Bonnie’s Chicken is a simple oven casserole that our children absolutely love. Our good family friend, Bonnie, had given us a recipe for a cheese-chicken dish. At the time she gave it to us, we did not quite have all the ingredients and wanted a shortcut.
We threw this recipe together, and it turned out great. We called it “Bonnie’s Chicken” because she inspired the recipe and our kids decided that was a good name for it.
The Directions
The key to this dish is its simplicity. We have made it with frozen chicken breast, fewer crackers, more cheese, different kinds of cheese, and just about every other variation over time.
Start with the round crackers, crushing them into small crumbs. We like to start crushing them in the tubes for less mess. Just make sure you are over a bowl in case the tubes burst. Add melted butter to the crackers, reserving around ½ cup of the crackers (more if frozen chicken).
Sprinkle the reserved crackers into the bottom of your 7×11 glass baking dish or 8×8 baking dish. We use our 7×11 normally because it fits so well in our RV oven. Then spread your chicken on top of the layer and season with salt and pepper.
If you have more chicken than a single layer can hold, do a layer of cheese and buttered crackers before you add the second layer of chicken.
Now we build the layers. Take some of the buttered crackers and sprinkle them over the chicken. Then sprinkle a layer of cheese. Keep building up the layers with the remaining ingredients.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F). Uncover and return to the oven long enough to brown the topping. You can use broil if desired but watch it like a hawk as it will burn easily.
Serve hot with a potato side dish and a vegetable side. Our kids tend to flop back and forth between mashed and baked potatoes. Salads work great during the summer months, or carrots and beets work great in the winter.
Bonnie’s Chicken Dish
5
minutes30
minutesA simple cheesy chicken casserole dish.
Ingredients
1 – 2 tubes of round crackers, crushed
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt
3 – 5 tbsp butter
1 ½ – 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, sharp cheddar, etc.)
1 lb chicken breast, cut to 1/2” – 1” chunks
Directions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8×8 pan with oil.
- Sprinkle around a ½ cup of dry crackers in the bottom of the pan then place chicken on top of the crackers.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Layer remaining crackers and cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake until chicken is done (165 degrees F).
- Remove foil and brown cheese topping.
- Serve hot with a side dish.
Notes
- You can change the cheese to other varieties with no issue.
- Works with frozen chicken. Increase cooking time as appropriate.
