Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

Name: Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts; salt and pepper, to taste; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 8 ounces cream cheese, softened; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 2 cloves minced garlic; 1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix; 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese; 3 sliced green onions, divided; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

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Easy Cheesy Baked Chicken is a delicious comfort food meal with juicy chicken breasts, creamy garlic ranch sauce, and gooey cheesy topping. It bakes in about 30 minutes for a fast, easy weeknight dinner.

baked chicken with cheese on top in white casserole dish.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
How to Make Cheesy Baked Chicken
Expert Tips
FAQs
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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When it comes to easy weeknight dinners, you can't go wrong with chicken. We especially love Crispy Baked Thin Chicken and Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs -- and this recipe for Cheesy Baked Chicken.

It's just one of those easy recipes you'll make again and again. The tender chicken breasts are perfectly seasoned, the garlic ranch creamy sauce is full of flavor, and the melted cheddar cheese topping adds even more gooey cheesy goodness.

This cheesy chicken casserole is such an easy dinner -- it takes about 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Creamy, cheesy comfort food at its finest
Fast and easy casserole with simple ingredients
Perfect meal for a busy night or lazy weekend family dinners

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Boneless skinless chicken breasts cook quickly and stay tender, juicy, and moist.

Seasonings. The secret to any flavorful dish is seasoning all the layers. Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika is an easy and delicious seasoning blend for chicken.

Cream cheese. Let the block of cream cheese soften at room temperature so it's easy to stir together with the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients.

Mayonnaise. A little bit of mayo softens the texture of the cream cheese mixture and adds a little tang.

Dry ranch dressing mix. Ranch seasoning is made with herbs and spices like onion powder, onion flakes, dill, parsley, garlic powder, and chives.

Shredded mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese adds gooeyness to the cheese sauce. Use freshly shredded cheese, if possible. You can also use Monterey Jack, Swiss cheese, or your favorite melty cheese.

Green onions. Sliced green onions flavor the cheese sauce and the top of the cheesy casserole.

Shredded cheddar cheese. I like the full flavor of sharp cheddar cheese, but mild cheddar also works. Use freshly shredded if you can, it melts much creamier than bagged cheese.

How to Make Cheesy Baked Chicken

meat mallet pounding chicken in a ziptop bag.

Step 1: Place the chicken in a ziptop bag or between two layers of plastic wrap.

Pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even thickness.

seasoned chicken breasts in white casserole dish.

Step 2: Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

cream cheese mixture spread over chicken breasts in white baking dish.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or sturdy spatula to mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, fresh garlic, and dry ranch seasoning together. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and sliced green onions.

Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture over the chicken breasts.

shredded cheddar cheese on top of chicken in white baking dish.

Step 4: Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the chicken.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cover in foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads an internal temperature of 165.

Step 5: Sprinkle the top with sliced green onion.

cheesy baked chicken on white plate with green beans.

Step 6: Serve easy cheesy chicken bake with a fresh salad and roasted green beans for a complete meal.

Expert Tips

Pounding the chicken to an even thickness ensures it bakes evenly so it's tender and juicy throughout -- not dry on one end and raw on the other.
Use freshly grated cheese if possible. It has better flavor, melts better, and is more economical than pre-shredded cheese. I love this cheese grater because it comes apart and stores flat in my utensil drawer!
Let the cream cheese come to room temperature so it combines well with the rest of the creamy cheese mixture.
Covering the cheesy chicken bake for the last 10 minutes keeps the cheese topping soft and melty.

FAQs

How long is cheesy baked chicken good for?

Store leftover garlic cheddar chicken bake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

What is the best kind of cheese to use in this easy cheesy chicken casserole recipe?

I like to use one for meltiness and one for flavor. Mozzarella adds gooeyness to the cream cheese mixture, and the sharp cheddar cheese on top of the chicken adds flavor.

How do you add flavor to bland chicken casserole?

The key to making this easy cheesy chicken recipe that's filled with flavor is to season every layer. Season the raw chicken with salt, pepper, and spices. Season the cheesy sauce with herbs and aromatics like garlic and onion. And finally, top the melted cheddar cheese topping with fresh herbs or sliced green onions.