Comforting Amish Sunday Church Chicken Casserole

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This popular Amish Sunday church chicken casserole recipe was sent to me by an Amish woman in Ohio who said that this is a favorite dish for the after-church meal. I can see why, because it is hearty, easy, and feeds a bunch of people. Perfect for the church crowd! As an Amish chicken casserole goes, this is pretty standard and easy for a busy weeknight.

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• 📜 Step-By-Step Amish Church Chicken Casserole
• 🍲Casserole Ingredients
• 📋 Instructions for Sunday Casseroles
• ⛪ More Sunday After Church Recipes
• 🖨️ Full Recipe

The meals served after Amish church services are expansive affairs with scratch-made casseroles, vegetable dishes, breads, Sunday roasts of various meats, and desserts all the rich reward for sitting through three hours of sermon and scripture.

The meals are often held in an outbuilding or sometimes in the the family's actual home if they have the space. Amish church buildings are rare.  The meals are usually served buffet style with a couple of lines and shifts of people eating and coming and going.   The "drivers", non-Amish people who transport those visiting from far away, often are invited to the meal.

The noon meal, somewhat like a Sunday brunch (of which Amish Sunday church chicken casserole is often served) is even held during the once or twice a year special Amish Communion services that last all day.  An Amish woman described it to me like this:

The garage is where the meal tables will be set Sunday for communion services. Communion services will be there, which usually last from 9 a.m. to 3:30 or 4 p.m. From 11:30 a.m. through 1 p.m., lunch is served two tables at a time during services. There are 14 men and boys at one table and 14 women and girls at another. By 1 p.m., everyone is done eating lunch and returns to services. Plans are to serve chicken noodle soup and egg salad along with the regular church menu.

The regular church menu is coffee, tea, homemade wheat and white bread, red beets, pickles, peanut butter spread, butter, jam and three different kinds of cookies. Last time, we served chicken and noodle soup also. We made one 16-quart kettle and one 12-quart kettle full. Along with that, they served bologna, cheese spread and the regular church menu also. The  young girls in church help us, which makes a lot less on us. Needless to say, we were ready to go sit down again after everyone had been fed

Casseroles win in Amish households, they are always easy to prep and almost always fit the bill for comfort food. The layers of goodness are rarely low-carb but you can't beat the flavor of pasta bakes. So, here is this delicious Amish Sunday church chicken casserole recipe!

📜 Step-By-Step Amish Church Chicken Casserole

This recipe calls for "margarine", and that is a reflection of outside culinary trends that caught on among the Amish in the 1960s and 70s. There was a sense that margarine - often pronounced by the Amish as margar-reen - was healthier than butter and that has been a tough narrative to shake. If I'm making this, I'll use butter. I think the pendulum has swung back towards butter, but a lot of recipes still list margarine.

Homemade noodles are standard among Amish cooks. You don't often see a lot of store-bought noodles. So if you are using store-bought noodles, just make sure they are the best quality you can. And I think egg noodles work best with this.

Noodles like seen in the above photo are what most Amish cooks would use in this casserole.

Mushrooms are always a hit and the rest of the ingredients are simple seasonings and Parmesan cheese, but you can feel free to add flavors like some parsley or garlic. Diced celery adds some crunch.

Use fresh chicken breasts for this ultimate comfort food casserole. It can be made in a big glass baking dish or even a large skillet that you can put in the oven. Some versions of this casserole call for some diced potatoes in it, but that is a little too much starch for my taste. Adding a cup milk to the mixture will make a creamy sauce, but I never do it with this casserole.

This casserole pairs well with corn on the cob or a fresh side salad. You can have a side of vegetables, or just add them to the casserole: peas, carrots, or corn are all ones that blend in well. Check the casserole after 25-30 minutes to make sure it is not getting overdone. You can sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top of the casserole when you take it out if you like.

Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. You can actually follow this recipe and swap out pork for chicken if you want. Or if you prefer other proteins, go ahead and swap.

🍲Casserole Ingredients

• 8 oz. noodles cooked
• 2 cups cooked chicken cubed
• 2 cups chicken broth, you can use canned
• 1 cups milk
• 1 can mushrooms
• 2 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ cup margarine
• ⅓ cup flour
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

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📋 Instructions for Sunday Casseroles

• Melt margarine, then add flour and stir until smooth.
• Gradually add milk and broth, then seasonings and mushrooms.
• Combine chicken, cooked noodles, and prepared sauce.
• Put in ungreased 9 inch x 13 inch x 2 inch casserole dish and top with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 45 minutes.

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⛪ More Sunday After Church Recipes

Amish Church Peanut Butter Spread

The Amish Cook's Church Soup

There is nothing like an Amish Sunday Soup. How about bread soup anyone?

After Church Cheeseburger Salad

This one is a little more like a taco casserole, with ground beef, veggies and cheddar cheese it's hard to miss. I prefer to eat this one with tortilla chips.

After Church Pizza Casserole

Amish Church Red Beets

Easy Church 5 in 1 Casserole

A favorite casserole of mine, easy macaroni with tomato sauce, peas, onions and cheese! Cream cheese adds an extra creamy texture and you can add any veggies to this like broccoli, carrots or cauliflower. My heart even says take some creative license and add a little bacon.

Amish Church Cookies

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🖨️ Full Recipe