables and prefer fruit over any snack.

        1. Am I able to use oat milk instead of regular milk? Like to make this recipe plant based or vegan.. I would love to know

          1. Hi – I have not tried this with oat milk. But with that said, I read this “Like other non-dairy milks, oat milk is made from blending the product (that is, rolled oats) with water, then straining out the oat solids to get a milk-like beverage. Its overall texture and creaminess can be manipulated with the amount of water, and sometimes, the addition of vegetable-based oils (like sunflower or rapeseed), as well as sugar and flavoring (like vanilla or chocolate).” https://food52.com/blog/25384-how-to-substitute-oat-milk-in-recipes

  1. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it so much! I can’t wait to make it again and again!

  2. 5 stars
    Thanks so much for posting this recipe. However, I have scaled it down to two servings since there is just me and baked it in 2 – 4 oz ramekins. OMG – did it every hit the spot for comfort food. I did a couple of changes and two additions. The change was to use a Cream of Chicken soup from Healthy Request as I am highly allergic to MSG. I also added 1/2 grated onion – and a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning for a bit more flavor. Thank you again for posting.

  3. I’m going to make this tonight.
    It’s a spin on what I make my 2 fussy eaters.
    I use sausages cut into small pieces, with gravy, frozen veggies and bacon and the mash potato on top.

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