Cheesy Potato Casserole is a cornerstone holiday recipe in the Midwest. This version has from-scratch cream of chicken soup and a crunchy cornflake topping.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Cream of chicken soup: 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup may be substituted for the homemade version written in to the recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the cream of chicken soup, combine chicken broth, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, parsley, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper) in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
- Whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Pour into saucepan, whisking continuously, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, add cream of chicken soup, hash browns, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
- Stir to combine, then pour into prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, then remove from oven.
- Melt butter in the microwave. In a large bowl, add corn flakes. Drizzle with melted butter, then spread over the top of the casserole in an even layer. Bake uncovered 20 minutes longer, then garnish with parsley if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes serving for at least 12, more if you have a bountiful buffet.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Assemble the casserole through step 2 of the “casserole” section (step 4 overall). Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance. Proceed with the baking instructions as directed in the recipe.
- Freezer: Assemble the casserole through step 2 of the “casserole” section (step 4 overall). Cover and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then proceed with the baking instructions and directed in the recipe.
- Mushroom soup: Substitute cream of mushroom soup for the cream of chicken soup.
- Meat lover’s: Stir in cooked bacon or chopped ham with the hash browns.
- Tex-Mex: Stir in one (4-ounce) can of diced green chiles or some cooked chorizo with the hash browns. Or, use the O’Brien style hash browns with the peppers and onions.
More holiday favorites
Pork, Ham, and Lamb Recipes
Baked Ham with Crumb Topping
Beef Recipes
Prime Rib with Mustard Cream Sauce
Bread Recipes
Homemade Crescent Rolls
Vegetable Recipes
Roasted Asparagus
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Cheesy Potato Casserole is a cornerstone holiday recipe in the Midwest. This version has from-scratch cream of chicken soup and a crunchy cornflake topping.
Ingredients
For the cream of chicken soup (see note 1):
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 pinch parsley
- 1 pinch paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the casserole:
- 1 (30 ounce) package frozen hash browns thawed
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups cornflakes crushed
- 1/4 cup butter
- fresh parsley minced, for garnish, optional
Instructions
To make the cream of chicken soup:
- In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan, combine chicken broth, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, parsley, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper). Bring to a simmer.
- Whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Pour into saucepan, whisking continuously, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
To make the casserole:
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, add cream of chicken soup, hash browns, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Stir to combine, then pour into prepared baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour, then remove from oven. Melt butter in the microwave. In a large bowl, add corn flakes. Drizzle with melted butter, then spread over the top of the casserole in an even layer. Bake uncovered 20 minutes longer, then garnish with parsley if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cream of chicken soup: 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup may be substituted for the homemade version written in to the recipe.
- Yield: This recipe makes serving for at least 12, more if you have a bountiful buffet.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Assemble the casserole through step 2 of the “casserole” section (step 4 overall). Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance. Proceed with the baking instructions as directed in the recipe.
- Freezer: Assemble the casserole through step 2 of the “casserole” section (step 4 overall). Cover and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then proceed with the baking instructions and directed in the recipe.
- Mushroom soup: Substitute cream of mushroom soup for the cream of chicken soup.
- Meat lover’s: Stir in cooked bacon or chopped ham with the hash browns.
- Tex-Mex: Stir in one (4-ounce) can of diced green chiles or some cooked chorizo with the hash browns. Or, use the O’Brien style hash browns with the peppers and onions.
Nutrition
Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 275mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 580IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 172mgIron: 2mg
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Hi Meggan! This looks delicious. I need to make something for a vegetarian brunch – would cream of vegetable soup work for this or do you have alternative recommendations? :)
Hi Jenny, sure, any creamy vegetable soup would work! If I was making it, I’d use cream of celery (that’s my fave) but I think any one would work. It’s really about the consistency, not the flavor. I have this feeling when my mom makes it, she doesn’t use the cream of chicken… I think she uses the celery. I will ask her about that. Thank you so much for your question and for stopping by! :)
This is a great variation. I’ve been making this for years but instead of using cornflakes for the breading I use crushed croutons and throw in some green onions and garlic for more zing. Def plan on making this.
Hello Mimi, that sounds REALLY incredible! Green onions and garlic in the middle plus crushed croutons on top… yep. I’m going to try that the next time I make these! Thank you so much for the suggestions!
Oh goodness! This looks awesome. But how in the world could anything so cheesy, potato-ey and crunchy EVER be wrong?! Plus you used homemade cream of chicken soup!? Forget about it! Sold. Done and done. However, I would prefer to have the obligation of making this and then devouring all of it, hidden in a corner of shame somewhere. :D Cheers and thanks for sharing the scrumptiousness!
Cheyanne, thank you! The trouble with the food-blogger-arrangement is it’s all too easy to sit in a corner (or in front of the TV) in the middle of day alone (while kids nap) watching Netflix eating the whole pan. This is purely conjecture though, I couldn’t possibly be speaking from experience, ha! :)
Love this quick and easy dish! Cornflakes make for an incredible crunchy crust, and that cheese, oh the cheese! My goodness that’s shot is making me drool!
Thank you so much, Kathleen! :) I am former cheesehead and sometimes that pops out in my recipes…
This casserole sounds wonderful – especially the cream of chicken soup. I’ve been making my own for a while, something I figured out on my own, but yours is so much easier. I’m curious to know if there is an acceptable substitute for the cornflakes – I just refuse to buy cornflakes, and don’t care much for them. If there is a good substitute, I would definitely want to make this casserole.
Hi Susan! I completely understand your aversion to cornflakes. We don’t eat cold cereal in my house, and it is so rare that I have corn flakes on hand (only if I’m making this casserole or my mock fried ice cream!) I would think that you could easily substitute bread or cracker crumbs of some sort, although I haven’t tried it. And depending on the cracker, it might not be much better than corn flakes anyway! If you leave the corn flakes off entirely, the cheesy hash browns themselves would still be creamy and delicious. Failing that, at least you have a new way to make homemade cream of chicken soup if you desire!
Really enjoyed this, Meggan, because I’ve never heard of anything like this. Isn’t it funny how things in one country (or even state in your case!) are so ubiquitous, and yet unheard of somewhere else! The casserole looks gorgeous, though. Perfect for a potluck!
For a while there while I was living in Greece, I always got asked to take the brownies ;-)
Oh, and by the way, the new blog design = STUNNING! I might just be a tiny bit envious. Enjoy it!!
Thanks for stopping over, Helen! I always love your comments. And I’m sure your brownies were delicious in Greece and everywhere else. :) It’s funny because, I write this whole post about how people get pigeon-holed into bringing the same thing every time, but that never happens to me personally! In fact, I will rarely commit to or announce what I’m bringing up front. I think people give me creative freedom because I’m a food blogger so they just assume that whatever I bring will at least be edible. But I really like to cook wherever my mood takes me. I am sure you know when you cook for “work” like we do, the down-time of cooking for pleasure is precious. Anyway. Thank you for your comments on my new site design too. Obviously I paid a lovely company and I’m incredibly pleased with what they did, but the only credit I get is for having good taste in the company I chose, ha ha!
This is cheesy, in a good way. There’s something about gooey melted cheese that makes me want to sit down with the entire casserole. Looks so good.
My husband was so grateful that I made a few of these in succession. And at first he was like… “No I’m on a diet I can’t eat this.” But then he accidentally tried one bite and went back for several more pieces and requested that I make it on our next “cheat day.” The casserole speaks for itself. :)
Just can’t stop looking at this yumminess! Love potato casserole and this one is extra cheesy, I need to definitely make it! Definitely perfect for a potluck!
Thank you, Mira! It’s all about the stretchy cheese, it just draws you in. :) Thank you for stopping over!
I could eat this all day, every day, love it Meggan!
Same here Matt, thank you! I hope you and the family are doing well! I am hanging in there with my 3-month-old and my 3-year-old. It’s a fun, challenging time as I’m sure you know!
This looks scrumptious! I love the crunchy topping and the fact you didn’t use canned soup – bravo! The new site looks great, so bright and colorful… love it.
Thank you so much, Kevin! I am excited for a new design. And obviously for the Cheesy Potato Casserole! I had to make it a few times to “taste test” even though I’ve made it a zillion times in the past. ;)