I have a long-standing, deeply committed relationship with my mom’s Chicken Crepe Casserole and it’s only gotten stronger with time. Wrap up rotisserie chicken and pepper jack cheese in soft, delicate homemade crepes, then absolutely drench them in cream before baking to perfection. They’re rich, nostalgic, and 1970s retro in the best way. Bring the French fusion cafe to your kitchen and make these tonight!
Last night I was busy making dinner when Eric got a phone call from my mom. All I heard was, He’s out there right now? By the playground? Okay I’ll go right now.
I looked at him curiously as he put his shoes on. So what’s the deal?
“You left your cell phone out by the playground. A landscaper just found it and called your mom. He’s waiting for me to come get it.”
The sad part is that I didn’t even realize it was missing. I need to keep this in mind for every time I am tempted to upgrade to a smart phone. A mere stupid phone is apparently more than I can handle.
Update 2026: This story happened in 2012! That’s when I originally posted this recipe. I was still rocking the flip phone. Here we are 14 years later and I still lose my phone on the regular. (I usually don’t have to get moms or landscapers involved anymore though.)
I’m terrible at keeping track of my phone. To this day, every time I realize I’ve forgotten my phone somewhere, my first thought is always: I should text Eric to let him know I don’t have my phone! 🤦♀️ anyone else??
Chicken crepes = my childhood
I grew up eating this amazing, amazing chicken crepe casserole. My family always just called them “Chicken Crepes.” We would BEG my mom to make these. Homemade hand flipped crepes, tender chicken, pepper jack cheese, all drenched in CREAM, and then baked.
My sister Nikki remembers being a part of the assembly line making these crepes when she was a very little girl, small enough that her eyes were about level with the casserole dish on the counter. She said, “I remember holding the teaspoon to pour in the cream. You were allowed to sneak some of the cheese…but not the chicken!” Ahh, childhood memories!
The one thing all of my siblings agree on is that it’s NOT the same to replace the crepes with tortillas, as my mom often did. (Because for heaven’s sake she was a mom of 5 doing night school.) It does take a little bit of effort, but let me tell you, the homemade crepes are WORTH IT.
Why chicken crepes are your new favorite
You might be thinking these look like enchiladas, and you are right, they do. But oh my friend, they are NOT enchiladas.
The soft, buttery crepes are much more tender and delicate than their sturdier cousin the tortilla, because tortillas are meant to be eaten with your hands. Nobody’s eating crepes with their hands, unless you get it from one of those food stands in Paris run by a curiously attractive Frenchmen wearing stripes, and even then, I guarantee you, you are still going to have Nutella dripping down your hand.
My point is, crepes are soft and buttery (read: not chewy), and when you fill them with chicken and cheese and douse them in straight up CREAM for a sauce, you get the most tender, light, decadent casserole situation you have ever had in your LIFE.
I really struggled with what to serve these crepes with. My mom always served them with frozen veggies, I think?? I don’t know, it was the 90s guys. Back in 2012, when I shot these the first time, that’s what I settled on:
The height of food photography, right here guys. 😂
For these updated photos, I piled a big ol caesar salad next to it, and added the prettiest and pinkest of garnishes I could think of: Pickled Onions and paper thin sliced radishes.
This ended up being an amazing choice, because let me tell you, these crepes are RICH. The pickled onions cut through the heaviness, providing the perfect tangy contrast and crunch to what could otherwise be an overwhelming plate of soft-and-white.
The radishes do the same: instead of tang, they actually bring a note of bitterness that might sound like a bad idea at first but I’m telling you. Some interesting contrast adds SO much to this meal.
Resist the temptation to take this in the Mexican direction. Think French-fusion instead. Lightly dressed salad and fresh green veggies as side dishes, not pico de gallo or beans and rice. The delicate crepes and cream (and that hot French crepe guy we mentioned earlier) will thank you.
Key ingredients
- Start by making a batch of my favorite crepes, using the savory variation found in the notes of the recipe card. It’s as easy as adding the ingredients to your blender.
- You’ll need 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. I love the light and dark meat combo you get from this, but if you don’t have a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken at the ready, you can cook and shred chicken breasts or thighs.
- Pepper jack cheese is what gives these crepes a little kick and cuts through all the creamy, buttery richness. They’re really not spicy! But if you can’t do pepper jack, Monterey jack is the best substitute.
- Diced green chilies = extra flavor. They don’t make the crepes much spicier, but they do contrast beautifully with all the creamy cheesy goodness.
How to make chicken crepes
Here is everything you need to make this recipe! There isn’t much to it, once the crepes are made. Mostly just chicken and cheese! Oh, and a ton of cream. Forgot about that. Look, I used half and half this time! Works great.
In a bowl, add the rotisserie chicken (or any cooked chicken) and the spices and the green chilies.
Green chilies are not that spicy, but they do provide great flavor. I love what they add to this dish! Plus it’s so easy. Literally open the can and dump.
Now it’s time to make some crepes!! For a more detailed tutorial, read my Homemade Crepes post!
We’re doing it in the blender. It’s just a few ingredients.
Add in the butter while it’s blending:
And here is the batter! Now to cook them. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into a hot pan:
And swirl it around. It’s all in the wrist! 😂 It takes practice to get crepes perfect, so don’t be discouraged. Today it’s all going in a casserole anyway, so no one will even see your Virgin Mary shaped crepe.
(I just read that the Florida woman who made the original Virgin Mary grilled cheese just sold it to a casino for….get this, $28,000!!!! Holy cow!!! Hold on to any holy crepes you may inadvertently make!!)
(This one’s kind got a one-eyed smiley face going on? Anyone want to pay me 28k for it??)
Okay well at least we are getting dinner out of this deal 😂 Flip it over for a just a few seconds and voila, done. Head over to my Homemade Crepes post for a lot more pictures!
Now we are ready to assemble! Assuming you didn’t eat all the crepes already! I’m so guilty of this…
Add a little bit of chicken on the first crepe. Don’t go wild here, just a couple tablespoons of chicken will do. Add on some pepper jack cheese:
And roll it up. Repeat until the pan is full:
My crepes recipe make about 18 crepes, so I decided to put 9 crepes in 1 pan, and 9 crepes in another pan. (Then I divided the cream and cheese that goes on top). But you can easily squish all 18 crepes into one pan.
Top it with some cheese….pour on some cream…
It’s absolutely swimming in it. MMMM!!
Then pop it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s golden brown.
And that’s it! Try to resist the temptation to go full-Mexican with the side dishes. I feel like it masks the delicate crepe flavor! Instead, think French fusion. I garnished with thinly sliced radishes and Pickled Red Onions. And I chose a Caesar salad as my side dish. Any green vegetable would go with with this meal!
What to serve with these crepes
You want a fresh, light side veggie (or two!) with these. Here are some of my favorites:
- French Carrot Salad >> I already loved carrots and then discovered this. Carrot heaven, with a fresh zingy lemon dressing!
- Lemon Almond Green Beans >> fresh green beans are so much better than canned, especially with a browned butter dressing and almonds
- Easy Roasted Broccoli >> if you hate broccoli this might change your mind!
- Lemon Arugula Salad >> this is the side I would serve to every guest if I had a restaurant, it’s THAT good
Storing leftovers
These crepes will stay fresh in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 3-4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave at 50% power for 1-2 minutes. Or, heat up the whole pan of leftovers for another meal: add a tablespoon or two of water to the empty part of the pan, cover tightly with foil, and warm in a 350 degree oven. It could take anywhere from 10-25 minutes depending on how many are in the pan. You want to be gentle with reheating these so the cream doesn’t separate!
I don’t recommend freezing these. The cream will almost definitely separate, and you don’t want to end up with a greasy mess on your plate.
More amazing chicken dinners
Recipes for Dinner
Best Chicken Parm
Mexican/Tex Mex Recipes
My New Favorite Chicken Enchiladas
Crock Pot Meals
Chicken Stroganoff Crock Pot Recipe
Creamy Chicken Crepe Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 batch Crepes, made for savory dishes, see note on recipe
- 1 pound rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 1 (7-ounce can) diced green chilies
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 16 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (divided)
- 2 cups heavy cream , OR half-and-half
Garnishes
- 1 batch pickled red onions
- radishes, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make the Homemade Crepes, using the recipe in the notes section for "savory crepes." (Omit the sugar and omit the vanilla. Everything else is the same.) Cook and flip the crepes as instructed. Pile on a plate (no need to separate with wax or parchment paper).
- Make the filling: To a medium bowl, add 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken . Add 1 (7-ounce) can diced green chilies There is no need to drain the chilies, just add in the small amount of liquid to the chicken.
- Sprinkle the chicken and chilies with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix it together until all the seasonings are well distributed.
- Use a box grater or food processor to shred 16 ounces of Pepper Jack cheese.
- Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Assemble: Put about 2 tablespoons of the seasoned chicken down the center of 1 crepe. Add a sprinkle of pepper jack cheese.
- Roll up the crepe and place seam side down in the 9×13 inch dish.*
- When all the crepes have been assembled, sprinkle the crepes with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Pour 2 cups of heavy cream evenly over the crepes.
- Bake: Cover the casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. It is ready when it is bubbly on the edges.
- Broil: If at this point the cheese is not browning on top, broil it on the top rack for 1-2 minutes. I'm a crusty cheese lover! Don't walk away!
- Let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes. Garnish with Pickled Red Onions and sliced jalapeno! I like to serve this with a big green salad, like this Lemon Parmesan Salad.
- Storage: Add leftovers to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days max. I don't recommend freezing leftovers.
How many crepes? Has to be divisible into six servings so 6, 12, 18? I’m planning on trying this out on Wednesday.
I’ll re-rate it after I make it.
Hi Frank! Depending on the size you make your crepes, it makes about 12. Let us know how this turned out for you, we love hearing from you!
I made it yesterday before I got your answer. Delicious! I would, however, delete that extra tablespoon of milk in your batter recipe. I thought it was just a tiny bit thin. I made 15 8-inch crepes. 14 got stuffed and arranged in two layers in the casserole dish. My 4 border collies shared the 15th one.
I make these and Wheaties Treats too. Wendy has shared her Janice recipes over the years. I remember eating these at your house but I’m pretty sure it was with tortillas not crepes, still good!
Making these tonight to feed to a friend of Brian’s who happens to be a pregnant woman in her first trimester. Is this a bad idea? Will the spiciness be too much if I use only pepper jack cheese? I am planning two vegetable sides to neutralize the incredible decadence…
Go for it. You can never predict the cravings of a pregnant woman anyway. During her last pregnancy, all my sister Nikki would eat was chips and salsa, so maybe spice is a good thing!
Ok – not a bad idea at all. A GREAT idea. She loved them, so apparently not too spicy at all. Brian adored them, and usually this much cream would turn him off. I served it with grilled zucchini and sautéed baby portabellas, as well as a big fruit salad (strawberries, pineapple, and Asian pears). Oh, and your s’mores bars. Basically they were amazing. Thanks Janice – you clearly have come a long, long way from your enchilada loaf origins. ;-)
We will be adding this to our regular rotation!
Dude. That fruit salad sounds delish. How about you come over to my house and fix me some dinner. I’ll fake being pregnant if you want.
I’m going to back Janice & Karen up on this…your mom totally made these. Now a staple in my house along with peanut butter, butterscotch, & wheaty’s treats. Siblings call me all the time for Janice’s recipes.
Oh my gosh. Wendy I haven’t eaten Wheaties Treats in YEARS. How could I forget about those?? The time is now!
wendy, now i remember why i love you so much! i bought you with food :)
oh, nate, you poor confused child…of course i used to make them with real crepes. then i discovered you could cheat and use tortillas and my children would still wolf them down – so i cheated. often. the crepes are much better, unless you’re trying to feed a horde of teenagers quickly!
She had to have made them at least once because I definitely remember them! It really may have just been once though…oh mom and her substitutions!!
Bahahaha Karen. Mom never once made these! She did, however, use tortillas instead of crepes while trying to pass them off as crepes…