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 recipe.
Cashew Chicken Casserole Recipe:
For me, there’s nothing more 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.
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.
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. 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.
How to Make Chicken Casserole with Cashews:
Instructions:
- Preheat oven; spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook macaroni per package instructions; drain well.
- Mix all ingredients except potato chips.
- Pour into prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with potato chips; bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and hot.
For the full recipe for chicken casserole with potato chips, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Notes About Chicken Casserole with Potato Chips:
- 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).
- 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.
- Crushed cracker crumbs or cornflakes are a great substitution for the crushed potato chips in this chicken casserole with cashew nuts.
Our Favorite Casserole Recipes
I’m a huge casserole fan. Here are some of my favorites:
Grandma’s Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
Easy Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef
Taco Crock Pot Hashbrown Casserole
Linking up to Weekend Potluck.
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 recipe.
- 1 cup macaroni noodles
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
- 1 1/2 cups celery, finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons green pepper, finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons onion, minced
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup cashews, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup potato chips, crushed
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a 2 1/2 quart dish or an 8 x 8 inch dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook 1 cup dry macaroni in boiling water until al dente; drain well.
Mix all ingredients except potato chips. Pour into prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle crushed potato chips over top.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and hot.
- 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; it can be shredded or diced.
- 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.
- Crushed cracker crumbs or cornflakes are a great substitution for the crushed potato chips in this chicken casserole with cashew nuts.
- Love potato chips on your casseroles? Try Mom's Tuna Casserole and Classic Chicken Casserole.
[…] recently, I discovered how amazing crunchy casseroles are when I found this Cashew Chicken Casserole. The soft texture of wide egg noodles mixed with crunchy ingredients like nuts and celery is a home […]