Cashew Chicken Casserole – A Chicken Casserole with Macaroni Recipe

Cashew Chicken Casserole is a humble recipe with great flavor and texture. Fresh lemon juice perks up the flavor while cashews bring a bit of crunch.  Save that leftover chicken, and turn it into your next meal with this easy chicken casserole with macaroni recipe.

Cashew Chicken Casserole Recipe

For me, there’s nothing homier and familiar than a casserole topped with potato chips. Mom’s Tuna Casserole always, always had crushed potato chips on top.

Maybe that’s why I was attracted to this Chicken Casserole with Cashew Nuts in my Minnesota Centennial Cook Book.

That, and because it looked easy. I’m not going to lie; if a recipe has too many hard steps, my eyes glaze over. I need simple recipes in my life.

Chicken Casserole with Macaroni

Simple recipes with simple ingredients.

The main ingredients are pretty basic when it comes to many chicken casserole recipes – cooked chicken, elbow macaroni, celery, onion, green pepper,

Mayonnaise is the binder that holds everything together in this version. What makes this recipe special is fresh lemon juice which brightens up the flavor and cashew nuts that give it a bit of texture.

Chicken Casserole with Rotisserie Chicken

I’m all about re-purposing leftovers to make new meals. Recently, I’ve been buying whole chickens that are packaged in a cooking bag. The chicken gets cooked from frozen (so easy), and the end result is moist.

After dinner, I go ahead and shred or dice the chicken so that it’s all ready to be tossed in a casserole. That way, on a busy night, I’m one step ahead to having dinner on the table.

You could even prepare this entire casserole up to the step of adding potato chips ahead of time. Cover tightly, and refrigerate. When you get home from work, top with potato chips and bake. It may take a few extra minutes to get hot, but you’ll be thanking yourself when this Chicken Casserole with cashew nuts hits the table.

Ingredient List for Cashew Chicken Casserole

• Cooked Chicken: Leftover chicken breast works great, particularly rotisserie chicken. Shred or dice it.
• Celery: Slice it into small pieces. It gives a great crunch.
• Peppers: Dice it small. Use green peppers, red peppers, orange or yellow peppers.
• Cashews: I use raw cashews, and I like to chop them small to hide them from my kids. If desired, do a rough chop with larger pieces. Roasted cashews work too!
• Onions: Dried, minced onions work too instead of diced, fresh onions.
• Macaroni Noodles: Start with one cup raw macaroni. Cook it al dente because it will finish cooking in the oven.
• Mayonnaise: Use regular, low fat or non-fat, if desired. Miracle Whip can be substituted for Mayo too.  If the casserole looks really dry, add a little more mayo.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh is best, but I often times use the lemon juice from the containers that you keep in the fridge.
• Salt and Black Pepper: Season this casserole to your preferred taste. Like more pepper, add it in!
• Potato Chips: Crush up regular potato chips, or use all those little pieces from the bottom of the bag. Cracker crumbs or bread crumbs make a great substitute.

How to Make Chicken Casserole with Cashews

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven; spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook macaroni per package instructions; drain well.
3. Mix all ingredients except potato chips.
4. Pour chicken mixture into prepared baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with potato chips; bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and hot.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For the full recipe steps and ingredient amounts for chicken casserole with potato chips, scroll to the bottom of this post. 

Recipe FAQs

• This is a great leftover chicken recipe. Cashew Chicken Casserole recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken but it can be a little more or a little less.
• Use cooked chicken (shredded or diced). Rotisserie chicken works great.
• Substitute red, orange or yellow peppers for green ones if desired.
• Start with 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni; cook it per package instructions, and be sure to drain well.
• Low fat mayonnaise could be used if you prefer a lower fat version.
• I hide the cashews from my kids by chopping them up pretty small.
• Crushed crackers or cornflakes are a great substitution for the crushed potato chips in this chicken casserole with cashew nuts.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry essentials and kitchen gadgets.

Our Favorite Casserole Recipes

I’m a huge casserole fan. Here are some of my favorites, including Taco Crock Pot Hashbrown Casserole from Recipes that Crock.

Cheesy Cabbage Casserole

Pizza Potato Casserole

Classic Chicken Casserole

Grandma’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole

Mom’s Tuna Casserole

Easy Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef

Can chicken casserole be made ahead of time?

Yes, and you have two options for cooking the casserole.

• Option 1: Prepare the chicken casserole, cover and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge and bake when desired. The cook time may need to be extended if you’re starting with a cold casserole.
• Option 2: Prepare it, cook according to directions, let it cool and then refrigerate. To serve, warm it up in the oven or microwave.

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