This cheesy chicken casserole starts with seasoned chicken breasts that are lightly floured and browned in butter before they go into the oven. Browning adds more flavor and helps the creamy sauce cling to every piece. If you like this style of chicken, my cast iron skillet chicken breast uses a similar stovetop sear with garlic butter.

The sauce comes together in the same skillet with softened onion, heavy cream, sharp cheddar, and a little Dijon mustard to cut through the richness. You may also like this chicken cordon bleu, which pairs chicken, cheese, and a creamy Dijon-style sauce. Everything finishes together in the baking dish until the chicken is tender and the cheddar on top is melted and bubbling.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided

For the Creamy Cheddar Sauce

• 1 white onion, finely diced
• 1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Instructions

1. Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Season the chicken: Mix the paprika, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Season both sides of the chicken evenly. If the breasts are especially thick, lightly pound the thicker ends so they cook more evenly.
3. Coat with flour: Place the flour in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge each chicken breast, then shake off the excess.
4. Brown the chicken: Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, sear the chicken for about 3–4 minutes per side, until golden brown. The chicken does not need to be cooked through. Transfer it to the baking dish.
5. Cook the onion: Remove any blackened flour from the skillet, leaving the browned bits behind. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the diced onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
6. Make the cheddar sauce: Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the cream of chicken soup, heavy cream, and Dijon mustard until smooth. Add 1 cup of the cheddar and stir just until melted. Do not let the sauce boil.
7. Bake: Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the chicken. Bake uncovered for about 25–35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts.
8. Finish with cheese: Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar over the chicken during the final 10 minutes of baking. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F.
9. Rest and serve: Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the creamy cheddar-onion sauce from the baking dish over each piece.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Tips for the Best Cheesy Chicken Casserole

• Even out thick chicken breasts. If one end is much thicker than the other, lightly pound it so the chicken cooks more evenly.
• Shake off excess flour. A thin coating is enough to help the chicken brown and gives the sauce something to cling to.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Brown the chicken in batches so it sears instead of steaming.
• Keep the heat low when adding cheese. High heat can make cheddar turn oily or grainy. Stir it in just until melted.
• Use freshly shredded cheddar if possible. It usually melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
• Check the chicken early. Large breasts vary quite a bit in thickness, so start checking the internal temperature around the 25-minute mark. It’s ready at 165°F.

Storage

Let leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Keep some of the cheese sauce with the chicken so it stays moist.

Reheating

For the best texture, cover the chicken loosely and reheat it in a 325°F oven until warmed through. You can also microwave individual portions at reduced power, adding a spoonful of sauce over the chicken first to keep it from drying out.

Freezing

You can freeze the cooked casserole for up to 2 months, although the cream-based sauce may separate slightly once thawed. Freeze individual portions with plenty of sauce, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat gently.

What to Serve with It

Because the sauce is rich, this casserole works especially well with simple sides such as mashed potatoes, rice, roasted vegetables, steamed broccoli, or a crisp green salad. Mashed potatoes are especially good for catching the extra cheddar sauce.

This pumpkin muffins recipe uses a full 15-ounce can of puree and oil instead of butter, so the crumb stays soft instead of drying out by morning. I start them at 425°F so the tops dome, then drop the oven to 350°F so the centers set without a wet band. If you want pumpkin in a loaf, I already have a chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and these sit well next to a slice of pumpkin cheesecake on a fall table.

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
• ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips, optional
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for the tops, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) with a rack in the center. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners, or grease the cups well so the muffins release. The oven needs to be fully at 425°F before the pan goes in, or the tops stay flat instead of doming.
2. Whisk the dry mix: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until the spices look even and you don’t see streaks of soda. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Packing the cup is the fastest way to a dry muffin.
3. Whisk the pumpkin batter: In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree and oil until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add both sugars, the eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the batter looks uniform. The full can replaces the milk a lot of muffin recipes add, so don’t thin it.
4. Fold and fill: Pour the dry mix into the wet and fold with a spatula just until the last streak of flour disappears. The batter should be thick, not pourable. If you’re adding chocolate chips, fold them in now, then divide the batter among the 12 cups, filling each liner to the top so they have enough batter to dome. Sprinkle the coarse sugar on the tops if you want a bakery crunch.
5. Bake high, then lower: Bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven to 350°F (177°C) without pulling the pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes more, until the tops spring back and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then move them to a rack so the bottoms don’t steam and go soggy.

Dry crumb vs a gummy middle

• If the muffins taste dry the next morning, you packed the flour or swapped the oil for melted butter. Spoon and level the flour, and keep the oil. Butter tastes fine on day one, then the crumb tightens.
• A gummy, wet band in the center is usually pumpkin pie filling, which has starch and extra sugar, or mixing until the batter turns gluey. Use plain puree, and stop folding when the last flour streak is gone.
• If they sink as they cool, they came out too early. Give them 2 to 3 more minutes next batch. A toothpick with wet batter is not done, even if the tops look set.

Keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The fridge dries them out faster than the counter. For longer storage, freeze them once they’re cool, then thaw at room temperature or warm 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave.

This jalapeno poppers recipe goes watery when the halved peppers hit the pan still wet. They steam, the cream cheese thins, and the panko stays pale. I wipe the hollows dry, fold crisp bacon into the filling instead of wrapping raw strips around the outside, and bake them on a wire rack so heat can reach the bottoms.

I put them on a game-day table next to buffalo chicken dip and spinach artichoke dip, because all three can sit in the oven while the rest of the spread comes together.

Ingredients

• 12 medium jalapenos (about 3 to 4 inches / 8 to 10 cm long)
• 4 slices bacon
• 8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup (113 g) sharp cheddar (shredded)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup (20 g) panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter (melted)

Instructions

1. Crisp the bacon: Lay the bacon in a cold skillet and set it over medium heat. Cook, turning once, until the fat has rendered and the slices are brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then chop into small bits. If the bacon is still floppy, it will clump in the filling instead of staying in little smoky pieces.
2. Halve and dry the peppers: Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and spray the rack lightly so the peppers don’t stick. Put on gloves, then slice each jalapeno in half lengthwise so a bit of stem stays on both halves. Scoop out the seeds and the pale ribs with a small spoon, then wipe every hollow with a paper towel until the inside looks matte, not shiny. Wet cavities are what turn the filling into soup.
3. Mix the filling: In a medium bowl, mash the cream cheese until it’s smooth and spreadable, with no cold lumps. Fold in the cheddar, chopped bacon, garlic powder, smoked paprika, scallions, salt, and pepper until the bacon is evenly scattered. The mix should stand on a spoon; if it looks loose, the cream cheese was too warm and you should chill it 10 minutes before filling.
4. Fill and add panko: Spoon the filling into each hollow so it sits level with the cut edges, not mounded over them. Stir the panko with the melted butter until the crumbs look damp, then pinch a thin layer onto each pepper. A heavy pile of crumbs stays raw in the middle while the cheese below already bubbles.
5. Bake on the rack: Set the peppers on the wire rack, filling side up, with a little space between them. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the panko is gold, the cheese is bubbling at the edges, and the pepper walls look a little wrinkled but still hold a boat shape. Rest 5 minutes so the filling sets enough to pick up without sliding. If they collapse into flat skins, they baked too long.

If the poppers go watery or leak

• Leave a bit of stem on each half so it acts as a backstop, and the filling doesn’t slide out the open end once the pepper softens.
• Fill the hollow only to the rim. A mound of cream cheese melts, runs down the sides, and burns on the pan while the hollow itself looks empty.
• I don’t wrap raw bacon around these. The top browns while the underside sits in fat and stays rubbery, which is why the bacon is cooked first and mixed into the filling.
• Skip the foil-lined sheet with no rack. The bottoms steam in pepper juice and bacon fat, and the panko never dries out.
• Scrape the pale ribs, not only the seeds, if you want them mild, because the heat lives in that membrane. Mini sweet peppers work the same way if you need a no-heat tray.
• Wear gloves and don’t touch your face. Capsaicin stays on skin after a regular wash, and it burns if it reaches your eyes.

Storage

Cool leftovers and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours. They keep 3 to 4 days. Reheat on a rack at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the filling is hot, not until the peppers collapse again. Freeze them unbaked: fill, top with panko, freeze on a sheet until solid, then bag for up to 2 months and bake from frozen at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes. I wouldn’t freeze already-baked poppers; the peppers go limp and the filling weeps. USDA leftovers and food safety covers the 2-hour cooling window and the 165°F (74°C) leftover reheat target.

FAQ

How do you make jalapeno poppers less spicy?

Scrape out every seed and the pale inner ribs. That’s where the heat lives; the green wall is mostly mild. Rinse the hollows and dry them again if you want them even gentler. For no heat at all, use mini sweet peppers the same size and keep the rest of the recipe the same.

Can you make jalapeno poppers ahead of time?

Fill them, add the panko, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake from cold and add 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t hold them much longer than that; salt in the filling pulls water from the peppers and the boats go soggy in the fridge.

Can you freeze jalapeno poppers?

Freeze the poppers before they go in the oven. Set the filled, crumbed peppers on a sheet until solid, then bag them. Bake from frozen at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, until the panko is gold. I don’t freeze leftovers after baking; thawed peppers turn limp and the cream cheese weeps.