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Square overhead shot of chicken zucchini casserole in a white dish.
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5 from 1 vote

Southern Chicken Zucchini Casserole

A flavorful summer casserole made with chicken, zucchini, other fresh veggies, plenty of cheese, and a buttery Ritz cracker topping!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword chicken and zucchini casserole, chicken casserole with zucchini, chicken zucchini casserole, zucchini chicken casserole
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 534kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 lb. zucchini, unpeeled and sliced (about 2 medium zucchini, or 3 cups sliced)
  • 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken
  • ¾ cup crushed butter crackers (I used 18 Ritz crackers)
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley, basil, or other herbs

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, and bell pepper to the skillet, cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes (or until vegetables are tender). Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
    Sauteing vegetables in a cast iron skillet.
  • Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Add the zucchini mixture and the chicken; stir gently to combine. Season with about ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
    Stirring together filling for chicken casserole with zucchini.
  • Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
    Process shot showing how to make chicken zucchini casserole.
  • In a separate bowl, combine crushed crackers with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle buttered cracker crumbs over top of casserole.
    Adding cracker crumb topping to chicken zucchini casserole.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until casserole is set and topping is golden brown. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil, if desired.
    Overhead shot of a white dish full of chicken and zucchini casserole.

Notes

  • Use a handheld mandoline slicer to cut the zucchini. This makes the process really fast, and it also ensures that all of the zucchini rounds are an equal width and cook in the same amount of time. You can see a list of our favorite mandoline slicers in this post.
  • Grate the cheese by hand, rather than using a bag of pre-shredded cheese. The blocks of cheese that you grate at home tend to melt smoother into the dish.
  • Weigh or measure your zucchini so that you’re sure to use the correct amount. Zucchini can vary greatly in size, so you might need anywhere from 2-3 smaller zucchini to 1 large zucchini. I prefer small zucchini, if available, because they are typically more flavorful, tender, and have smaller seeds.
  • I use salted butter in this dish. If you prefer unsalted butter, you might like to add a little bit more salt to the cracker topping and to the filling.
  • You do not need to drain off any liquid from the vegetables with a colander. Just stir everything together!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the casserole | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 684mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1849IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 2mg