Made both as written and with a small change. I like the cream of mushroom soup better than the chicken. I also omit the topping, just because I never seem to have crushed cornflakes, and it is perfectly fine w/o. Here’s a tip on how to get it to mix better. Make sure hash browns are thawed as per recipe instructions. Pour melted butter/margarine over the potatoes and mix. Then add the cheese and mix. Lastly add the rest of the ingredients. It seems to mix faster and better for me this way. It does need the full hour to cook or your onions will be crunchy. I usually divide this in half between 2 smaller casseroles, eat one for dinner and freeze the other. Thanks for the great recipe! Update: 15/02/07 – Tried the suggestion of putting french fried onions on top instead of the cornflakes – absolutely awesome! Don’t put in at the start though…put in last 10-15 min and cook uncovered (watch as they burn easily), I sprinkled some extra cheese on top with the onions and it was really good!
Very good with a few changes. You can use 1/4 cup of butter instead of the 1/2 cup. I baked it a full hour, I covered it for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15 so that the top gets crunchy. I put the corn flakes on top and drizzled the melted butter over them, saved washing another pan. Turned out great.
What I love about this recipe is its versatility. I browned a pound of sausage with the onion and added it to the mixture. Also since I only had half a cup of cheddar cheese, I shredded an additional cup & a half of processed cheese. I used mushroom soup instead of chicken, and I didn’t have cornflakes, so nothing but a sprinkle of parmesan cheese went on the top. I also left off the additional 1/4 cup melted butter, and since the processed cheese is so salty, I only used 1/4 teaspoon salt. It was a delicious main dish and would make an excellent breakfast casserole. Our family of 3 had generous portions and only ate half the casserole. My husband, who never likes leftovers and is not crazy about anything in a casserole, loves the leftovers.