Looking for a delicious dinner? This comforting chicken noodle casserole is the answer!
This baked chicken noodle casserole will be on the dinner menu rotation all year long!
A cozy creamy casserole with chicken, egg noodles, and green peas is smothered in a quick and creamy sauce and baked until bubbly.
This recipe uses a shortcut sauce (from scratch instructions are included too!) to create a belly-warming meal in no time at all!
An Easy Family Favorite
- Chicken and noodles are a perfect pariing for a quick and easy meal.
- Make the shortcut sauce with common pantry ingredients or if time allows, opt for the homemade sauce in the notes.
- Clean out the fridge by adding leftovers like meats and veggies to this dish.
- Enjoy this casserole dinner in just 30 minutes or prepare in advance for a busy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Keep the basics like cream of chicken soup and the meat, but feel free to substitute the add-ins depending on what you have on hand!
Pasta – Use fusilli, penne, tortellini, or any other medium pasta instead of egg noodles.
Chicken – Use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken in this recipe. Diced ham or leftover turkey for a change.
Veggies – Mix in your favorite frozen veggies like peas, carrots, or broccoli. To use fresh vegetables, cook to tender crisp before adding to the dish.
Sauce – The quick version of this sauce uses cream of chicken soup, but a homemade version is also included in the recipe notes.
Variations
- Swap in your favorite cheese in place of cheddar cheese like pepper jack for a kick.
- Crushed Ritz crackers or potato chips make a great topping in place of Panko bread crumbs.
- Add herbs like fresh thyme or parlsey to the sauce if desired.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
This easy comfort food favorite is ready in just a few steps!
- Boil noodles in a large pot until al-dente.
- Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish per the recipe below.
- Sprinkle on toppings and bake until golden brown and bubbly.
It’s that easy to make a delicious weeknight meal!
Tips for a Great Casserole
- Cook the pasta until it is just al dente in salted water. It will cook a bit more in the oven as the casserole bakes.
- Start with pre-cooked breasts. If you don’t have cooked chicken, try making poached chicken breast. Save the boiling water to cook the pasta for a boost of flavor.
- If substituting fresh veggies, add them to the pasta water during the last few minutes until tender. This saves the step of cooking them.
- Cheese is optional but adds great flavor to the topping.
How to Freeze Casseroles
Freezing casseroles is a great way to have a future dinner ready at the last minute or a potluck meal to go. Just be sure not to freeze a casserole with raw meat in it. Here’s an easy method for freezing any kind of casserole!
- Line the bottom of a casserole dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper, overlapping by at least 6 inches on each side.
- Assemble the casserole and chill it overnight in the refrigerator. Wrap the casserole tightly in plastic wrap and label it with the date.
- Freeze the casserole. Once frozen, you can lift the foil out of the pan and reuse the dish.
- Place the casserole in the freezer. Once frozen, the foil can be lifted out of the pan so your pan can be used again!
More Great Casserole Recipes
If you love this chicken noodle casserole recipe, here are a few more favorites to add to your rotation!
Did you enjoy this Chicken Noodle Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry egg noodles about 8 oz
- 2 cups cooked chicken diced
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup see notes for homemade version
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas or frozen vegetables
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Cook the egg noodles in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente, following the package directions. Drain well.
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook 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 a bit of water or broth for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Save the chicken water for cooking the pasta.
- 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese can be added to the sauce if desired.
- 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, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I have made this casserole for YEARS, with minor differences. I use frozen egg noodles (aka Reames) and mushroom soup. I have always used just butter flavored cracker crumbs on top, but the addition of cheese intrigues me! oh, I’ve also substituted corn, green beans or mixed vegetables. All are equally and uniquely delicious!
This was perfect. Quick, simple and satisfying! My 16 year old son said “this is really good, mom”. The changes I made from the original recipe were minimal. I used cream of celery soup, 1% milk, penne regate pasta, and mozzarella cheese.
What a win! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Lindy!
Readers! This is a wonderful recipe! I have made it several times now and it never disappoints. Thank you, Holly for this recipes and many others. I love your website and it is a “goto” when I don’t know what to cook or am tired of my own repetoire.
Thank you so much for your kind words Sal. I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
This is a great basic recipe, that can be tweaked in many ways. I make it for my folks all the time. However, it drives me crazy that takes so long to find the actual recipe! Including important things like the ingredients, (which are separated by another ad) and instructions. You literally have to wait through pop-up advertisements, variations, videos and pictures. Most sites has an option to skip to recipe and it is printable. I did not find that here. I may have missed it, in which case I am sorry for the comment. Thank you.
Hi Mary, the “Jump to Recipe” button can be found in the top header bar with the title on the right hand side. I hope this helps!
I LOVE this new twist on a chicken casserole! I added sliced almonds to the mix, which gave it a little more crunch.
In the recipe for condensed cream of chicken soup, it doesn’t say when to add butter or how much chicken put in
Sorry for the confusion Terri, the butter is added at the end once the mixture is thickened. If using the cream of chicken soup in this casserole, I skip the chicken in the condensed soup (there is lots in the casserole). If using in other recipes, I stir in about 3 tablespoons of finely chopped chicken.
Delicious! Enough for 3 meals for 2 people. Freezing 2nd and 3rd portions for later date. Added frozen corn with peas.
It’s good to go back to basics. Ritz crackers is my new topping. Who would’ve thought…..
I give it 4 stars because it’s an easy to make and a good basic casserole. I added some pepper but next time would also add some salt, garlic and/or onion powder. I doubled everything except for the cream of chicken. I used 1 can because that’s all I had but added a little extra milk and used some of the pasta water. It gave it a creamy consistency but not too heavy. I also used fresh broccoli to use it up so steamed it a bit before adding it to the mix.
Can I used pre grilled/cooked chicken?
Hi Abigail, for this recipe we recommend using cooked chicken so you can use pre-grilled, pre-cooked, or even rotisserie chicken! Whatever works best for you.
Made this today for the first time It was tasty but was on the dry side. Not at all creamy. If I make it again, I will add more liquid.
Sorry to hear that, Rose. You can increase the milk or add additional cheese or condensed soup to this recipe to increase the creamy-ness of the sauce.
Made this casserole last night. It was great!
We both thought it was great! Significant other loved it, especially considering it was a chicken dish and a casserole, neither of which he’s too fond of. It was quick and easy. I baked 3 chicken breasts with some Seasoning Salt & Montreal Steak Seasoning. Used farfalle pasta, cream of mushroom w/garlic and mixed vegees as that’s what I had on hand. Threw a little grated cheddar on top and then a little more with the bread crumb mixture.