Amish Cheat Casserole–an easy Instant Pot recipe for chicken gravy with rice topped with a bit of cheddar and a Ritz cracker topping.
Amish Cheat Casserole
Sometimes you gotta cheat! Using ingredients that make the recipe go faster and easier to put together is something that I’m not opposed to. Of course, you can always make it from scratch with a homemade recipe if you prefer. But I really liked this dinner as is! It was a comforting chicken and rice meal that was mmm mmm good.
This recipe is my Instant Pot take on Amish Cook’s Cheat Chicken Casserole from Amish 365. The author stated, “Tomorrow, the children will be helping me make four chicken casseroles. These casseroles will be used on Sunday evening for supper that will be followed by a hymn singing. This is what I call a ‘cheat casserole’; while we prefer to not use store-bought soups, on infrequent occasions, I opt for it on a busy day. It really is a most delicious casserole.”
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs–they stay moist and tender. You can also use chicken tenderloins.
- Cream of chicken soup–or cream of mushroom
- Converted or long grain rice
- Sour cream
- Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
- Ritz crackers
- Cheddar cheese
Steps
Pour broth into Instant Pot. Add the chicken evenly into bottom of pot. Scoop the cream of chicken soup on top of chicken.
If you’d like to make rice, place a tall trivet* into the pot.
Place an oven safe dish* on top of the trivet that has 1 ½ cups of water and 1 cup of rice in it.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Carefully remove the rice pan and trivet and set aside.
Stir a cup of the hot liquid into the sour cream to temper it. Stir it into the Instant Pot.
Make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of cold water. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting and then stir the slurry into the pot to thicken the sauce. Once sauce has thickened turn off Instant Pot. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
Onto each serving plate scoop some rice, some of the chicken and sauce, finally top with some crushed crackers and cheddar cheese. Eat and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with roasted broccoli and fruit salad.
- I used my tall trivet* and one of these pans* to cook the rice in.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- This recipe can be gluten free if you use gluten free cream of chicken soup and leave out the Ritz crackers.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with sour cream are sour cream noodle bake and sour cream enchiladas.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Amish Cheat Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An easy Instant Pot recipe for chicken gravy with rice topped with a bit of cheddar and a Ritz cracker topping.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 20 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked converted or long grain rice
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 15 Ritz crackers, crushed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Pour broth into Instant Pot. Add the chicken evenly into bottom of pot. Scoop the cream of chicken soup on top of chicken.
- If you’d like to make rice, place a tall trivet* into the pot. Place an oven safe dish* on top of the trivet that has 1 ½ cups of water and 1 cup of rice in it.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Carefully remove the rice pan and trivet and set aside.
- Stir a cup of the hot liquid into the sour cream to temper it. Stir it into the Instant Pot.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of cold water. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting and then stir the slurry into the pot to thicken the sauce. Once sauce has thickened turn off Instant Pot. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
- Onto each serving plate scoop some rice, some of the chicken and sauce, finally top with some crushed crackers and cheddar cheese. Eat and enjoy!
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
More Amish Recipes…
Instant Pot Amish Chicken Casserole
An easy chicken, stuffing and vegetable casserole. Make it fast in your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Amish Chicken and Noodles
Thick noodles in a savory chicken gravy with chunks of tender chicken. This Amish classic is best served over a pile of mashed potatoes.
Instant Pot Amish Cabbage and Potato Casserole
Seasoned ground beef with cabbage, potatoes and a creamy sauce.
Amish Wedding Roast
Amish Wedding Roast is typically served at Amish weddings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is roasted chicken or turkey served together with homemade stuffing. This version is made using your Instant Pot on the saute and slow cooker settings.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
do not have an instant pot can you use a slow cooker Crock-Pot if so would it be the same kind of directions and how long would it cook thanks in advance God bless
I wouldn’t make it in the crockpot. But you can make it on the stove:
Instructions:
1. Cook the Rice Separately:
In a pot, bring 1 ½ cups water and 1 cup rice to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes (for long-grain white rice), until fluffy.
Set aside and keep warm.
2. Cook the Chicken:
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat.
Add chicken thighs (cut into cubes) and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Sauté for about 5–6 minutes, until mostly cooked through.
3. Add Broth and Soup:
Pour in the ½ cup chicken broth and cream of chicken soup.
Stir well to combine.
Simmer gently for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is hot.
4. Thicken and Enrich the Sauce:
In a small bowl, stir together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp cold water (cornstarch slurry).
Stir a spoonful of hot sauce into the ½ cup sour cream to temper it, then stir the sour cream into the skillet.
Add the cornstarch slurry and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 2–3 minutes.
5. Assemble to Serve:
Spoon rice onto plates.
Top with creamy chicken mixture.
Sprinkle with crushed Ritz crackers and shredded cheddar cheese.
This sounds really good. I only have boneless breasts. Can that be substituted? Cooking time? Thanks I’m advance