Chicken Zucchini Casserole

Name: Chicken Zucchini Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 11-12 oz (300 g)Ground chicken; 1 egg; 1 carrot medium (grated); 1 large zucchini (grated); 1 medium brown/yellow onion (chopped); 3-4 tbsp sour cream (or more as needed); 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp cracked black pepper; ½ tsp salt or to taste + for zucchini; 1 ½ cup Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese; 1 tsp of Italian herb spice (or a mix of dried oregano, garlic, thyme)

May 8, 2021 · Modified: Dec 8, 2022 by Julia | The Yummy Bowl · This post contains affiliate links · 36 Comments

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This Chicken Zucchini Casserole may become your favorite zucchini recipe. Learn how to make this quick, easy, and budget-friendly casserole for busy weeknight dinners.

We love easy casserole recipes like Easy Breakfast Casserole with Bacon, Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Butternut Squash Broccoli Casserole. And this Chicken Zucchini Casserole does not disappoint!

Chicken Zucchini Casserole in a white oval baking dish

Why you’ll love this

Incredibly tender and creamy - ground chicken in combination with soft baked zucchini under layers of sour cream and cheese - a total crowd-pleaser!

Budget-friendly - a few simple, economical ingredients make this chicken zucchini casserole just from scratch without canned ingredients or cream soup needed!

Easy to reheat - this chicken and vegetable casserole also re-heats super well - either in the oven at about 390 F (200 C) for approximately 10 minutes or simply pop in microwave.

Easily Customizable - use ground beef or ground turkey with zucchini to make this casserole, but so far, chicken zucchini is my favorite.

If you like creamy chicken recipes be sure to check out these dishes: Creamy Chicken Pasta In White Wine Sauce, Creamy Chicken Taquitos (Baked Taquitos), Creamy Chicken With Spinach, Bacon And Sundried Tomatoes, Creamy Chicken Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Creamy Chicken Tacos, or simply type word ''chicken'' into the search bar.

zucchini chicken casserole closeup on a wooden spoon

Ingredients

Zucchini - also called courgettes, is the main star ingredient that in my opinion is the best veggie to pair with chicken. It has soft, delicate texture and is best to use in stuffings, patties, fritters, cakes and breads. If you haven’t yet tried my 4 ingredient Chicken Zucchini fritters then they're about to become a hit in your family too. We make these often. Easy and very much kid-friendly and kid-APPROVED too! Ask my picky-eater 2 year old!

Garlic powder and onion - the essential combo you can’t forget in almost every savory dish. I used both garlic and onion powder in case I am short on time or want to achieve more ''softer'' and not overpowering garlic/onion flavor which is simply delicious in my opinion (BUT powders are a great alternative when serving to kids).

Carrot - isn’t essential, but it does add a little pop of color and taste which in combination with chicken zucchini tastes superb.

Ground Chicken - can be substituted with rotisserie chicken or diced chicken instead. But I prefer ground chicken as it is so tender and perfect for this type of chicken casserole recipe. Your next options are ground turkey, ground beef/pork.

Italian herbs - another needed ingredient for chicken zucchini casserole. These herbs enhance any simple casserole! But not essential, if you don't have it on hand it will still taste very good.

Cheese - make sure to cover the top generously so you’ll have a thicker layer of cheese once done. But it’s personal preference, you can also add the only ¾ of a cup or less depending on the baking dish. Cheese lovers will appreciate!

Instructions

Need a different visual? This recipe is also available as a story!

In a medium bowl grate the zucchini and add 1 teaspoon of salt, set aside for 10-15 min to drain off the excess water.

zucchini in a strainer and a bowl with vegetables and chicken

Remove the excess water using a strainer and spoon or wrap the zucchini in a thin kitchen towel (or a special fabric is also available on amazon) and squeeze tight to get rid of the water.

grated zucchini ground chicken carrots and egg in a glass bowl

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).

Chicken Zucchini Casserole in a white oval baking dish process

Once done, gather all the ingredients (except cheese and sour cream) in a large mixing bowl and stir with a spatula or hands until combined.

Prepare a 9x13 or slightly smaller baking dish, spray with cooking oil, and transfer the mixture into the dish. Even out the top with a spatula and layer the sour cream on top.

Bake the chicken zucchini casserole for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the cheese, bake again for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Your Chicken Zucchini Casserole is ready! Garnish with parsley or scallions, cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

Serving suggestions

Being loaded with plenty of zucchini and chicken, this dish doesn’t necessarily need a vegetable side dish or salad of some sort. But if you do wish to add a little fresh salad (I highly recommend this easy Marinated Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad - this goes with anything!) or even Mashed Potatoes.

Tips

Sour Cream - depending on your casserole dish size, add more sour cream as needed to cover the entire area as instructed in the recipe. Sour cream used here is mainly to add a little flavor without creating a thick sauce. But feel free to add even more if you prefer this way.

Onion - brown or yellow onion is preferred and you can feel the flavor in the dish. If not so much of an onion fan, use a smaller onion or reduce the quantity in half.

I used a smaller oval casserole dish for this, and if using the standard 9 x 13 inch you'll need to adjust the quantities slightly to fill up the space.

FAQ

Can you put raw chicken in a casserole?

It is indeed safe to put raw chicken in a casserole to cook in the oven. It will cook longer than already precooked say, rotisserie chicken, However it is healthier this way, and consider using diced, shredded, or like in this recipe, ground chicken that will cook very fast. All bacteria are killed once the temperature in the oven reaches 160 degrees.

Do you peel zucchini?

Usually, it is not needed to peel zucchini before baking, especially when using fresh young zucchinis. As with many vegetables, most of the nutrition value comes from the zucchini skin, so it is a good idea to keep it as it is. In this zucchini chicken casserole we use grated zucchini with skin on and during baking it becomes very tender, exactly like we want it to be.

Should you salt zucchini before cooking?

It is not necessary to salt the zucchini before cooking. The fastest way is to grate the zucchini before cooking, leave it in a fine-mesh strainer for 10-20 minutes and then wrap it in a thin fabric or kitchen towel and squeeze the extra moisture out. Another way to get the water out is to saute the zucchini with a little vegetable oil before adding it to the casserole. Avoid steaming or boiling the zucchinis.

How do you keep squash casserole from getting watery?

The best way to prevent your squash or zucchini casserole from getting watery is to remove the excess water by wrapping the cut or grated squash in a piece of fabric and squeeze out the water. Alternatively, you can saute the veggies before cooking that will also remove most of the excess water.

Gluten Free Zucchini Recipes

Easy One Pot Recipes

zucchini chicken casserole on a aplate close up

I hope you'll enjoy this chicken zucchini casserole recipe and if you make it, please let me know about it in the comments or by tagging @theyummy_bowl under your picture on Instagram.

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Julia