Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a casserole dish. A 9x13-inch pan or a 2.5–3 quart baking dish both work well.

Blend the cottage cheese. Add the full-fat cottage cheese to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth — about 30 seconds. Don't skip this. Unblended cottage cheese leaves white curds visible in the sauce and creates a grainy texture that most people find off-putting. Once blended, it just becomes a creamy white base that disappears into the filling.

Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, blended cottage cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix until smooth and well combined. If your cream cheese is cold it will stay lumpy — let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before mixing, or microwave it for 15 seconds at a time until soft. Stir in the shredded cheddar or mozzarella if using.

Add the chicken. Fold in the cooked chicken until evenly coated. Use shredded rotisserie chicken, leftover baked chicken, or any pre-cooked chicken you have on hand.

Assemble. Spread the filling evenly into the greased casserole dish.

Make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the crushed pork rinds, parmesan, and melted butter. Mix until the pork rinds are evenly coated. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole — don't press it in, just let it sit on top loosely.

Bake uncovered for 30–35 minutes until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the topping is deep golden.

Rest for 10 minutes before serving. This is important. The filling tightens up as it cools slightly, making it much easier to portion and preventing the sauce from running. It's worth the wait.