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This Chicken Gloria casserole is made from scratch using fresh mushrooms, cream, garlic, sherry, and deliciously melty cheese on top. It’s total comfort food!
Love cheesy baked chicken recipes? Try my Mozzarella Mushroom White Wine Chicken or this Creamy Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini.
Why you’ll love it
This creamy chicken casserole is a cheesy delight that your family will request over and over. It’s often made with cream of mushroom soup, but I prefer to make the cream sauce with fresh mushrooms from scratch without condensed soup. It’s not that much more effort, and the flavor payoff is SO worth it! Trust me.
This classic American dish was invented by Betty Crocker, apparently. It’s been in some families for at least a couple of generations. I think that it’s fun to revisit classics, so I put my own homemade spin on this one. And yes, if you were wondering, I totally did sing the ’80s Laura Branigan song while I was working on this recipe.
Our kitchen thinks this creamy chicken and mushroom casserole is pretty glorious, but if you want a simplified version of this recipe, check out my Creamy Sherry Chicken!
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using three large chicken breasts cut lengthwise
- Salt & pepper and flour – for seasoning the chicken and dredging
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying the chicken and mushrooms
- Mushrooms – I chose cremini mushrooms for their meaty texture and earthy flavor. You could also sub in cut-up portobellos.
- Garlic – we’re using two cloves of garlic, but feel free to use more
- Sherry – dry sherry is best here
- Cream – heavy cream yields the most luxurious sauce. I don’t recommend using anything with a lower fat content since it’ll be thinner, could curdle, and won’t taste nearly as good
- Cheese – Muenster is the classic choice, but if you can’t find it, use Swiss Cheese, Gruyère, Fontina, Provolone, or even something like mozzarella. Basically, any mild-tasting easy melting cheese will work.
Can I sub the sherry for anything?
- You could try another fortified wine such as marsala or madeira. If you’re in a pinch, you could use a dry white wine. The sherry gives this dish its signature flavor, though, so I really don’t recommend omitting it or subbing it for something like chicken broth. It just won’t taste the same.
- I don’t recommend using cooking wines either. They tend to be too salty and don’t taste as good as the real thing.
How to make Chicken Gloria
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Prep all ingredients. Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you’ve got 6 thinner cutlets. Season each piece with salt & pepper and coat in flour. Pan fry each piece of chicken (do two batches) for a few minutes/side until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a 9×13 or similar size baking dish.
Sauté the mushrooms in the same pan you cooked the chicken in, then add them on top of and around the chicken in the casserole dish. Again in the same skillet, make the sauce. It should reach a similar consistency to Alfredo sauce before you pour it into the baking dish.
Top the chicken with the cheese slices, and then cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes at 375F, then take the foil off and broil to brown the cheese. Enjoy!
Tips for success
- If you can’t find pre-sliced Muenster cheese, I recommend buying more than you think you’ll need. It’s quite difficult to slice it thin with just a kitchen knife, so you’ll need to do slightly thicker slices. That’s what I did for this recipe.
- It’s unlikely with the timing on this recipe that the chicken will be undercooked if you follow the steps, but it’s always a good idea to use an instant read meat thermometer to test whether chicken is done or not. It’s safe to eat at 165F, and the chicken will continue cooking for a bit after you take it out of the oven.
- I use cooking tongs to quickly flip the chicken when searing it. I use this tool so often when cooking!
What to serve with Chicken Gloria
- Try pasta or buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice to soak up the cheesy sauce.
- It’s quite rich, so some veggies would work great. Try my Roasted Green Beans like I plated in the photo.
- A side salad won’t hurt either! One with romaine lettuce and this homemade Caesar dressing would go perfectly.
Leftovers and storage
- You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- For best results, reheat in the oven so the cheese melts again. Try 350F until it’s warmed through. You could also microwave it in small increments.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers because of the dairy content, but you’re welcome to try.
More delicious chicken recipes
Will you make this Chicken a la Gloria recipe? Did you grow up with it? If you’ve made this recipe or have any questions, leave me a comment/review below!
Chicken Gloria
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick) divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Flour for dredging + 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup sherry dry
- 1.5 cups heavy/whipping cream
- 6 slices Muenster cheese see note
Instructions
- I recommend prepping all ingredients prior to getting this recipe started. Preheat your oven to 375F and position the rack in the top third of the oven.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you've got 6 thinner cutlets. Generously season both sides of each piece with salt & pepper and coat each piece in flour. Shake off any excess flour.
- Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes. Cook the chicken in two batches, lightly browning each piece of chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side (don't cook them completely or they'll overcook in the oven). Transfer the chicken to a 9×13 casserole dish as you finish browning each batch. You will likely need to add a splash more olive oil (about a tablespoon or less) to the second batch if the pan is dry.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. One it melts, add the mushrooms and cook them until they're seared and their water is released and cooked off (about 5 minutes). Take the skillet off the heat and transfer the mushrooms to the casserole dish (add them around and on top of the chicken as desired).
- In the same skillet, over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once it melts, add the flour and garlic. Cook for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly.
- Pour in the sherry and then slowly whisk in the cream until the flour has dissolved and you've got a smooth sauce (and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan). Cook it for a few minutes (continue whisking) so it thickens up a bit (don't let it get too thick because it'll reduce more in the oven). Add in a bit of salt & pepper to the sauce.
- Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and mushrooms.
- Top the chicken with the cheese slices.
- Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Take the foil off and broil for a few minutes until the cheese has browned (watch it carefully).
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then serve.
Notes
- You may sub the sherry for marsala.
- You may swap the Muenster cheese for Swiss cheese or something else that melts well like Gruyere or even mozzarella.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I used thighs instead of breasts and bella mushrooms instead of cremini bc that’s all I had. I also didn’t do the flour dredge to save on carbs. It was still fantastic! Just had to cook it a touch longer. My 12 yr old son had THIRDS and my picky 7 year old ate it without question. Hard to believe there’s only 1/2 stick of butter!
Glad it was a hit, Sandy!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
Can I make this up the night before and then bake it the next day? I do a meal once a week for elderly parents.
Hi! As long as you’re not refrigerating partially cooked chicken (for food safety reasons), you should be ok. Hope they enjoy it!
I tried out this recipe and it was so good! I’m pretty new to cooking but this recipe was easy to follow and turned out really well. I will definitely be trying more of these recipes.
Yay!! That makes me happy. Thanks for your review! XO
I made this recipe last night only I used Asiago cheese and we loved it! The sherry has perfect flavor for this dish! Will make this many more times. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
You are very welcome, MaryJo!! Love the asiago idea!
Can I use fonseca white port instead of Sherry?
I think you should be ok, but I am not sure I’ve ever tried white port before.
Made this tonight for my husband and I. He is not a big chicken lover, but he really liked this dish. I used white mushrooms and Colby cheese, because that’s what I had in the house. We were very happy with this dish. Thank you for sharing it.
I’m thrilled to hear it, Andrea! You’re very welcome! 😀
Is it possible to make this without the mushrooms? No one in my house likes mushrooms but it sounds really good?
I think you could leave them out, yes. I can’t really think of a sub, though.
Thanks!!
I would substitute with capsicum / peppers, small cauliflower florets or peas they would all work
I would like to do this in a crock pot…any recommendations? Looks amazing but I’m home so little, would love to prep and make in in my slow cooker. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Hi PJ! I honestly have no idea how you’d do this in the slow cooker, unfortunately. There would be a lot of guessing without testing. It’s pan seared and then baked and it has cheese and a cream sauce… all things that don’t easily lend themselves to slow cooking. Here’s my slow cooker category, though, for tested slow cooker recipes: https://bit.ly/3OcAOo1
Wow is this ever good! The fresh mushroom add loads of flavor. I used white wine (chardonnay) for the sauce and it was fantastic. Very creamy. I only had mozza cheese that I had shredded so used that. Turned out perfect… glad there are leftovers for tonight 🙂
Super impressive for guests as well! The recipe is much faster than you think. Cook chicken… then in same pan the mushrooms.. then the sauce. 3 steps.
I’m so glad it was a hit!! 😀
You can do it in a slow cooker you just wouldn’t have the golden crust on the chicken. You would mix the cream with grated Parmesan or my preference pecorino. No layer of cheese on the top as the cheese is cooked in with the cream far tastier
I love this dish , it is delicious. I have made it several times now and everyone loves it.. even my elderly mum!! Who is very fussy!! 😊
That makes me happy, Laney! 🙂