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.
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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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Store leftover garlic cheddar chicken bake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
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.
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.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 sliced green onions, divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Place the chicken breasts in a ziptop bag or between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even thickness. Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- In a medium bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and ranch mix together until completely combined. Stir in 2 sliced green onions and mozzarella cheese.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the chicken.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Cover the dish with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer is 165. Sprinkle the top with one sliced green onion.
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