Chicken Noodle Casserole – cooked chicken and noodles in a savory flavored sauce topped with a cheesy bread crumb topping. This dinner makes a great weeknight meal and is even easier when you use a rotisserie chicken.
Why didn’t my mom ever make this when I was a kid?
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It seemed like all we ever ate was Tuna Noodle Casserole and dry meatloaf.
Most likely because tuna was much less expensive than the chicken would have been.
Since I’ve “tweaked” those two recipes, I can now eat them and enjoy them without turning my nose up at the the thought.
LOL
Bless her soul, mom passed away in July of ’92.
She unfortunately (or fortunately, haha) has no idea of the changes I’ve made.
SAVE THIS CHICKEN AND NOODLE CASSEROLE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
What do I need to make this chicken casserole recipe?
- butter
- flour
- poultry seasoning
- chicken base dissolved in boiling water
- milk
- salt
- pepper
- 2 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken
you can also use rotisserie chicken
I usually make this recipe using chicken that I’ve seasoned with Montreal Chicken Seasoning and grilled using my George Foreman Grill (Oh, how I LOVE that thing!) - noodles
Making Chicken Noodle Casserole from scratch is easy!
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare an 8 X 8-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and blend in flour and poultry seasoning.
- Slowly stir in broth and milk, add salt and pepper, and heat, stirring until mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and add the chicken and noodles. Gently stir well to combine.
- In a small microwavable bowl, melt the butter.
- Add the Panko bread crumbs and stir to coat.
- Mix in the cheese and then spread evenly over the baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
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Can you freeze this Chicken Casserole?
Sure can!
Once the chicken and noodles have been mixed together, pour into the prepared 8 X 8-inch baking dish.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then with tin foil.
Add a note to the top with the ingredients for the topping, and baking instructions.
When ready to bake, thaw overnight in refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350° F, and remove the plastic wrap and tin foil.
Melt the butter and mix in the panko breadcrumbs and cheese.
Sprinkle over the chicken casserole and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Looking for things to serve along with this dish?
How about this easy Strawberry Spinach Salad? It’s always been a HUGE hit here at our house.
Some of our favorites are Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks, Skillet Mexican Street Corn, Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts.
Make this Easy Three Bean Salad, Roasted Parmesan Broccoli, Roasted Curry Cajun Cauliflower or Roasted Teriyaki Cauliflower.
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Equipment
- George Foreman Grill
- Large pot
- Large skillet
- 8 X 8-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup sifted flour
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chicken base dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated pepper
- 2 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken
- 8 oz. thin noodles cooked according to package directions and drained
Topping
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup Cheddar/Jack shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare an 8 X 8-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat and blend in flour and poultry seasoning.
- Slowly stir in broth and milk, add salt and pepper, and heat, stirring until mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and add the chicken and noodles. Gently stir well to combine.
Topping
- In a small microwavable bowl, melt the butter.
- Add the Panko bread crumbs and stir to coat.
- Mix in the cheese and then spread evenly over the baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Oh. My. Goodness!
Yes, this is one of those recipes that IS a keeper!!
The whole family absolutely loved this dish tonight, and unanimously decided that it earned 4 rolling pins!
I used to rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best of the best.
The sauce was so delicious and I think it was largely in part due to the fact that I used the Montreal Chicken seasoning.
That seasoning is great when we grill chicken, so I knew it would give this dish that extra boost I was looking for.
This was SO yummy!!!!!
This post was originally published 5/23/11. It was update 10/10/16, and again on 5/28/21 with pictures and in format.
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Comments & Reviews
Thank you for stopping by my blog today! What a great recipe for a tried and true family staple. Hope you are feeling all better soon. Being sick does stink! The messy house will still be there the next day or so (unfortunately) so don’t over do!
looks creamy nutritious and easy to cook the ingredient is also not so complicated.
I’m so sorry you’re still sick, but this seems like a wonderful comfort food to nurse you back to heallth!
Thank you all for the well wishes! I am feeling better now and I think the recipes are reflecting that. It feels WONDERFUL to be back to normal again!
I’ve made several of your recipes and they’re really good and easy after a long day at work. Just had to ask about this recipe (which looks oh so yummy), did I miss the step where you add the topping? If I need to get my glasses checked, just let me know! Thanks for setting me straight and thanks for sharing!
Kate, thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’ve clarified that in the recipe and updated it!
sub for cheddar/jack …?
Joyce,
you could use shredded, not grated parmesan or just a plain shredded cheddar as a substitute for the cheddar/jack cheese. Basically, you want to give the topping just a little more flavor. You can always omit it as well if you need to.
The recipe worked as directed. It had a couple of problems, so I re-made it with the following changes.
It needs some texture. I added some grilled Brussel sprouts from a favorite Thanksgiving recipe. Grilled with a little bacon and French bread crunchy homemade croutons.
It is bland. I added some red pepper flakes and a little white wine to the sauce.
It was greasy. I cut down the topping by half.
After that my family loved it.
Candi, thank you so much for your feedback. I appreciate the input and will take into account your suggestions.
What kind of noodles did you use? I used medium egg noodles and precooked them fully. Almost all the sauce was absorbed especially the leftovers. I may try it gain with more liquid.
The oven will heat up house too much right now. Can this me made in crockpot?
DT,
I completely understand, but since I haven’t made it in the crockpot, I can’t recommend it. I just wouldn’t have the correct instructions for you.
I’m sure if you Google “Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Casserole” there’s got to be one out there that you can make. And in the meantime, I’ll be sure to add it to my list of recipes to make so that I can help you out in the future!
Thanks for the question.