This is a quick and easy version of a chicken noodle casserole—perfect for busy nights!
This cozy creamy casserole has chicken, egg noodles, and green peas in shortcut sauce. It’s topped with crumbs and baked until bubbly.
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The Easiest Chicken Noodle Casserole Ever…
- Minimal prep and few ingredients make this casserole a weeknight dinner winner.
- It’s creamy, flavorful, and totally effortless.
- It’s a complete meal in just one dish and a versatile way to use your leftovers.
- The topping is cheesy and slightly crispy with a buttery flavor.
- Enjoy this casserole dinner in just 30 minutes for a busy weeknight meal.
Ingredients in Chicken Noodle Casserole
Pasta: I love the light texture of egg noodles in this recipe. You can replace them with another medium pasta such as fusilli or penne.
Chicken: Use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken in this recipe. Diced ham or leftover turkey can be used to switch it up.
Veggies: Mix in your favorite frozen veggies like peas, carrots, or broccoli. To use fresh vegetables, cook them to tender-crisp before adding them to the dish.
Sauce: The quick version of this sauce uses cream of chicken soup. Cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup are also great in this chicken noodle casserole recipe.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
One of the things I love best about this family favorite recipe is how easy the prep is!
- Boil noodles in a large pot until al-dente.
- Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish (recipe below).
- Sprinkle on toppings and bake until golden brown and bubbly.
Variations
- Swap out cheddar cheese for anything you have on hand. Try pepper jack for a kick!
- Crushed Ritz crackers can be used as a substitute for Panko bread crumbs.
- Add herbs like fresh thyme or parsley to the sauce for extra flavor and color!
More Cozy Chicken Favorites
Did you enjoy this Chicken Noodle Casserole? Leave a rating and a comment below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups egg noodles uncooked, 4 ounces
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can, see notes for homemade version
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas or frozen mixed vegetables
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the egg noodles al dente (firm) according to package directions. Drain well.
- In a 2-quart casserole dish, combine the cooked egg noodles, shredded chicken, chicken soup, milk, frozen peas, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- In a small bowl, mix the cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, and melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. If desired, broil for 1 minute to brown the topping.
Notes
- Seasonings such as thyme or poultry seasoning can be stirred into the sauce. I find canned soup salty enough but you can add additional salt if desired.
- If substituting fresh vegetables, add them to the pasta water during the last few minutes until tender.
- Cook pasta just until it is just al dente.
- If you don’t have cooked chicken, simmer chicken breasts in water or broth for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Save the chicken water for cooking the pasta or for soup.
- 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey jack can be added to the sauce if desired.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days and in the freezer for 4 months.
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup light cream
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon each onion powder and garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
Place over medium heat and continue whisking until thickened. Stir in butter and season with salt & pepper to taste and use in place of canned cream of chicken soup.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Chicken, Main Course, Pasta
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I made this last night, with only one change (Italian style bread crumbs, all I had), and was VERY pleased at how easily and quickly it came together, and the taste was excellent! Definitely a keeper!
This was delicious and easy! Thank you for the recipe. Added a cup of shredded pepper jack to the sauce as it was the cheese we had on hand, and it gave it a nice kick.
Does the liquid from the milk and cream of chicken soup have to be close to the edge of the noodles? Because it’s not. the amount of fluid in this casserole is very little, so how do the instructions say bake 20 minutes till it bubbles? Also, I baked it covered. should I not have? its in the oven now. I added 7 more minutes to the 20. By the way, I added a cup of chicken and more noodles and more milk but I didn’t have more cream if chicken soup to add. I hope this will cook fine still. I probably should have added more water. Any advice? For the future I guess. Too late for this now.
Hi Rita, we mix the sauce with the noodles in the casserole dish in step 3. We do bake this uncovered and broil at the end. I hope that helps!
This recipe was so easy and delish! I used cream of celery soup and it was a really great flavour!
Very delicious!
I used 1/2 cup of plain yogurt instead of milk. Used peas and carrots instead of just peas. Added parsley and chives.