Chicken Zucchini Casserole (with Cottage Cheese)

This chicken zucchini casserole is made with a creamy sauce of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and melted cheese, no canned soup required! The zucchini is salted, drained, and par-roasted before baking to prevent any sogginess, and a garlic parmesan breadcrumb topping adds crunch to every bite. It’s a high-protein, from-scratch casserole that works equally well for a weeknight dinner or meal prep.

Creamy Chicken Zucchini Casserole (Dump-and-Bake!)

This zucchini chicken casserole is studded with juicy chicken and a surprisingly light yet rich cream sauce. Not to mention, just like my zucchini & ground beef casserole, it’s the best way to use up a bumper crop of vibrant summer zucchini; though it works equally well with store bought zucchini year round. I created this casserole be a healthier spin on a traditional creamy casserole, as I created it without canned soups, fillers, or gobs of cheese.

Instead, I developed the addicting, creamy sauce through quite a bit of trial and error; eventually nailing it with the perfect combination of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, Italian cheese blend, and egg that’s creamy, cheesy, and filling without being super heavy. And listen, while everyone seems to be having a moment with cottage cheese these days, (and I get that it’s not everyone’s favorite), keep an open mind in this recipe because I’ve found that even cottage cheese haters like this casserole (similar to my sheet pan eggs with cottage cheese, which you should definitely add to your list next!). 

However, if you really can’t get over the texture of cottage cheese, just blend it into the sauce and you won’t even know it’s there. Speaking of texture, do not skip the zucchini prep steps! Yes, salting and draining then par-roasting the zucchini does take some extra time and effort, but they are essential to preventing a soggy, watery final result.

Now for the topping…oh my goodness, the topping! Panko breadcrumbs are tossed with garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and salt and once baked add the most delightful crunch to the creamy interior of the casserole. Personally, I could eat a bowl just of the topping! I highly recommend topping the finished casserole with a shower of fresh basil. Yum! And for another creamy chicken casserole without canned soup, my spinach artichoke chicken casserole uses a similar from-scratch sauce and is equally good for meal prep.

Welcome to My Kitchen: Let’s Make Zucchini Casserole with Chicken!

Testing Tips for a High-Protein Chicken Zucchini Casserole

• Salt and drain the zucchini before baking. Make sure to toss the diced zucchini with salt and let it drain in a colander for 10 minutes, then pat dry. This draws out excess moisture so the casserole doesn’t turn watery!
• Par-bake the zucchini first. When I tested this I found that adding the zucchini to the baking dish before the sauce goes in gives it a head start, so it finishes tender at the same time everything else is done.
• Saturate the breadcrumb topping completely. Stir the Panko, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil together until every breadcrumb is coated before adding to the top. In testing I found that dry breadcrumbs won’t toast evenly.
• Cover first, then uncover to brown. Bake covered for 20 minutes to cook through, then uncover for the final 5 to 10 minutes to get the breadcrumb topping golden.
• Use rotisserie chicken or any pre-cooked chicken. The chicken goes in already cooked, so this is a good use for leftovers! Just make sure it’s cut into even pieces so it heats through uniformly.

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