Need a quick and easy, cozy, and comforting weeknight dinner idea? This Chicken and Stuffing Bake is here for you! It starts with a layer of chicken tenderloins and butter, covered by a homemade cream of chicken soup. Next comes the Baby Swiss cheese and finally, that crisped herbed stuffing. It’s very simple and delicious. Serve with mashed potatoes and a fresh green salad, and dinner is served. Leftovers are not guaranteed, but very much appreciated.
I’m sharing this Chicken and Stuffing Bake now (the weekend before Thanksgiving) because you could also use the basic structure of this recipe to make good of Thanksgiving leftovers. You could substitute slices of turkey for the chicken tenderloins, or leftover stuffing for the boxed mix, or even just give new life to leftover mashed potatoes as the side dish. It’s very flexible, but it gives you a good basic recipe to work with however your leftovers happen to land. Cranberry sauce on the side would also be delicious.
Our family really loved this dish. In fact, one boy even mentioned that he’d rather have this Chicken and Stuffing Bake than our traditional turkey dinner. He said that it had all the flavors and goodness of Thanksgiving, minus the typically dry turkey!
You can even have this assembled the morning you wish to serve it so that all you had to do at dinner time was pop it in the oven. It may just need additional time in the oven if it goes in cold rather than room temperature. It would be an easy dinner to bring to a new mom, or anyone needing a break from cooking.
RECIPE TIP
If the stuffing starts to get too dark toward the end of baking time, add a piece of foil to the top to shield it from direct heat. To be sure the chicken is cooked through, use a meat thermometer and aim for 165 degrees.
Juicy chicken, creamy cheesy sauce, and crisp herbed stuffing all in one dish! I hope this recipe will come in handy for you this holiday season and beyond. It’s one of those recipes I know I’ll keep coming back to.
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Chicken and Stuffing Bake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Chicken and Stuffing Bake is inspired by a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but so much easier! Sure to become a new family favorite.
Ingredients
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bullion Chicken Base
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Chicken and Stuffing Bake
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 oz box turkey stuffing
- 1 cup water
- 10 chicken tenderloins (about 2 pounds)
- 6 slices baby swiss cheese
Instructions
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and allow to bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the milk, chicken base, basil, parsley, thyme, onion powder, and salt and continue to heat, whisking frequently. The mixture will thicken as it comes to a low boil after about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the Chicken and Stuffing Bake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 tablespoons of butter into a 7 by 11 inch dish, and melt the butter in the preheating oven.
- While the butter is melting, prepare the stuffing mixture. Add stuffing mixture and 1 cup of water to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- When the butter in the dish is melted, remove the dish from the oven and place chicken tenderloins in an even layer across the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the homemade cream of chicken soup over the chicken tenderloins.
- Layer baby swiss cheese slices over the soup.
- Spoon the stuffing over the top of the cheese.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees.
- Serve with mashed potatoes!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 514
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 569mg
- Fat: 29g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.8g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 0.9g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 166mg
Gina McLendon says
Looks scrumptious! Can’t wait to try it!
Jennifer L Koehler says
How many pounds is 10 tenderloins?
Julie says
Hi Jennifer, it should be about 2 lbs. Thanks for your question!
Jennifer L Koehler says
How many pounds is 10 tenderloins? If using cooked turkey, how many cups or lbs. are recommended?
Jessie says
This was great! Seriously delish! I put a little salt and garlic powder on the chicken before the soup and it needed the full 40 minutes to cook. Definitely a make again!!
Linda says
How many can of cream of chicken if i dont make the fresh homemade?
Christie Love says
Delish!!! I used sliced smoked Gouda cheese and the homemade cream of chicken soup was Devine!!
Stacy says
I made this but really did not like the cheese. I love cheese and thought it would be good. Next time I’ll leave the cheese out. Otherwise, this is a great recipe and really easy. I served with potato patties from leftover mashed and make my own stuffing. Next time I’ll add fresh green beans to the bake. Thanks for a great recipe!