This Crunchy No-Peek Cheesy Chicken is the kind of weeknight dinner you can throw together in minutes, cover with foil, and forget about until it comes out golden, bubbling, and packed with flavor. It’s creamy, cheesy, crunchy—and exactly the kind of comfort food that feeds a hungry family fast.
With just a handful of pantry ingredients, this chicken casserole comes together with minimal prep and bakes in under an hour. Serve it over mashed potatoes or rice for a full meal everyone will love.
Want to skip the box? Click here for the best homemade stuffing that works in this recipe.
Let’s take stuffing way beyond Thanksgiving. Let’s get cooking.
Why You’ll Love This No-Peek Chicken Recipe
- One Pan Meal: Everything cooks together—no extra pans.
- Crunchy Topping: Buttery stuffing mix adds the perfect crisp.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Assemble and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Customizable: Use any cream soup or cheese combo.
- Kid-Approved Comfort Food: Creamy, cheesy, and cozy.
Ingredients for Crunchy No-Peek Cheesy Chicken
- 2 (10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom, celery, etc.)
- ⅓ cup milk
- 6 oz box dry stuffing mix
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 to 3 lbs chicken tenderloins
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 5 to 7 slices Colby Jack cheese (or 1 cup shredded Colby Jack)
How to Make Crunchy No-Peek Cheesy Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup and milk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry stuffing mix with melted butter and chicken broth. Stir well so the stuffing absorbs the liquid.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Lay the chicken tenderloins flat in the baking dish.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Spread the soup mixture evenly over the chicken.
- Place cheese slices over the soup layer.
- Sprinkle the stuffing mixture on top.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the top is golden and crisp.
- Serve hot over mashed potatoes or cooked rice.
Tips, Swaps & Shortcuts
- Meat Options: Use boneless thighs or sliced chicken breasts if preferred.
- Cheese Swap: Try mozzarella, Swiss, or sharp cheddar.
- Soup Options: Any “cream of” soup works—try mushroom or celery for variation.
- Make Ahead: Assemble everything in the morning, cover, and refrigerate until dinnertime.
- Serve With: Mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, or a crisp salad.

Crunchy No-Peek Cheesy Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup (or any cream soup)
- ⅓ cup milk
- 6 oz box stuffing mix
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 to 3 lbs chicken tenderloins
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 5 to 7 deli slices Colby Jack cheese or 1 cup shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cream of chicken soup and milk.
- In a separate bowl, mix stuffing with melted butter and chicken broth until fully moistened.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Arrange chicken in the bottom of the dish.
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Spread the soup mixture evenly over the chicken.
- Layer cheese slices over the soup mixture.
- Top with stuffing mixture.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another 25 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
- Serve hot over mashed potatoes or cooked rice.
Notes
What to serve with simple dinner recipes:
The point of these recipes is to keep dinner simple and delicious, so there is no need to go crazy with sides for these meals. You will get plenty of flavor with one or more sides. Here are a few of my favorites to serve with these meals:
- Easy One Hour Dinner Rolls
- Garlic Pull Apart Rolls – Roll Dough Recipe
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Caprese Salad
Make dessert to go with dinner:
- Irresistible Biscoff White Chocolate Chip Cookies – The Ultimate Sweet & Crunchy Treat!
- No Bake Avalanche Cookies
- Easy No Bake Cheesecake
- No-Bake Hershey’s Chocolate Pie
Why are these recipes so great?
These simple dinner recipes are great family meals that are generally kid-friendly, yet give you plenty of protein and some tasty carbs. They are well-rounded entrees.
Plus, you can make these dinner recipes in just a few steps with minimal effort. Let me know which ones you try and love!
Quick links for making dinner easy:
- Family meal plans
- Tools for the kitchen and more
- The best cookbook for family dinner recipes
- FREE budget meal plan
- Cooking videos to watch
If you give these recipes a try, make sure to tag us on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipes!