Crispy Leftover Chicken and Shells Casserole
Updated Jul 03, 2025
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Leftover chicken recipes are pretty popular in our home because we eat a lot of chicken. This is one of our boys’ top favorite casserole recipes.
You can make this easy leftover chicken casserole for about $5.00 and well under $1.00 per serving. As my dad used to ask, “How do you like those apples?!”
📝 Crispy Leftover Chicken Casserole -Fast Facts
✅ Prep Time: ~10 minutes
⏲️ Bake Time: ~35 minutes
🍽️ Serves: ~6 (depends on portion size)
👨🍳 Skill Level: Easy
📦 Equipment: Large bowl and 9×13 casserole dish
💵 Estimated Cost: ~$5.00 total / ~$0.85 per serving
This budget-friendly casserole uses leftover chicken, pasta shells, cheese, soup, and milk—just stir, bake, and enjoy a creamy, comforting dinner ready in under an hour. Great for weeknights or reheating the next day!
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💖 Why You’ll Love This Leftover Chicken Recipe
- 🍗 Use Up That Chicken – Whether it’s leftover oven fried buttermilk chicken, plain diced chicken, Smoked Whole Chicken, this leftover chicken recipe puts it to good use.
- 💸 Budget-Friendly – Just a handful of pantry staples turn your leftovers into an easy dinner under $1 per serving.
- 🧀 Creamy & Crispy – Cheese, cream soup, and breadcrumbs come together for a comforting bite that’s both creamy and golden on top.
- 🕒 Quick to Prep – Stir it all in one bowl, pop it in a casserole dish, and let the oven do the work.
- 🍽️ Looking for More Leftover Chicken Recipes? Try it with other fan-favorites like Indian Curry Chicken Salad, Mexican Chicken Lasagna Casserole, Homemade Chicken and Biscuits Skillet Pot Pie, Homemade Pot Pie Using Leftover Chicken, or Chicken Noodle Soup that Uses Rotisserie Chicken.
- 🔁 Endless Leftover Options – This leftover chicken recipe also works with Skillet Honey Lime Chicken Thighs, Juicy Air Fryer BBQ Chicken, and virtually any family chicken recipe. It’s one of many inexpensive family dinners, perfect for stretching your grocery dollars.
Table of Contents
- 📝 Crispy Leftover Chicken Casserole -Fast Facts
- 💖 Why You’ll Love This Leftover Chicken Recipe
- 🥘 Ingredients and Notes
- Variations and Substitutions
- 🔪 How to Make Leftover Chicken Casserole
- Recipe Questions and Answers
- What to Serve with Leftover Chicken Casserole
- More Leftover Recipes
- More Family Dinner Casserole Ideas
- Crispy Leftover Chicken and Shells Casserole Recipe
Like ourTex-Mex tater tot casserole, this leftover chicken recipe comes together in a snap and uses ordinary ingredients you already have on hand.
🥘 Ingredients and Notes
(Find the complete recipe at the end of this post.)
For the Pasta – Shells work great for this leftover chicken recipe, but you can also use the tubular rigatoni like what we use in our best rigatoni mac and cheese with bacon in it.
Cream Soup – Like our Creamy Garlic Mushroom Meatballs, you can also use cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup in this recipe.
For the Cheese – Use whatever you have on hand. Parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella all work for this casserole.
For the Milk – 2% or whole milk works best for this casserole. Anything less takes away from the creaminess of it.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use whatever kind of leftover poultry that you have on hand.
- Rotisserie chicken from Costco.
- Leftover barbecued chicken from the grill
- oven-roasted turkey tenderloin
- Leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat
- Use your favorite cheese in this leftover chicken recipe, or whatever you have on hand.
- Mozzarella cheese works great for a mild and light flavor.
- Cheddar cheese will add a little more savory flavor to this leftover casserole.
- Parmesan cheese will give it a bit of an Italian flare.
- To make it extra creamy, substitute the milk with heavy cream or half-and-half.
🔪 How to Make Leftover Chicken Casserole
Other than the ingredients, all you need is a 9 x 13-inch casserole pan, a mixing bowl, wooden spoon, and some measuring cups.
1. Cook and drain the pasta shells as directed. Then combine all the ingredients with the meat in a large mixing bowl.
2. Stir it all together.
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3. Transfer the ingredients to a greased 9 x 13 casserole pan.
4. Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes.
Recipe Tip
To make this leftover chicken recipe saucier and creamier, add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of milk to the pan before it goes into the oven.
Recipe Questions and Answers
Make sure it is cooled and then sealed and wrapped in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Never allow poultry to sit at room temperature for over 2 hours.
It should be tossed out after 3 or 4 days in the fridge. If it starts to smell or look funky, throw it out. To reheat this, follow the same directions for when reheating alfredo sauce.
You can freeze this leftover chicken recipe for up to 6 months. Use plastic wrap to seal it before placing it in the freezer. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight, the day before you bake it.
What to Serve with Leftover Chicken Casserole
This leftover chicken recipe is a meal all by itself, but if you want to add an ordinary side dish or two, consider some of the following easy side dishes:
More Leftover Recipes
If you’re looking for the best way to use leftovers, be sure and read how to reheat enchiladas; they can taste even better the next day! Speaking of leftover and enchiladas, you’ll want to check out our leftover steak recipe for enchiladas!
More Family Dinner Casserole Ideas
Meatballs
Meatball Sub Casserole
Casserole recipes
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Casserole recipes
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (Kid-Friendly Ranch Version)
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Crispy Leftover Chicken and Shells Casserole
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Ingredients
- 16 oz. chicken, coarsely cubed
- 16 oz. pasta shells
- 8 oz. shredded cheese
- 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F°
- Grease a 9 x 13 casserole pan.
- Prepare pasta as directed, drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, cube leftover poultry. Add grated cheese, soup, milk, breadcrumbs and pasta.
- Stir mixture thoroughly then evenly distribute in prepared casserole dish.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Video
Notes
- Basil
- Oregano/Italian seasoning
- Thyme
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t have canned soup…what can I use instead?
Here’s a helpful and friendly reply you can post:
⸻
Great question! If you don’t have canned soup, you can make a quick homemade substitute by whisking together 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of milk or chicken broth over medium heat until thickened. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, or even a little bouillon for extra flavor. It works like a charm in this recipe!
Let us know how it turns out—and if you snap a pic, tag us with #plattertalk so we can cheer you on! 🧡🐔
Hi do you think instead I could use white cheddar in this dish? Thank you for sharing your recipe, I have it pinned.
Absolutely! Thanks for the question and thanks for reading Platter Talk!
Can I substitute leftover mac & cheese for the shells and cheese? About how much should I use. I’ve never cooked pasta shells so not sure how much the package actually makes in terms of cups for using in the casserole. I will be using leftover chicken tenders or nuggets as well.
Hi. Yes, that sounds like a delicious idea! The amount of pasta will depend on how much Mac and cheese you are using. Good luck; it sounds delicious!
aMAZing! I added a little pepper on top since I forgot the spices that were suggested but even without this dish was Great!
Definitely will be making it again.
Loved it! So easy, I added some left over broccoli & chopped up half of sweet red pepper. It was a great and easy brunch meal, thanks for the recipe
Just tried this tonight, it was delicious!
Served it with multi greens salad with cranberries and vinaigrette dressing!
Hubby took seconds and thirds!
Thanks Dan❣️🤗
Starr! So nice to hear from you. Give my best to Dale, and enjoy the warm weather down in Sarasota! xo -Dan
My husband us not s big casserole person. He told me, “you did good”. I added a little garlic powder and I had a some frozen peas I needed to use up. I will definitely make this again.
Husband approved! Love it. Thanks for sharing, Diane!
I made this but adjusted a little to use what I had. I didn’t have much chicken left so I sauted up a little chopped onion and garlic with bacon. I added a handful of chopped up baby spinach and mixed it just enough with the cooked bacon to wilt it.
I mixed a can of cream of chicken soup and whole milk, then added grated swiss cheese, and then added the meat/spinach mixture, and the mini penne (which is what I had) Poured into a casserole. Topped with some crushed butter crackers that I mixed with a little melted butter. Delicious
Can you please let me know how far ahead I can make this. Thanks again Janet Watson.
Hi Janet. You can make this and freeze it for up to 3 months. Otherwise, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (wrapped and sealed.)
Thanks for