Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole with Egg Noodles

If you have 15 minutes, you can make this cheesy chicken noodle casserole made with egg noodles, rotisserie chicken and a made from scratch sauce. It’s the ultimate comfort food and just what you need for busy weeknights. It has the flavor of chicken noodle soup, but this casserole is baked in the oven with a creamy, cheesy sauce that holds everything together and a crunchy, golden brown panko crumb topping.

 

Made From Scratch Chicken Noodle Casserole

This easy chicken noodle casserole recipe only takes about 15 minutes to prepare and bakes for 30 minutes, so you can have dinner on the table with very little effort in under an hour! Perfect, right?

As a bonus, it’s a from-scratch recipe that skips the canned soup.

Nothing against canned soup, but a simple homemade version will add so much more flavor and creaminess to your chicken casserole recipes.

To save time, you can use rotisserie chicken to make this chicken casserole. Pick up a rotisserie chicken from Costco or your grocery store for meals like this. It saves so much time around dinner time. Otherwise, it’s really easy to roast your own chicken but it will take 30 minutes. Do some meal prep and roast a bunch of chicken, shred it and keep it in the freezer for your next casserole dinner.

There’s just nothing better than a casserole for dinner. You can add spinach salad or roasted asparagus or just have the casserole all by itself. Everything cooks in a baking dish or skillet so there’s not much clean up and there’s just something comforting about a noodle casserole.

I have the Johnny Marzetti pasta casserole on repeat at our house along with a chicken enchilada casserole and a classic tuna casserole. I could eat a casserole every night of the week.

This chicken and noodle casserole is a foolproof crowd-pleaser. What’s not to love, chicken, egg noodles and a creamy sour cream sauce. It also goes well with pretty much any side dish or salad and you can easily make a batch of drop biscuits while it bakes.

You’ll want to make this classic comfort food on busy weeknights or nights when the kids invite friends for dinner. It’s among our family favorites, and I know you’re going to love it, too.

Make it ahead of time 

This is a great dinner recipe to make ahead of time and have on hand for a quick weeknight dinner or to give to a friend. Just add it to a disposable tin casserole pan and it will make it easier to freeze and give away or pop in the oven.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Casserole with Egg Noodles

• It’s an easy recipe to make. With 15 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of baking time plus easy-to-follow instructions, this classic chicken noodle soup casserole is the perfect meal for a busy day. 
• It’s a comforting, pick-me-up meal. This casserole takes a traditional comfort food to the next level. Trust me, it will become your go-to meal when you’re feeling a little bit under the weather or you need to warm up.
• It’s a freezer-friendly meal. You can freeze this casserole and save it for later.

Substitutions

• For the Panko topping you could also use Ritz or Town House crackers or try some salty potato chips.
• You can use leftover turkey after the holidays instead of chicken.
• You can use any type of short pasta instead of egg noodles.

Chicken & Noodle Casserole Recipe Ingredients

This casserole makes 12 hearty servings! Of course you can half the recipe for a smaller crowd, but if you’re making a pan dirty, you might as well make extra and have a freezer meal.

• Shredded chicken breasts – You can use any kind of chicken you’d like. I like to use freshly cooked and shredded chicken breasts, but you can also use rotisserie chicken to save some prep time. It’s also a great way to use up leftovers.
• Noodles – Wide egg noodles work best. You can use other shapes, like orecchiette, bow tie or cavatappi.
• Onion – They add so much flavor the the sauce.
• Chicken broth – You can use broth or stock.
• Cheese – This recipe calls for cheddar cheese, but you can substitute it for Colby Jack. For a more spicy casserole, you can use Pepper Jack cheese or a spicy Mexican cheese blend instead. 
• Sour cream – If you don’t have sour cream, plain Greek yogurt makes a suitable substitute.
• Milk – Whole milk will give you the creamiest filling, but you can substitute it for 2% milk just don’t use skim as you need the fat for a creamy sauce.
• Pantry Staples – butter, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, and Panko bread crumbs.

How To Make a Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Step 1: Cook the Noodles.

Toss the uncooked egg noodles in a large pot of salted water and boil according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain them and set aside.  

Step 2: Make the Homemade Filling.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and onions and cook until softened. Add in the flour and whisk until combined. Cook for a minute before slowly pouring in the chicken broth and milk. Whisk until it’s thickened. 

Take the sauce off the heat and mix in the spices. Add the sour cream and cheese and mix.

Step 3: Assemble and Bake the Casserole.

Add shredded chicken and the noodles to your sauce. If you’re using an oven-proof skillet, leave it as it is. If not, transfer the mixture to a large baking dish.

Sprinkle a generous amount of panko breadcrumbs over the casserole. Drizzle melted butter on top of the crumbs. 

Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until it’s bubbly and the crumbs get that perfect golden brown color. If your casserole looks a little pale after baking, you can place it under the broiler for 2 minutes.  

A Few Recipe Notes for Chicken Noodle Casserole

• Overcooked egg noodles can make a mushy casserole, and the easiest way to make sure your pasta comes out perfect is to cook them for a couple of minutes less than the package instructions so they will be a little al dente. 
• Add some veggies. This chicken noodle casserole is extremely versatile. You can add any kind of veggies you like.
• You can easily cut this recipe in half and use a smaller casserole dish if you only need to feed a small family and don’t have the space for leftovers.

More Crowd-Pleasing Chicken Casserole Recipes to Love

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