Lightened-Up Chicken Casserole

Kaci: Thesouthernrd
by Kaci: Thesouthernrd
8 servings
45 min

Chicken pie or chicken casserole?! It doesn't matter what you call it, it is delicious. It is the perfect, southern comfort dish, and is probably one of my favorite home-cooked meals.


Most southern casseroles such as chicken casserole have a reputation for being "unhealthy" due to the fact they are often made with creamy, high-fat sauces, and a lot of butter. However, this does NOT have to be the case. By substituting a couple healthier ingredients and pairing the casserole with a vegetable, you have yourself a well rounded meal that can fit into any healthy lifestyle.


For example, I love substituting plain Greek yogurt for sour cream and mayonnaise in recipes to lower the calorie and fat content of the meal. It tastes similar, and often goes unrecognized by my family. For recipes that call for sour cream and/or mayonnaise, you may substitute half the amount called for in the recipe with Greek yogurt OR go ahead and replace all of the sour cream and/or mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. For this chicken casserole recipe, I decided to substitute Greek yogurt for all of the sour cream and my husband never knew the difference.


The other trick to making casseroles a part of a healthy lifestyle is filling half of your plate with vegetables to increase the nutrient content of the meal. For example, the first night we had chicken casserole this week, I steamed broccoli to go with it, and then sautéed squash and zucchini to have with the casserole leftovers the next night. This made for a healthy and totally satisfying meal two nights in a row!


I hope you and your family can enjoy this lightened-up comfort dish all year long!

Lightened-up Chicken Casserole fresh out of the oven.

Substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream to lighten up the recipe.

After filling a casserole dish with the chicken mixture, top it with buttery Ritz cracker topping.

Pair the chicken casserole with a vegetable such as steamed broccoli for a well rounded meal.

Lightened-Up Chicken Casserole
Recipe details
  • 8  servings
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 30 Minutes Total time: 45 min
Show Nutrition Info
Hide Nutrition Info
Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about 2 chicken breast)
  • 1 can Reduced Sodium Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1 1/2 Sleeves Ritz Crackers, Crushed
  • 1 stick Butter, Melted
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder to taste
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix chicken, soup, and yogurt together in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.
Mix crushed Ritz crackers with melted butter in a separate bowl.
Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and spread chicken mixture in it.
Top with cracker topping.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Tips
  • Pair with a vegetable such as green beans, broccoli, squash, zucchini, cabbage, etc. for a well rounded meal.
Kaci: Thesouthernrd
Want more details about this and other recipes? Check out more here!
Go
Comments
Next