“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, such as 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, 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.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
From trusty pots and pans to handy gadgets, I’ve curated a list of products I use and love.
Their mom, Betsy, has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and she literally spoils her girls. They are and were her everything. Even when I asked 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.
As a mom myself, I have an even deeper appreciation for my parents (of course!) and for Betsy—she worked hard all day and still somehow managed to put the most delicious meals on the table.
My sister Nicole’s favorite was always the “Little Hen” Casserole. Betsy explained that the real name of the dish is Chicken Little Casserole, a creamy chicken classic. But since she often baked it in a white hen-shaped casserole dish, her girls lovingly nicknamed it “Little Hen.” Naturally, I had to keep the name we grew up with.
Because my family loves gravy and likes things a little saucier, I added a can of cream of chicken soup and some extra seasonings. It turned out to be the perfect twist – comforting, creamy, and just right for us. And now it’s one of those dishes my own family asks for again and again.
Recipe Tips
Betsy always made this casserole for us and her girls whenever we were sick—it was mild, soothing, and so comforting. My kids were under the weather this past weekend, so I decided to make it, and I’m so glad I did. Everyone loved it, and of course, since we’re big cheese lovers, we added plenty on top – which turned out to be the perfect finishing touch.
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Creamy Chicken Casserole
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.
Great recipe! Easy to throw together and is pure comfort food. Thank you!
I wonder how I could incorporate mixed frozen veggies?
I added corn and mushrooms.
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.
Looks beyond delicious! My family would definitely love this!
Love that this chicken casserole is so creamy! My family will go crazy over it!
Can this be frozen?
I have never tried this.
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.
Love this! I will have to try!
This is great for when we’re craving comfort food. It comes together in no time at all. A must have in your monthly rotation.
Just made this, and it’s amazing! It’s everything you want in a comfort food, hearty, flavorful and easy to make! This is a family favorite now, so it’s going to be a regular on the menu rotation!
This was beyond creamy and delicious! The whole family loved it!