When you pull a hot, creamy, bubbly casserole dish out of the oven, it smells like a little piece of heaven. Creamy chicken biscuit pie is exactly like it sounds. It’s made with Pilsbury Biscuits, and a creamy sauce soaks into the bread to make it utterly divine. Bubble up chicken casserole can grace your table every week for a year and no one will ever stop asking for it.
My mom used to make a similar bubble up chicken biscuit bake. Much of her ingredients came from whatever she had in the fridge. And leftover roast chicken from the night before. She was super frugal, so anytime we had leftover turkey from a holiday meal, she bagged that up in freezer bags so we could enjoy warm casseroles in January and February.
When my children were small, this was a wonderful dish for me to make for them on busy weeknights. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it all! Crazy mornings getting them off to school, working all day, rushing home to get dinner on the stove, getting them bathed and to bed. Whew. I’m exhausted now just remembering it.
So how did I get through those bonkers days we all have as young moms? With easy dinner recipes like this bubble up chicken creamy biscuit bake. A chicken casserole can solve a lot of problems for busy families. Mom feels good about herself because she fed her family a meal they loved. And everyone gets a good healthy meal with comfort food appeal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This creamy chicken biscuit pie is the kind of meal that makes everyone show up to the table fast.
- Food a growing family can afford: You likely have most of these ingredients already. A rotisserie chicken costs less than 10 bucks and can feed your entire family. Sometimes for two nights.
- Almost no prep is needed: No veggies to chop. No roux to make from scratch. Just you, a baking pan, and a plan.
- Leftovers for work lunches: Make a huge back and you’re covered for days.
- Nearly everyone will love it: Picky eaters won’t balk at this chicken and biscuit bake. Kids who usually don’t eat something if they don’t love it clean their plates.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
One of the things I love most about this biscuit bake with creamy sauce is how easy it is to customize it.
- Shredded chicken: Rotisserie chicken one night, the next night, the leftover chicken pieces for this easy dinner casserole. You can also cook your own chicken. Cook your chicken on low in the slow cooker. Then, shred it before you cook. Or like my mom did, freeze up some shreded chicken in bulk.
- Cream of chicken soup: This is the real MVP of a good chicken casserole. It’s what makes the creamy sauce thick and rich. Cream of mushroom works too or even cream of celery soup.
- Refrigerated biscuits: Pillsbury biscuits are what I grab, but any 12 oz can works. Homemade biscuit dough is fine, too.
- Cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar gives you the most flavor. Pepper jack adds a kick. White cheddar or mozzarella work too.
- Ranch seasoning mix: This gives the filling that tangy and herby punch. For a spicy twice you can swap in taco seasoning.
Tips for Success
A few things that’ll help you nail this biscuit bake every time.
- Finely shredded chicken is best: Smaller pieces blend into the creamy sauce better, and you get chicken in every bite.
- Cut your biscuits evenly: They need to be the same size to cook evenly.
- Don’t skip greasing the dish: This filling is cheesy and sticky. A well-greased pan makes cleanup so much easier.
- Check the biscuit pieces before you pull it out:Poke a knife into the center and make sure those biscuit chunks are cooked through. Nobody wants a gummy bite of raw dough.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, or put the dish back in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
You can freeze this for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The biscuit texture will be a little softer after freezing, but it still tastes good.
If you want to prep ahead, mix up the filling and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Don’t add the biscuits until you’re ready to bake.
Serving Suggestions
A green salad with ranch on the side keeps things light next to all that creamy filling. this is a pretty heavy casserole dinner. Steamed broccoli or roasted green beans go well with this, too.
My sister always serves hers with a side of buttered corn, and honestly, it’s a perfect combo.
FAQs
Why is it called a bubble up bake?
It’s because the biscuit pieces cook and get puffy as the filling cooks and gets hot. The top looks like its bubbling. It’s been a beloved casseroles for years.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Skip the chicken and bacon and add black beans or cooked lentils instead. Swap the cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom. You’ll still get a hearty biscuit bake.
Notes
This is one of my favorite easy dinner recipes that works on any day of the week. Hectic weeknights or casual weekend dinners. The Pillsbury Biscuits puff up and soak in all that creamy sauce. And melted cheddar on top? Give me a hearty chicken casserole any day of the week!
Creamy Chicken Biscuit Pie
Ingredients
- 3 cups Shredded cooked chicken Rotisserie chicken works beautifully
- 2 cans 10.5 oz each Condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 ½ cups Sour cream
- 2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 2 Tbsp. Dry Ranch seasoning mix
- ¼ cup Cooked bacon crumbled
- 1 Can 12 oz Refrigerated biscuit dough
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish exceptionally well with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, both cans of cream of chicken soup, the sour cream, the dry Ranch seasoning mix, the crumbled bacon, and exactly 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk and fold vigorously until the chicken and bacon are entirely suspended in a smooth, uniform ranch-gravy base.
- Open the can of refrigerated biscuits. Use a sharp chef’s knife or a pizza cutter to slice each raw dough round into 4 equal quarters.
- The Interstitial Dough Fold: Toss the raw biscuit pieces into the bowl with the chicken mixture. Use a soft rubber spatula to gently fold the dough into the gravy just until the pieces are lightly coated on their exterior surfaces. Do not aggressively over-mix or press down on the dough quarters, as this will flatten the factory-laminated butter layers inside the raw dough.
- Transfer the mixture into your prepared 9×13-inch baking dish. Use your spatula to spread the chicken pieces out, but leave the biscuit quarters sticking up at random angles. Pro Tip: Allowing the biscuit pieces to stand unevenly creates natural vents and air pathways throughout the casserole. This lets steam escape from the bubbling gravy below, ensuring the biscuit tops rise into light, airy, cloud-like bubbles instead of collapsing into heavy dough balls.
- Blanket the top surface uniformly with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes. Watch the center of the pan carefully: you want to pull the casserole the moment the exposed biscuit points turn a deep golden brown and the cheese is vigorously bubbling at the edges. Let the dish rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes to allow the rich dairy gravy to tighten slightly before spooning into bowls.
