Malibu Chicken Casserole
Malibu Chicken Casserole captures the comforting flavors of the original dish in an easy-to-make, all-in-one casserole made in 45 minutes!
A FILLING FLAVORFUL CASSEROLE
If you love the classic flavors of Malibu Chicken and want a hearty, family-friendly twist, this Malibu Chicken Casserole is just what you want to make for dinner! It’s layered with tender chicken, savory ham and melted Swiss cheese, all wrapped in a creamy sauce and topped with a golden breadcrumbs. I mean, how can you not love that!? This is pretty simple to throw together and it is one that everyone can agree is absolutely delicious! A total comfort food meal!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Followed the recipe as it is written and it was a hit. Adding to my recipe rotation. Thank you for another awesome recipe.
– Brenda
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
To mimic Malibu chicken I thought adding some dijon to the cream sauce would be a nice addition along with the diced ham. Then, topping with breadcrumbs is like the outside of the fried chicken pieces. It works well together and is sooo good.
Instead of penne, you can use any small pasta you wish, cavatappi and bow ties would also be great.
I think this Chicken Casserole is a filling meal by itself, but I can’t resist it when it’s served with a green salad and some crusty Garlic Bread or Homemade Garlic Breadsticks. It would also be good with some steamed vegetables, or roasted vegetables.
To keep this flavor as similar to Malibu Chicken as possible, I chose the ingredients used. But if there are flavors you don’t enjoy, feel free to swap them out. I do want to say, don’t swap the dijon mustard out for yellow mustard. It’s way too vinegary and not the right flavor. But, you could swap Swiss cheese out for mozzarella.
A shortcut for this recipe would be to use alfredo sauce instead of the homemade cream sauce. I would probably use a garlic alfredo sauce. You can add the dijon mustard to it to give it that signature taste if you want.
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour
- garlic powder, onion powder, pepper – this is my classic go-to seasoning for most things but please use any flavor combo you love. A lot of people like the Mrs. Dash herb seasoning too.
- whole milk
- chicken stock– You can use low or unsalted chicken stock to reduce the sodium if needed.
- heavy cream– I think all milk (instead of both milk and heavy cream) can be used if you don’t have heavy cream. The heavy cream really does make this so creamy though, so if you have it, use the heavy cream.
- dijon mustard – optional. Dijon mustard is an integral part in Malibu Chicken but you can leave it out if you just don’t like mustard.
- shredded Swiss cheese – or you could use mozzarella if Swiss isn’t your thing.
- penne pasta – you can use any similar size pasta like rotini.
- cooked shredded chicken – a store bought rotisserie chicken works great here.
- small diced ham – this is a great way to use up any leftover ham from other recipes from earlier in the week. While this is great for leftover ham, you can purchase small smoked ham for this or you can even buy ham that has already been diced (they usually sell it in vacuum sealed packs near where they sell the small hams or deli meat)
- panko breadcrumbs – I love the added crunchiness that panko brings to the table but you can use regular breadcrumbs or even crushed crackers.
HOW TO MAKE MALIBU CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray and set it aside. Make the sauce in a dutch oven or large pot by first melting the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the all-purpose flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Once it is whisked together, continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Continuously whisk in the milk to avoid any lumps. Continue with the chicken stock, followed by the heavy cream. Stir in the Dijon mustard. Lastly, add the Swiss cheese and stir to combine and melted. Take off the heat.
Stir in the cooked penne pasta until coated in the sauce. Add the chicken and diced ham, stir to combine.
Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the Swiss cheese.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle this all over the top of the casserole.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly along the edges and the breadcrumbs are browned. Serve immediately with dried parsley garnish if desired.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Malibu Chicken
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Chicken Divan
- Swiss Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Biscuits Casserole
- Neiman Marcus Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
- Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole
- Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole
- Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
- Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Malibu Chicken Casserole (+Video)
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons dijon mustard (optional if you don't like mustard)
- 8 ounces shredded swiss cheese (or mozzarella)
For assembly:
- 16 ounces penne pasta, cooked and drained well
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (a store bought rotisserie chicken works great here)
- 1 ½ cups small diced ham
- 8 ounces shredded swiss cheese (or mozzarella – see notes below)
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- dried parsley (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Make the sauce in a dutch oven or large pot by first melting 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Once it is whisked together, continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Continuously whisk in 1 1/2 cups whole milk to avoid any lumps. Continue with 1/2 cup chicken stock, followed by 1/2 cup heavy cream.
- Stir in 3 Tablespoons dijon mustard.
- Lastly, add 8 ounces shredded swiss cheese and stir to combine and melt. Take off the heat.
- Stir in 16 ounces penne pasta, cooked and drained well until coated in the sauce.
- Add 3 cups cooked shredded chicken and 1 1/2 cups small diced ham, stir to combine.
- Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Top evenly with 8 ounces shredded swiss cheese.
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs and 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.
- Sprinkle this evenly all over the top of the casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly along the edges and the breadcrumbs are browned. If topping starts to get darker than you would like, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Serve immediately topped with dried parsley, if desired and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- One 8 ounce package of shredded Swiss cheese is equal to about 2 cups smeasured. Keep in mind, cheese isn’t measured in liquid volume, it’s measured in weight volume so 8 ounces of shredded cheese is NOT one cup like it would be if you were measuring a liquid – it would be about 2 cups.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Followed the recipe as it is written and it was a hit. Adding to my recipe rotation. Thank you for another awesome recipe.
Love hearing that!! Thanks so much Brenda and I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
Really enjoyed this! I loved that I had some leftover for my work lunch the next day and it reheated really well. Thank you!
Absolutely AMAZING – wow! This was so good! Everyone asked for the recipe so you know it was a good sign. I love how detailed your recipes are (thank you so much for that ingredient photo especially) and your posts have so much information in them. It makes is easier for people like me who aren’t the best cooks. Thank you for all the work you put into all your recipes. Very easy to follow. You are my go-to recipe creator!
Turned out delicious. It will go into our regular menu rotation. Perfect for leftover ham. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Who doesn’t love a good casserole? All my favorites and making this again real soon.