Chicken Casserole With Mushrooms and Spinach

By Vallery Lomas

Updated Sept. 27, 2024

Chicken Casserole With Mushrooms and Spinach
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 1½ hours
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
4(948)
Comments
Read comments

This casserole is chock full of delicious veggies with a homemade creamy base. Parmesan is mixed throughout the casserole and also melted on top, giving this dish some flair that’s more akin to a creamy risotto. Instead of relying on a condensed soup, this recipe makes a simple cream sauce: Flour is sprinkled on the cooked mushrooms and onions then heavy cream and chicken stock are whisked in just before the Parmesan is folded in. Be sure to season each layer of the casserole — from the spinach to chicken. For a shortcut, the meat from a rotisserie chicken works great here.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ¼cup unsalted or salted butter
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1pound mushrooms, any variety, chopped
  • 1small onion, chopped (1 cup)
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½cup all-purpose flour
  • ½cup heavy cream
  • 1cup chicken stock
  • 2cups (6 ounces) finely shredded Parmesan
  • 10ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained (or 16 ounces fresh spinach, chopped and sautéed) 
  • 1pound cooked chicken breast meat, coarsely shredded
  • 4cups cooked rice, white or brown
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

644 calories; 34 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 1028 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle the flour on top and stir for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and chicken stock and bring to a boil, cooking for an additional 1 minute. Turn the heat off and stir in 1 cup of the Parmesan, reserving the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan.

  4. Step 4

    Season the spinach with salt and pepper. Stir the seasoned spinach into the cream and mushrooms. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add it to the spinach and mushroom mixture. Stir in the rice. Taste then add salt and pepper if needed.

  5. Step 5

    Spread the mixture into a lightly greased 9-by13-inch broiler-safe baking dish. Bake until heated throughout, about 25 minutes. Remove the casserole and turn on the oven’s broiler.

  6. Step 6

    Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan in an even layer over the top of the baked casserole. Return the casserole to the top third of the oven and broil just until the Parmesan has melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Pay very close attention to ensure the Parmesan does not burn. Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
948 user ratings
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Comments

Joanna Weeks

I agree with others that the sauce is excessively thick. Even when I added more broth and cream (probably doubling the original measurements) I splashed on some more broth before baking. Two tablespoons of flour would probably be sufficient. As for construction, I would hold out the chicken and sandwich it between layers of the other mixed ingredients. That would ensure even distribution of the protein. With all that said, my husband and I thought it was delicious. Very reminiscent of chicken Tetrazzini, another old-school casserole. (My favorite recipe has a sauce made with 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups chicken stock, 1 and a 1/4 cups milk, 1/4 cup dry sherry, and 1 cup heavy cream, salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg). Also, I’d say the yield of this recipe is 6-8 servings.

Rebecca

Cooked this tonight and my husband raved about it. Swapped out the Parmesan for cheddar since we didn’t have any. Took note of other comments and reduced flour to 2 tablespoons and doubled the stock and the texture was excellent; not gloopy or watery. Added some soy and Worcester sauce for umami. Highly recommended for an easy quick dinner!

tintin

This is a nice recipe to build upon: perhaps more spice, different vegetables (asparagus, broccoli). The sauté should be in a larger pan than a skillet: there’s a pound of shredded chicken, lb of mushrooms, bit of spinach, 1.5 cups of liquid, cup of onion, and 4 cups of rice and the roux! (Mid-sized crueset at the minimum.) Next time I’ll add some chili flakes, maybe some panko on top of casserole, serve with a salad.

Tina

The recipe says this can be baked and stored for up to three days in the fridge. Has anyone done this? Is it dry when you reheat it the next day? At what temp and for how long should it be reheated?

Jeanne Low

This was delicious. I will definitely make it again but agree with comments that I would decrease the flour to 2 tbs, double the broth, and use half and half instead of heavy cream. I also added red bell peppers with the onion. Very good casserole - great comfort food for a cold night!

Kate

Has anyone double this and cooked it in a larger pan?

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