Chicken Noodle Casserole is comfort food at its best! A creamy combination of noodles, chicken, and vegetables that’s perfect for dinner.
Along with the cool fall nights comes the need to gather family and friends around the table for a comforting family dinner. Growing up in Minnesota, this would be called Chicken Noodle Hotdish instead of a casserole.
A hotdish is a casserole with meat, starch, vegetables, and a cream soup. No matter what you call it, this casserole is sure to become a favorite!
What You’ll Find In This Post
Ingredients Needed
- Sauce: The creamy sauce is made with condensed cream of chicken, sour cream, milk, and chicken broth.
- Seasoning: We seasoned the casserole with dried minced onion, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Pasta: We like using extra wide egg noodles for their light texture, but you can use any pasta you want.
- Chicken: This recipe calls for cooked, diced chicken. We usually bake chicken breasts or make air fryer chicken breasts. One of my favorite shortcuts on busy days is using rotisserie chicken to make this casserole.
- Vegetables: Another shortcut is to use bags of frozen veggies that quickly cook in the package in the microwave. You can also use canned veggies or fresh. But when you use fresh vegetables, you may want to precook the carrots to ensure they are soft enough.
How To Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
Start by making the cream sauce that is the base of the casserole. I used canned condensed cream of chicken soup because it is so convenient. I added sour cream, milk, chicken broth, minced onion, garlic powder, and black pepper to the cream of chicken soup.
Next, add the pasta, chicken, and veggies.
Once everything is mixed together, spread it all out in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. and bake at 375˚F for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and hot.
Topping Ideas
- French Fried Onions: You can add French fried onions to the top of the casserole when there are about 5 minutes left to cook and then return to the oven to finish cooking.
- Ritz Crackers: Mix together 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole and then bake as directed.
- Potato Chips: When I was a kid, we loved putting shoestring potato chips on our tuna noodle casserole, and they are delicious on this one as well.
How To Freeze A Casserole
To freeze this chicken noodle casserole, put the mixture into a large freezer bag and place it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it, thaw it in the fridge overnight before spreading it in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the baking dish on the counter while you preheat the oven. You may have to add 5-10 minutes of baking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Choose three cups of your favorite noodles instead.
Yes, just skip the veggies and follow the rest of the recipe.
Yes, follow the steps and stop after spreading it in the pan. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate overnight. Place it on the counter while the oven is preheating. Bake as directed in the recipe. It may take 5-10 minutes longer to get hot, so allow a little extra time.
Similar Recipes
- Cheesy Chicken Noodles are an easy weeknight family dinner recipe
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is creamy comfort food!
- Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie is a delicious twist on the traditional recipe.
- This Chicken Casserole is topped with crushed Ritz crackers.
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 29 oz condensed cream of chicken two 14.5 oz cans
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups cooked extra wide egg noodles
- 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 2 cups mixed vegetables corn, peas, and carrots
Instructions
- Whisk together condensed cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, chicken broth, minced onion, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Add cooked extra-wide egg noodles, cooked chicken, and mixed vegetables. Gently stir until coated.
- Spread in a 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake at 375˚F for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and hot.
Notes
One: Toppings
- French Fried Onions: Add French fried onions to the top of the casserole when there are 5 minutes left to cook, and then return to the oven to finish cooking.
- Ritz Crackers: Mix together 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole and then bake as directed.
- Potato Chips: Sprinkle with shoestring potato chips after baking.
Cindy says
Nice & creamy but not much flavor. Next time I make it I’ll add a lot more seasonings and maybe some parm. cheese too.
ashia says
I don’t have cream of chicken or the noodles, is there a way i can use just chicken noodle soup cans?
Tonia Larson says
Hello Ashia,
The condensed cream of chicken makes the casserole creamy, helps thicken the sauce, and adds flavor to the casserole.
The only way I can think to of to make it work with the canned chicken noodle soup would be if you made homemade condensed cream of chicken to add to the casserole. Here is a recipe from Holly to try: https://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/homemade-condensed-cream-of-chicken-soup/ Then, separate the chicken broth from the noodles in the canned chicken noodle soup so that you can measure out 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and 3 cups of cooked noodles.
Warmly,
~Tonia
Katrina says
I only have one can of cream of mushroom can you use one can of cream of mushroom to make a egg noodle chicken casserole
Tonia says
Hi Katrina,
Since this recipe calls for 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, you would have to cut the rest of the recipe in half to make up for the missing can of soup. Also, the flavor would be quite different. You could add some chicken bouillon to add some chicken flavoring, though.
~Tonia
Dawn says
This was so delicious!!! Accidentally took out chicken thighs instead of chicken breast from my freezer. Added frozen carrots and peas also a little out of cheese. Yum!!! Thank you
Sylvia Johnston says
thank you….one of the creamiest nicest tuna hotdish ever!
Jai says
Hi! Can I use plant based meat in your recipes?
Tonia says
I’ve never tried making my recipes with plant based meats.
Cheryl says
Can you mix this all up and then freeze it for later?
Tonia says
Yes, you can freeze this for later but you may need to add more liquid than called for since the noodles will absorb some of the liquid.
Asentia says
Can you cook this in a pot on the stove ?
Shannon says
Must I cook the veggies first or put in frozen
Tonia says
Hi Shannon,
Yes, I would suggest cooking the frozen vegetables first otherwise they may not soften enough while baking.
Enjoy,
~Tonia
nancy Perdue says
recipe calls for 2 cans of cream chicken . Can I put one can of chicken and one can of cream of mushroom instead of the 2 cans of chicken?
Tonia says
Hi Nancy,
Yes you could totally do that! Enjoy!
-Tonia
Tana brooks says
Can you leave out the sour cream??
Tonia says
Yes, you can leave out the sour cream but you’ll need to replace it with something else or the casserole will be too dry. You could mix in more milk…maybe 1/2 cup?