Easy dinner alert! This Dump-and-Bake Chicken and Cornbread Casserole comes together in about 10 minutes and requires only a handful of kitchen staples. A cozy, comfort food meal has never been quicker!
So many of you have raved about my Chicken and Stuffing Casserole recipe over the years, along with its slow cooker counterpart.
With that in mind, I was inspired to create a similar dish (with a cornbread twist) that’s even easier to prepare – thanks to the dump-and-bake method! That means that you don’t even have to cook the chicken before it goes straight into the dish. Promise, your whole family is going to devour this one…
You can’t beat the flavor combination of sweet cornbread casserole and creamy, tender chicken. Add some butter to the mix and you know it’s bound to be good!
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
To start, you will mix together the cornbread stuffing mix and a stick of melted butter. Toss until the crumbs are all nicely coated.
Spread half of the stuffing mix in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the condensed soups and the chicken broth to form a creamy sauce; then stir in the diced, uncooked chicken breast.
Spread the chicken over the stuffing mixture in the dish.
Top with the remaining buttered cornbread stuffing and pop it in the oven!
The chicken will need about 45 minutes to cook through, so I like to loosely cover my cornbread casserole with foil after about 25-30 minutes. This keeps the topping from burning while the meat finishes.
Allow the casserole to rest for at least 10 minutes before spooning it onto individual serving plates. The sauce will thicken nicely, and you’ll be blessed with a satisfying, hearty, soul-nurturing dinner that everyone at the table will enjoy!
What to Serve with Chicken and Cornbread Casserole:
Serve the dish with a side of peas, broccoli, or just a light green salad to balance out the plate. It’s amazing what you can throw together with just 10 minutes of effort!
Looking for even more easy casseroles? Try these favorites:
- Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Johnny Marzetti Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Southern Chicken Salad Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Meatball Casserole
- Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Dump-and-Bake Chicken and Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) package cornbread stuffing mix (I used Pepperidge Farm brand)
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 2 lbs. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup, NOT diluted
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, NOT diluted
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together stuffing mix and melted butter. Spread half of the stuffing mix in the bottom of the prepared dish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together condensed celery soup, condensed chicken soup, and broth. Stir in the diced chicken.
- Pour chicken mixture over the stuffing in the dish. Sprinkle remaining stuffing mix on top.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). I like to cover the dish loosely with foil after about 25-30 minutes of baking so that the topping doesn’t burn while the chicken finishes cooking.
- Allow the casserole to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken slightly as it sits.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ruth
Could this be made with cooked chicken? I cook several breasts in the crockpot to chop or shred and keep in the freezer. If so, what would the cooking time be?
Blair
Hi, Ruth! Absolutely! You'll need about 4-6 cups of cooked, diced chicken. If using pre-cooked meat, I would bake the casserole at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping is golden brown). Enjoy!
Nikki
Hi Blair,
My husband loves Stove Top and it happened to be all the store had in stock. I got the cornbread flavor and two boxes of it but it still only equals 12 oz. Would you suggest getting the Pepperidge Farm brand or would you modify the recipe for the Stove Top!?
Thanks,
Nikki
Blair
Hey, Nikki! The 12 total ounces should be totally fine! That's the nice thing about cooking instead of baking. Unlike baking, cooking is NOT an exact science. 🙂 I would follow the recipe exactly as written, but just sub the 12 ounces of Stove Top for the 14 ounces of Pepperidge Farm. I'm sure it will be delicious! 🙂
Kathryn
The recipe is not clear whether you follow the cornbread recipe or don’t instead adding the extra butter or don’t follow the cornbread recipe and instead just add the butter.
I followed all other instructions precisely, including cutting the chicken to small bite-sized pieces. I just called my family to the table not found the chicken RAW!
Blair
Hi, Kathryn! I'm sorry that the recipe wasn't a success for you. The instructions say to combine the stuffing mix with the melted butter -- you do not need to prepare the stuffing itself according to package instructions. The end result is like buttered cornbread crumb topping (not a wet stuffing). If the chicken is diced into small bite-size pieces, 45 minutes should be plenty of time for it to cook through. I'm not sure why it was raw? Again, sorry that it wasn't a hit. 🙁
Laura
Hi There,
I was wondering if you could add any frozen veggies to the chicken mix - I like getting my husband and son to eat hidden vegetables that way 🙂 Any thoughts? I don’t want to risk making the casserole too soggy.
Also, just wanted to say thank you!! As you could probably guess, I’m not the best cook, but I have LOVED experimenting with your dump and bake casseroles. They’re quick, easy, cost-effective, and super yummy. I have the tuna casserole planned for later this week 🙂 Thanks for making this mom/new cook’s life a lot easier!!
Blair
Hey, Laura! I'm so glad that you find the dump and bake dinners helpful. It's seriously the only way that I can get meals on the table consistently!
I would try adding some frozen peas, frozen corn, or frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw first), some lightly steamed (or microwaved) crisp-tender broccoli florets (just cook in the microwave for about half of the recommended time on the bag) or a similar veggie that your family enjoys. You can stir the vegetables right into the chicken mixture. Again, if you're using something like broccoli that has a bit of a longer cooking time, you'll just want to make sure that you give it a head start by cooking it partially in the microwave or on the stovetop before adding it to the casserole. Otherwise it might not be tender by the time the rest of the dish is done.
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Hanna
Hey Blair! Just wanted to drop by and say that this casserole is the BOMB! This was my first "dump-and-bake" of yours, and it's already almost gone even though I just made it last night. It's so quick and easy (just 6 ingredients?!) I think it's going to become an every other week kinda thing! I really enjoy making your recipes so far; they've all been a huge hit, so thank you! Happy holidays, and well wishes of health, joy, and lots of delicious food to you and yours.
Blair
Hi, Hanna! Thank you SO much! I appreciate your kind note, and it makes me really happy to know that you're enjoying some new quick and easy recipes in your kitchen. 🙂 Happy holidays to you, too!
Judi
OK, I was skeptical. I am not a huge fan of casseroles to begin with but someone asked me to make a chicken casserole for them. I chose this recipe because I had the ingredients on hand. I added a can of mixed vegetables (drained) to make it a "one dish meal".
This recipe is so yummy and PERFECT for the mid-winter blahs. Easy to do when you don't feel like cooking and not a soul alive who loves traditional winter holiday fare will not love this casserole.
Perfect as a "casserole to take" for those occassions when we take people casseroles, as it is surprisingly yummy and brings a bit of comfort and nostalgia to mind. It's just darn good, that's all there is to it!
Blair
Aw, thanks so much for your kind, thoughtful note! I'm glad that this changed your mind about casseroles, Judi! 🙂
Brittany
This looks amazing and is on my list for this weekend! My husband is lactose intolerant; do you think regular celery soup/chicken stock would work or should he just sit this one out? thank you!!
Blair
Hi, Brittany! I don't know -- you'll need something to form the thicker creamy base of the casserole. If you just use broth-based soups, it will be thin and runny (like soup, rather than a sauce). I don't know if there is a dairy-free version of something similar that would work? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with lactose intolerance, so I'm not sure of a good work-around for this recipe. 🙁
Mary Mason
Can this be prepared the night before and baked the next day?
Blair Lonergan
Hi, Mary! Yes, that should work really well! Just allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before baking. Hope you enjoy!