Cheesy Rotel Chicken Casserole Recipe

Why You’ll Love This this Cheesy Rotel Chicken Casserole

This casserole is basically comfort food’s greatest hits album, bringing together tender chicken, gooey Velveeta cheese, and those iconic Rotel tomatoes that somehow make everything taste like a warm hug.

You get all the satisfaction of a home-cooked meal without the fuss – just toss everything together, top with buttery Ritz crackers, and let the oven work its magic while you put your feet up.

It’s the kind of dish that feeds a crowd without breaking the bank, and honestly, who doesn’t need more of that energy in their life.

Ingredients List

Here’s everything you need to turn your kitchen into a casserole paradise, and trust me, most of these ingredients are probably already hanging out in your pantry anyway.

• 1 chicken, cut up
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 12 ounces vermicelli, cooked and drained
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 can English peas
• 1 jar sliced mushrooms
• 1 jar white pearl onions, drained
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 16 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

Let’s be real about the health factor here:

• This casserole isn’t exactly what your nutritionist would call a superfood, but hey, it’s got vegetables and protein
• The Velveeta and margarine situation means we’re looking at some serious sodium and processed ingredients
• You could swap the margarine for butter if you want to go a little more natural
• Fresh mushrooms instead of jarred ones would cut down on the sodium too
• Think of this as your weekend comfort food, not your Tuesday night healthy dinner

Step by Step Directions

This cheesy comfort food casserole combines tender chicken with vegetables, pasta, and melted cheese for the ultimate crowd-pleasing dish.

• Boil and debone the chicken, then set aside
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Melt margarine in a large skillet
• Add the chopped onions, green peppers, and celery to the skillet
• Sauté until onions are translucent
• Add the Rotel tomatoes, English peas, sliced mushrooms, pearl onions, and Worcestershire sauce to the onion mixture
• When the mixture begins to simmer, add the deboned chicken, cooked vermicelli, and cubed Velveeta cheese
• Mix everything together well
• Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 casserole dish
• Top with crushed Ritz crackers
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly

For extra versatility, this recipe also works beautifully when prepared in a cast iron dutch oven for even heat distribution and enhanced flavor.

Substitutions and Variations

• Cracker topping variations – Crushed cornflakes, breadcrumbs, or even crushed tortilla chips make great alternatives to Ritz crackers.
• Make it lighter – Use reduced-fat cheese, substitute Greek yogurt for some of the cheese, or add extra vegetables to bulk it up without the calories.
• Tex-Mex twist – Add black beans, corn, and use Mexican cheese blend.

Suddenly you’ve got a whole different casserole that’s just as satisfying.

Additional Things to Serve With This Dish

This hearty casserole pairs beautifully with lighter sides that won’t compete with all that cheesy goodness.

• Simple green salad – Something crisp and fresh cuts through the richness perfectly, and honestly, we all need a little green on our plates to feel better about ourselves.
• Garlic bread or dinner rolls – Because apparently we’re not getting enough carbs already, but who’s counting when it tastes this good.
• Steamed broccoli or green beans – The vegetables your mom always said you needed, and they actually do help balance out all that Velveeta.
• Cornbread – Especially if you went with the Tex-Mex variation, this just makes sense and adds a slightly sweet contrast.
• Coleslaw – The tangy crunch works wonders against the creamy pasta, plus it’s another way to sneak in some vegetables without anyone complaining.
• Roasted asparagus – Sounds fancy but takes literally ten minutes in the oven, and it makes you feel like you’re eating at a real restaurant instead of inhaling comfort food on the couch.

Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)

A few tricks can turn this good casserole into an absolutely stellar one, and trust me, these little details make all the difference.

• Don’t skip the chicken deboning step – I know it’s tempting to use rotisserie chicken, but boiling your own gives you that perfect tender texture and you get the cooking liquid for extra flavor if you want to thin the sauce.
• Cook the vermicelli just shy of al dente – It’s going in the oven for another 30 minutes, so undercook it by about 2 minutes or you’ll end up with mushy pasta nobody wants to eat.
• Drain those canned ingredients well – Seriously, give those mushrooms and pearl onions a good shake in the strainer, because nobody signed up for a watery casserole that looks sad and tastes bland.
• Let the Velveeta melt completely before transferring – Cubes of unmelted cheese hiding in your casserole are like little pockets of disappointment, so stir until it’s smooth and creamy.
• Save some crackers for halfway through baking – Add half the Ritz crackers at the beginning, then sprinkle the rest on top during the last 15 minutes so you get both integrated flavor and that perfect golden crunch.
• Rest it for 10 minutes after baking – This gives everything time to set up properly instead of being a molten lava mess that burns your tongue and falls apart on the plate.

Nutritional Facts

This hearty casserole serves 8-10 people and packs a substantial nutritional punch with its combination of protein, carbs, and vegetables.

• Calories per serving: Approximately 650-750 calories (based on 8 servings)
• Protein powerhouse: Each serving delivers about 35-40g of protein from the chicken and cheese
• Carbohydrates: Around 45-50g per serving, primarily from the vermicelli pasta
• Fat content: Moderate at 30-35g per serving, mostly from margarine, cheese, and chicken
• Sodium warning: High sodium content (1,200-1,500mg per serving) due to Rotel tomatoes, Velveeta, and Worcestershire sauce
• Fiber boost: About 4-5g per serving from vegetables and pasta
• Calcium rich: Significant calcium from Velveeta cheese (approximately 300mg per serving)
• Vitamin C: Good source from green peppers and tomatoes
• Iron content: Moderate iron levels from chicken and enriched pasta
• Serving size reality check: This recipe easily feeds 8-10 adults as a main dish, so don’t underestimate portion sizes when calculating your nutritional intake

Fun “Did You Know?”

While Rotel tomatoes might seem like a modern convenience food, they’ve actually been spicing up American kitchens since 1943 when Carl Roettele first started canning diced tomatoes with green chiles in Elsa, Texas.

I find it fascinating that this Tex-Mex staple predates many other processed foods we consider classics. The brand’s name combines “Ro” from Roettele and “tel” from hotel, since Carl initially sold his product to local hotels and restaurants.

Today, Rotel appears in countless casserole recipes across the South, proving that sometimes the simplest innovations create the most lasting culinary traditions.