Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
Chicken noodle casserole with egg noodles, shredded chicken, peas and carrots in a creamy sauce under buttery cracker crumbs. Ready in 50 minutes.
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Chicken noodle casserole is chicken noodle soup that grew up and moved into a 9×13, and this chicken noodle casserole is the one my kids clear their plates for. Wide egg noodles, cooked chicken, peas and carrots, all folded into a creamy sauce and baked under buttery cracker crumbs until the edges bubble.
It’s a leftovers dish by design. A rotisserie chicken or the last of Sunday’s roast is exactly what it wants, and pulling that meat while the noodles boil is most of the work. Twenty minutes of prep, thirty in the oven.
The one thing worth watching is the noodles. Egg noodles keep cooking in the pan, so pull them a minute before the package says they’re done. Fully cooked noodles going into a hot oven come out soft and blown apart, and nobody wants a mushy casserole.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe
- Built for leftover chicken. Three cups of pulled rotisserie or roast chicken turns into dinner for eight without cooking any meat.
- Creamy without a fussy sauce. Condensed soup and whole milk whisk together in two minutes, so there’s no roux to babysit.
- Crunch on top. Buttered cracker crumbs bake up golden and give you something to bite against all that soft noodle.
- Picky eaters eat it. Noodles, chicken, cheese, and mild peas and carrots. There’s nothing on the fork to negotiate over.
Chicken Noodle Casserole Ingredients
Shred the cheddar off a block. Bagged shredded cheese is coated in starch so it won’t clump, and that coating keeps it from melting smoothly into the sauce.
- 12 oz wide egg noodles
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 1 lb)
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (6 oz block), divided
- 1 cup crushed buttery crackers (about 25 Ritz)
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Use cooked turkey instead of chicken, which is what to do with the bird the week after Thanksgiving. Leftover turkey should already have been cooked to 165°F, and the finished casserole still needs to reach 165°F in the center.
- Start with raw chicken if you don’t have leftovers. Poach 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in simmering water for 15-18 minutes until they reach 165°F, then shred.
- Swap the peas and carrots for 2 cups of chopped steamed broccoli, and use cream of mushroom soup in place of one of the cream of chicken cans.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Boil the noodles short: Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of salted water for 1 minute less than the package says, so they’re still firm. Drain well.
- Whisk the sauce: In a large bowl, whisk the cream of chicken soup, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Condensed soup goes in thick and lumpy, so keep whisking until it loosens.
- Fold everything together: Add the drained noodles, chopped chicken, thawed peas and carrots, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until the sauce coats everything evenly.
- Fill the dish: Spread the mixture into the greased 9×13 and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over it.
- Butter the crumbs: Toss the crushed crackers with the melted butter in a small bowl until the crumbs look damp, then sprinkle them evenly across the top. Dry crumbs go pale in the oven, so make sure they’re all coated.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles around the edges, the crumbs are deep golden, and a thermometer in the center reads 165°F.
- Rest and finish: Let it stand 5 minutes so the sauce thickens, then scatter the parsley over the top and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Make This Chicken Noodle Casserole Ahead of Time?
Yes. Assemble it through the cheese layer, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add the buttered crumbs right before it goes in so they don’t go soggy, then bake cold from the fridge and add 10-15 minutes, until the center reads 165°F.
What Chicken Works Best?
Rotisserie chicken is the easy answer and gives you about 3 cups of meat from one bird. Leftover roast chicken, poached breasts, or canned chicken breast all work too.
Why Did My Casserole Come out Dry?
Usually the noodles were fully cooked before they went in, so they soaked up the sauce in the oven instead of the boiling water. Pull them a minute early, and add a splash of milk if the mixture looks thick in the bowl.
Can I Use a Different Pasta?
Wide egg noodles are traditional and hold their shape best, but rotini, penne, or medium shells all work. Stick with 12 ounces by weight no matter the shape.
Do I Have to Thaw the Frozen Vegetables?
Thaw them and pat them dry. Frozen vegetables release a surprising amount of water as they heat, and that water thins the sauce right out.
Cooking Tips
- Salt the noodle water like pasta water. It’s the only chance the noodles get to be seasoned from the inside, and canned soup does not season them for you.
- Crush the crackers by hand in a zip-top bag, not in a food processor. You want irregular pieces that crisp at different rates instead of uniform sand.
- Fold, don’t stir. Egg noodles break easily once they’re cooked, and a rubber spatula folded through a few times keeps them whole.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The cracker topping softens overnight, which can’t be helped.
To freeze: Freeze it unbaked for up to 2 months, without the cracker topping. Thaw overnight in the fridge, add the buttered crumbs, and bake as directed plus about 10 minutes. Frozen after baking the noodles turn noticeably softer.
To reheat: Cover with foil and warm at 350°F for 20 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F. Add a splash of milk before reheating and scatter a handful of fresh buttered crumbs on top for the last 5 minutes.
How to Serve Chicken Noodle Casserole
Chicken Noodle Casserole is a full meal on its own, so all it really needs is something green and crisp next to it. A simple romaine salad with vinaigrette, roasted green beans, or steamed broccoli all work. Warm dinner rolls or garlic bread turn it into the kind of plate that sends everyone back for seconds.
Loved This Recipe?
Chicken Noodle Casserole turns yesterday’s chicken into tonight’s dinner in about 50 minutes, which is the whole reason it stays in the rotation.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
Equipment
- Instant-Read Thermometer Take it to 165°F in the middle. The edges get there long before the center does.
Ingredients
- 12 oz wide egg noodles
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken about 1 lb
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots thawed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar 6 oz block, divided
- 1 cup crushed buttery crackers about 25 Ritz
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the noodles short: Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of salted water for 1 minute less than the package says, so they’re still firm. Drain well.
- Whisk the sauce: In a large bowl, whisk the cream of chicken soup, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Condensed soup goes in thick and lumpy, so keep whisking until it loosens.
- Fold everything together: Add the drained noodles, chopped chicken, thawed peas and carrots, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until the sauce coats everything evenly.
- Fill the dish: Spread the mixture into the greased 9×13 and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over it.
- Butter the crumbs: Toss the crushed crackers with the melted butter in a small bowl until the crumbs look damp, then sprinkle them evenly across the top. Dry crumbs go pale in the oven, so make sure they’re all coated.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles around the edges, the crumbs are deep golden, and a thermometer in the center reads 165°F.
- Rest and finish: Let it stand 5 minutes so the sauce thickens, then scatter the parsley over the top and serve.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
