Ok you made me do it. This is a quick dinner using pre-cooked chicken but oh is it good. The ingredient list can easily be adjusted to taste so don't take these measurements as verbatim. I usually just start grabbing from the refrigerator whatever sounds good to go in this. So if you've got leftover carrots or potatoes, throw them in.


Cooking spray
1 (10.75-oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup (4%) cottage cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sliced chives
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (if you want extra spicy add more)
4 cups cooked shredded chicken (the precooked chicken in grocery stores works well)
1 cup frozen peas
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or any shredded cheese you have on hand)
31 Ritz crackers (from 1 sleeve), crushed (about 1 1/3 c.)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease an 11" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray (cooking spray works better than any other for this particular dish because it is very sticky to the bowl when it's cooked because of the cheese). In a large bowl, whisk soup, cottage cheese, sour cream, chives, garlic powder, and cayenne until smooth. Fold in chicken and peas; season with black pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish and smooth in an even layer. Top with cheddar.

In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over cheese.

Bake casserole until browned and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes. Top with parsley (if using).

I especially like this dish on cold nights. it's enough to serve four people. I have been known to eat the whole thing in two sittings 😂