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Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole (+Video)

This Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole is made with egg noodles, chicken breast, a creamy, tasty filling and topped with buttered bread crumbs! A family favorite dinner!

A FAMILY FAVORITE DINNER RECIPE

I love a good casserole. You just can’t beat a tasty and filling meal that is all in one baking dish. This one is made with easy to find ingredients. In fact, you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry right now!

Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole served on a white plate with parsley.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What can I substitute for canned chicken?

I created this recipe to be a “pantry” recipe. Which means I wanted you to be able to pull almost all the ingredients from your pantry to create it. However, you could boil chicken and dice it. You could use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. You could use leftover roasted chicken. You have a lot of options depending on your personal preference.

Can I use other cream soups?

Cream of mushroom or creamy of celery are also good substitutes for the cream of chicken. Or you can even try making your own cream of chicken soup!

What else can I use besides panko bed crumbs?

Just use regular bread crumbs, crushed Ritz crackers or crushed saltine crackers.

Can I make this in the crock pot or Instant Pot?

I have not tried making this recipe in a crock pot to Instant Pot, but if you try it, please let me know!

Can this casserole be frozen?

Yes! Prepare the casserole as directed but don’t bake. Cover the casserole very well. I usually put on a layer of plastic wrap then another layer of aluminum foil before freezing. It will last up to 3 months. Let casserole partially defrost before baking. You will probably need an extra 10 minutes or so of baking time since baking it from cold.

How do I store leftovers?

This chicken noodle casserole is so good as leftovers! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe from The Country Cook. Serving shown on a small white plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • egg noodles – I generally use the no yolk noodles but you can use what you prefer. Whatever you use, it needs to be cooked first.
  • chunk chicken breast – as I said above, I wanted this to be a pantry recipe with things you would have on hand and wouldn’t necessarily have to run to the store for. You can certainly substitute with your own cooked chicken.
  • cream of chicken soup – any cream soup will pretty much work here as long as you like the taste.
  • mayonnaise – not a fan of mayonnaise? Try sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
  • milk – I prefer whole milk or 2 %.
  • onion – Don’t have a fresh onion? No problem, don’t run to the store. Just use 1 Tablespoon of dried minced onion.
  • shredded cheddar cheese – as you can see in my picture below, I actually ended up using a triple cheese mix when I got around to taking pictures. So please use what you like, it doesn’t have to be just straight cheddar.
  • frozen peas and carrots – you could also use frozen mixed vegetables or pretty much whatever frozen vegetable you like.
  • panko bread crumbs – any bread or cracker crumbs can be used.
  • salted butter – it really should be real butter and not margarine. Margarine won’t brown and crisp up the topping the same as real butter will.
egg noodles, cheese, canned chicken, mayonnaise, peas and carrots, cream of chicken, panko bread crumbs.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE:

If you haven’t done so already, cook egg noodles and drain well. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, milk (or water), diced onion, shredded cheese and frozen peas and carrots. Stir until combined.

chicken, cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, pease and carrots all mixed together in a bowl.

Gently stir in cooked egg noodles.

egg noodles stirred in with creamy filling mixture in a bowl.

Pour in baking dish. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs.

panko bread crumbs sprinkled on top of chicken noodle casserole in a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Pour melted butter evenly over top of bread crumbs.

pouring melted butter on top of panko bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown. 

finished, Chicken Noodle Casserole, shown with serving spoon.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: June 2012
Updated & Republished: January 2020

Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Chicken Noodle Casserole (+Video)

This Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole is made with egg noodles, chicken breast, a creamy, tasty filling and topped with buttered bread crumbs!
4.95 from 466 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken breast, drained, 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup milk, 1/2 onion, finely diced, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots.
    Chicken Noodle Casserole
  • Stir until combined. Gently stir in 12 ounce package egg noodles, cooked and drained.
    Chicken Noodle Casserole
  • Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top evenly with 1 cup panko bread crumbs.
  • Pour 1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup), melted evenly over top of bread crumbs.
    Chicken Noodle Casserole
  • Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown.
    Chicken Noodle Casserole
  • Dig in and enjoy!
    Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole served on a white plate with parsley

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Feel free to use store-bought rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken meat you may have (grilled chicken also tastes wonderful with this recipe.)
  • Cream of mushroom or creamy of celery are also good substitutes for the cream of chicken.
  • Regular bread crumbs or crushed Ritz crackers can be substituted for the panko bread crumbs.
  • I have not tried making this recipe in a crock pot to Instant Pot but if you try it, please let me know!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 51g | Sodium: 1050mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




298 Comments

  1. Can I use something else besides Mayo? My husband absolutely HATES Mayo. I was thinking of subbing sour cream? Idk. Not good at coming up with alternatives. Thanks.

    1. What do you normally use to substitute Mayo? Sour cream might be too strong a flavor here. I really don’t know. You don’t taste it as a separate ingredient. Perhaps someone on here can give suggestions. Sometimes Greek yogurt can work but you just don’t want the flavors to get too tangy.

    2. I would try cottage cheese. If you have a small food processor. process a minute to make it smoother. You could go with half cottage cheese and an egg. That is what I would suggest.

  2. I added celery, 1 cup chopped NM green chilies, 4 tbs chopped garlic, 1/4 cup diced radish. Was super home run. Grand kids got up in middle of the night and made a sandwich using toasted sourdough bread. Leftovers almost gone in morning.

  3. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner. Added some garlic powder, a bit of oregano salt and pepper and a dash of dried parsley. I didn’t have rotisserie chicken or canned so I cut up fresh chicken Tasted great!

  4. 5 stars
    Sooo…I went to make this and couldn’t find a baking dish (we’re currently staying with family) ‍♀️ So I decided to make it on the Stove top, turned out GREAT!! I started with the onions and the frozen veggies then added the meat and some spices. Cooked for a bit then added all the wet ingredients cooked a little longer then added the cooked noodles and cheese and topped with French Fried Onions for a crunch! So good that my SUPER picky 3yr old had seconds

      1. If I were to,ale this and freeze it for later, should I cook it first and then freeze?

  5. 5 stars
    Thanks for the wonderful recipe! My family loved it & I made a double batch and took a pan to a recovering friend’s house and they love it too. Only thing I added was chopped green onions in place of regular onions to add a little extra color.

  6. 5 stars
    First, thanks for sharing. I have made this several ways, using all your basic ingredients. Sometimes, I don’t add bread crumbs, I often do not at the cheese (which is odd…cuz we are cheese lovers), I use green giant mixed vegetables every time (peas, carrots and green beans), I also add celery…just a thing for us. Everytime, no matter how we mix it up, it comes out great. Oh, I do add a little vegetta to it for added flavour.
    Thanks

  7. 5 stars
    I’ve made this a number of times and it is, by far, our favorite casserole ever! I just make a nice salad to go with it and it makes an awesome meal! Thank Brandie!

  8. 5 stars
    I made this last night. Very good and flavorful. I precooked frozen peas (without carrots). after reading comments. Used one can cream of chicken soup and one can cream of chicken with herbs. Added some garlic powder, onion salt, pepper and parsley flakes. I would probably add a bit more seasonings the next time. Onions were not fully cooked after baking at 350 for 40 min. I would omit them the next time. I added extra milk as the mixture seemed quite thick and mixed the melted butter with the bread crumbs and then placed them on top. With these minor changes, thought it turned out very good!

    1. 5 stars
      My husband doesn’t like onions, so instead of tossing *raw* ones into a casserole, I saute them beforehand to my desired crispness and add some dry seasoning toward the end. Like thyme or rosemary. The onion practically melts into the casserole & adds a lot of flavor. You can’t even see them! He now requests that I do this to all our casseroles. This is just a suggestion. I’m not trying to tell you how to cook!! 😉

      1. I made this for us tonight. It was delishhh lol. It makes a lot! Next time I think I’ll cut recipe in half since there’s just 2 of us. Thanks for the recipe. Easy to make!

  9. 5 stars
    Looks easy, I have ALL the ingredients (love the substitutions you offered), sounds yummy so I’m making it for dinner!!!

  10. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe with can cahicken, rotisserie chicken and leftover turkey. All three ways were delicious, I will be making it with can tuna for Friday’s during lent since we don’t eat meat on those days. I’ll be using cream of celery soup.

  11. 5 stars
    Love this! Used leftover gr. Chick breasts, didn’t have the peas & carrots so used broccoli and used oatmilk and only had regular bread crumbs, it worked out! This was delicious!! Thank you !

    1. Generally my serving size is about a cup and a half. However, if you are using this information for dietary or health needs, I would ask that you use your own trusted nutritional calculators to be certain that it works for you.

  12. 5 stars
    I didn’t have cream of Chicken so used cream of mushroom. Only added the peas, no carrots. Before the Panko crumbs, I added another layer of cheese. Turned out fabulous!!!

  13. 5 stars
    This recipe did not disappoint! Super easy to put together and on the table in half an hour plus some. My little person loved it, and if he approves then it must be amazing! But seriously guys try this.

  14. 5 stars
    Tried this last night, it was great, and so easy. I used rotisserie chicken and Ritz because I couldn’t find panko in the store. It was my first try at a casserole and it was a big success! Thanks for this old school comfort food recipe.

  15. 5 stars
    I love this recipe, but my family is trying to watch our weight. I completely omitted the Mayo, used a little extra water (instead of milk) and omitted the butter on the breadcrumbs. I didn’t even bake it, it was rich and creamy enough on the stovetop.

  16. When you add in the soup, do you add the extra can of milk/water? Or just the concentrated 2 cans? I don’t want it too runny.

  17. 5 stars
    O my goodness. Easy to make. Easy to add or substitute ingredients. I love adding green beans and carrots. I also too this casserole with fried onions. You can bake and chill leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch too 10 out of 10 for sure

  18. 5 stars
    This recipe is so scrumptious I added sauteed finely chopped celery and red bell pepper. Thank you for sharing. 5 stars