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Smothered Chicken Bake

BySharla Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Creamy, flavourful, and easy to make ahead, this Smothered Chicken Bake recipe is one of our favourite comfort food dinners. Chicken dump recipes like this one make the easiest freezer meals, and always seem to be highly-rated by those around the dinner table. The rich velvety sour cream, cheese, and mushroom soup, mixed with the kick of the paprika and the salty goodness of the bacon makes for a delicious dinner every time.

Freezer meal smothered chicken bake covered in cheese, in a dish and then served with rice and salad

Inspired by southern cuisine, this Smothered Chicken Bake tastes like a cozy at home dinner with your family. Biting into the melted cheese and tender chicken breast is guaranteed to bring flavour and mouthfeel satisfaction. Prep is next to effortless, simply requiring you to throw everything in a ziploc freezer bag. And cooking is just as simple: one pan, dump your freezer bag, bake, and enjoy!

This kind of simplicity in the kitchen isn’t out of reach, and it doesn’t mean boring meals. Instead, freezer meals like this one can deliver a 10/10 on the enjoyment meter, while requiring 2/10 effort from you. And that’s exactly what the Freezer Meals 101 Club is all about: no stress, low effort dinners that everyone at your table still loves. With over 550 delicious recipes, straightforward instructions, and smart grocery lists made for you, dinner just got easier, and more yummy. Come join the Freezer Meals 101 Club to see for yourself!

two women with 8 freezer bags of meals in front of her

Smothered Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 slice bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
  • 10 oz. cream of mushroom soup
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded, divided

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place ¾ cup Italian blend shredded cheese in a medium (quart) freezer bag. Add remainder of ingredients to a large freezer bag. Mix gently to combine.
  2. Remove excess air from both bags, seal, staple together above the seal, and freeze.
A bag of shredded cheese stapled to a bag of smothered chicken bake freezer meal, ready to freeze

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw. Empty contents of large bag into a 9×13 casserole dish.
  2. Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and continue to bake until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°, another 10-12 minutes.
Process photos for freezer meal smothered chicken bake, showing the ziploc bags of the meal ready to freeze, then the chicken and sauce dumped into a cooking dish, then the cheese melted on top, and then the bake served with rice and salad

Smothered Chicken Bake Suggestions:

When choosing what to serve with this Smothered Chicken Bake, the options feel endless! For the pasta lovers out there, serve the creamy chicken atop a bed of gnocchi, spaghetti, or rotini. If you’d like to serve something more health-focused, pair this chicken dish with a side of brown rice and a veggie (asparagus and green beans would be our recommendations!) or fresh salad. To lean into the comfort food element of the meal, whip up some mashed potatoes or cornbread muffins to accompany the bake.

Make ahead smothered chicken bake with red sauce and cheese served on a blue and white plate with salad and rice

To avoid dairy in this dish, swap the cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream for dairy-free alternatives. Due to the extra fat content in the cut, using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts will add a bit of extra flavour to this Smothered Chicken Dump. If you don’t have fresh bacon on hand, throw in some bacon bits, or simply skip it.

How to Store Leftovers

Store any extra Smothered Chicken Bake in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. These leftovers make a delicious lunch when you’re on the go!

Other Well-Loved Chicken Dump Recipes:

Chicken dump recipes are some of our favourite here at Freezer Meals 101. And here’s the proof: check out our Easy Dump and Go Chicken Dinners video (one of many chicken dump videos). Try out the recipes featured in the video and let us know what you think:

Make ahead smothered chicken bake with red sauce and cheese served on a blue and white plate with salad and rice
Print
Smothered Chicken Bake
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked chicken, chicken, chicken dump, freezer meal
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 344 kcal
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 3 slice bacon cooked and crumbled
  • ½ onion sliced
  • 3 clove garlic minced
  • 10 oz. cream of mushroom soup
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend shredded, divided
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place ¾ cup Italian blend shredded cheese in a medium (quart) freezer bag. Add remainder of ingredients to a large freezer bag. Mix gently to combine. Remove excess air from both bags, seal, staple together above the seal, and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. Empty contents of large bag into a 9×13 casserole dish. Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and continue to bake until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°, another 10-12 minutes.

Sharla is a busy mom of 7 who is passionate about sharing her best secret to saving time, money, and stress… freezer meals. Read more…