Dolly Parton Swears by This Comforting, 5-Ingredient Casserole for Weeknight Dinners

When I heard there was a 5-ingredient Dolly Parton casserole recipe floating around the internet this week, I hopped on the opportunity to make it immediately! In an office of Dolly fans (I mean, who isn’t?), we all needed to try this. Official taste-testing business. For working 9 to 5 purposes.

The recipe really is so simple, and most of all, tasty. And quite literally five ingredients. All you need to make this casserole is shredded chicken, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, Cheddar cheese, and Ritz crackers. I went with a rotisserie chicken for ease, but you can cook the chicken however you’d like. You just need a total of three cups shredded. I saw one recipe online call for cooking chicken in the slow cooker so all you have to do when you get home from work is shred it, layer everything up in the pan, and then bake. It’s perfect for weeknights, it’s budget-friendly, it’s made of mostly pantry staples, and the kids will love it, too. So, it’s a pretty solid recipe all around.

If you’re familiar with poppy seed chicken (a classic here in the South), this is very similar in terms of texture and flavor. It’s rich, it’s creamy, and it’s cheesy—comfort food perfection. Serve it over rice or wide egg noodles, add a green veggie or salad on the side, and you’ve got a tasty, low-effort meal.

What I love about this casserole (besides how easy it is to make and the layer of buttery crackers on top) is that there are several ways you could customize it. It’s sort of a blank canvas, and you could jazz it up with some lemon and herbs. You could use a different (or various) cheeses. Some green chiles, corn, and black beans for a Tex-Mex vibe. Add some veggies right into the casserole. However you decide to cook it, this casserole recipe is a keeper.