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One pot creamy chicken and asparagus casserole is an easy to make spring dinner the whole family will love! Chicken, asparagus, mushrooms, and a creamy, cheesy sauce round out this one pan dinner. I love serving it over rice or pasta!
If you love a creamy cheesy casserole then give this cauliflower casserole and baked macaroni and cheese a try!
This post and recipe have been updated since they were originally published on 3/30/2016.
Why You’ll Love Chicken and Asparagus
One pot – One pot, one pan, skillet recipe. Whatever you call them, they make cooking and cleanup a lot easier.
Healthy dinner – It may look decadent, but this chicken and asparagus recipe is full of protein and veggies. The creamy sauce has been lightened up by replacing heavy cream with milk and Greek yogurt in place of some of the cream cheese.
Family friendly – This is a one pot dinner the whole family will enjoy. Even if your kids aren’t fond of asparagus, the delicious, creamy, cheese sauce may entice them to give it a try!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs can be used.
- Cayenne pepper – Optional, but I love the little bit of heat that hits you in the back of the throat.
- Shallots – Part of the onion family. They have a milder flavor that yellow and white onions.
- Garlic – Freshly grated or minced always has the best flavor.
- Cremini mushrooms and asparagus – The veggies. They add great flavor and nutrients to the casserole.
- All-purpose flour – Used to thicken the sauce.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Vegetable broth could also be used.
- Milk – The recipe calls for reduced-fat milk. You can use a high fat milk for a richer sauce if you prefer.
- Cream cheese – Reduced-fat or full-fat may be used.
- Greek yogurt – 2% or full-fat Greek yogurt may be used. I recommend not using non-fat as it’s more likely to break and have a grainy texture when mixed in with the hot ingredients.
- Gruyere cheese – Gruyere has a nutty, creamy flavor that pairs well with both the mushrooms and asparagus.
- Thyme – Fresh thyme brightens the flavor of the casserole.
How to Make Creamy Chicken and Asparagus
This is an overview of the recipe with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Add the chicken to a hot skillet and season it with salt, pepper, and the cayenne pepper. Sauté until it’s cooked through then remove it onto a plate.
Sauté the shallots, asparagus, and mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and stir until you can no longer see any white streaks.
Pour in the chicken broth and stir to remove the lumps of flour. Stir in the cream cheese until it’s melted, then pour in the milk. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens.
Turn off the heat and stir in the Greek yogurt, half of the cheese, chicken and thyme. Top with the remaining cheese and cover with the lid. Once the cheese has melted, serve immediately.
Variations
- Use different veggies. Replace mushrooms with peas, carrots, celery, or bell peppers.
- Gruyere cheese can be substituted with cheddar, Colby Jack, or Swiss cheese.
- Shallots can be replaced with yellow onion.
- Add carbs to the casserole. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of cooked white or brown rice at the end before melting the cheese on top.
- If you don’t like fresh thyme, swap it with a tablespoon of chopped flat leaf parsley.
- For a richer sauce, replace reduced-fat milk with whole milk or half and half.
- reduced-fat cream cheese can be substituted with full fat.
- Make a vegetarian asparagus casserole. Omit the chicken and replace with a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans.
Tips for Success
- Let the cream cheese and Greek yogurt sit out on the counter for at least an hour. You don’t want to add them in cold or they won’t incorporate smoothly into the sauce.
- Warm the milk gently in the microwave or let it sit out with the cream cheese and yogurt. This will help the sauce thicken quicker.
- Grate cheese from the block for the best flavor and texture. Pre-shredded cheese uses anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting as well.
- Stir the Greek yogurt in at the end and off the heat. This will keep it from breaking/curdling in the hot sauce.
- To save time you can use pre-sliced mushrooms and rotisserie chicken. Simply skip step one in the recipe instructions if you’re using pre-cooked chicken.
Storage
Storage – The leftover casserole will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheating – The leftovers can be reheated in the microwave on in a saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat. Be sure to stir often.
Freezing – This creamy chicken and asparagus can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. The sauce will likely be thinner due to the moisture from the asparagus and mushrooms.
Defrost the casserole in the refrigerator overnight and reheat using one of the methods above. You will need to stir it before reheating to get the sauce to come back together.
More skillet dinners
Did you make this one pot creamy chicken and asparagus casserole? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
One Pot Creamy Chicken and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste I used about 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup diced shallots
- 1 clove of garlic grated or minced
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus cut approximately 1 inch in length
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup reduced-fat milk
- 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain reduced or full fat Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Sauté until cooked through then remove the chicken onto a plate.
- If needed, add additional oil to the skillet then add in the shallots, mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables and stir together until you can no longer see streaks of white. Pour in the chicken broth and stir until there's no clumps of flour. Stir in the cream cheese until incorporated and then pour in the milk. Continue to stir until the sauce is smooth and has thickened.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chicken back in along with the Greek yogurt, thyme, and 1/2 of the gruyere. Stir until everything is incorporated and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning. Top with the remaining cheese and then cover with a lid for a couple minutes until it's melted.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and particularly good on a rainy spring night. Will certainly make this one again.
want to cook your food. looks great
Thanks! I hope you try out some of my recipes.
Great one pot skillet dinner. I replaced half of the chicken with some cooked Ayocote Blanco beans I had in the freezer, and added a TBSP of miso to amp up the umami. Served it with warm sourdough bread to sop up the luscious. This is a definite repeat!
We loved this recipe.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Sounds wonderful and I’m planning to make this soon! This site has sooooo many pop up ads though…I get you need ads but oh my gosh! Makes me crazy!!
The ads are how I make money and am able to provide you with these free to you recipes. The other option is a paid subscription.
I made this a little different from your recipe. I precooked and diced the chicken and instead of serving it on a bed of rice I mixed 2 cups of cooked rice into the casserole and baked it at 350°F for 45 minutes. It came out excellent 👌
Wow, I had chicken tenders that I didn’t want to go to waste. So with ingredients that I had, I found this recipe. Absolutely delicious! Easy and I give this a thumbs up!
OMG… Made this tonight with the full fat ingredients… cream, full fat cream cheese and I did use some chicken broth and everything this recipe calls for. I poured over egg noodles.
It was heaven! Everybody loved it. I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing! ❤️
Hi Kim! Thanks for trying the casserole and I’m so glad everyone loved it!
I’ve made this numerous times…..mixing it up with different cheeses. Our whole family loves it….infact my 18 year old just requested,for dinner tomorrow!
I’m happy to hear you and the family love this one Michelle!