The Best Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe
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This easy chicken noodle casserole recipe is a meal your whole family will love. It makes a quick week night dinner or Sunday supper, and uses rotisserie chicken from the deli!
Casserole season is here. This comforting chicken noodle casserole is the ultimate comfort food, and has been a family favorite since my kids were very small. It was one of the meals I could make that EVERYONE liked. Over the years I have changed a few things to make it easier, but the taste is still the same.
Why This Recipe Works
Even though this creamy chicken noodle casserole is made with simple ingredients, it tastes homemade. It’s literally a warm hug from the kitchen. The creamy sauce is delicious and the tender egg noodles melt in your mouth. Using rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a great way to cut the prep time in half, and in under an hour, your family will be at the dinner table.
Ingredient Notes + Variations
- I have never tried it, but tuna can be substituted for the chicken. My girlfriend uses their own canned salmon, and she says it’s excellent.
- I always use fresh bread crumbs for the crunchy topping, but panko bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, or cracker crumbs are also great options.
- We love the taste that the cream of celery soup adds, but cream of chicken soup, or cream of mushroom soup can be substituted.
- Kluski noodles are wonderful, but wide egg noodles are also a good choice.
- Store-bought rotisserie chicken is so good and convenient, but any kind of cooked chicken can be used. (Baked and diced chicken breasts, or canned shredded chicken.)
- To make cheesy chicken noodle casserole, sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, or parmesan cheese on the top of this hearty casserole during the last 10 minutes of the baking time.
- For a richer version, substitute whole milk, half and half, or heavy cream, for the lower fat milk.
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook egg noodles over medium heat according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cream of celery soup, milk and mayonnaise.
- Remove the breast meat from the rotisserie chicken. Roughly chop and add to the soup mixture.
- If there is any juice in the chicken bag, add it to the soup mixture.
- Add the noodles to the soup and chicken. Don’t add them all at once. The mixture should be a little soupy so sometimes I don’t use all the noodles.
- Stir in the peas.
- Put the mixture in a prepared baking dish. Non stick spray works great.
- Make fresh bread crumbs by grinding two hamburger buns in a mini food processor. Put on top of casserole. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. When done, top will be golden and edges will bubble.
Tips For Success
- All the measurements featured in the recipe card can be adjusted. I’ve been making this casserole so long that I don’t even measure the ingredients!
- Keep in mind that you want the mixture to be soupy when it’s ready to go in the oven. It will thicken as it cooks and cools.
- Any kind of bread can be used to make fresh bread crumbs. I always use hamburger buns, and they work great. Just pulse the bread in a small food processor, and sprinkle the crumbs on the casserole. Don’t be afraid to be generous!
- It’s easy to make a double batch. Put it in a 9 x 13 baking dish, and plan for it to cook about 15 minutes longer.
- I used to bake this in a basic Pyrex casserole dish. I’ve upped my game a little since the old days…now I use this ruffled baking dish that was a Christmas gift a few years ago. The casserole doesn’t taste any different, but the presentation is much better!
What To Serve With This Creamy Casserole?
Keep it simple. I serve this casserole with fresh fruit or a side salad, and good dinner rolls or crusty bread. This combination is very easy and quick to prepare.
How To Store + Reheat
This chicken casserole is delicious the next day. Simply store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and reheat in the microwave. Leftovers will last up to three days.
I’ve talked many times about my difficulties as an empty nester, and truly, no one knows better than me that we can’t go back. Sometimes though, there’s no harm in thinking about it. On any given day, I would give pretty much anything to have just one meal with my family the way we were back then…before my kids grew up.
Since I can’t do that, I hope some family out there makes this easy chicken noodle casserole recipe for dinner. I hope they sit around a table and talk…and just enjoy each other’s company. At the end of the day, that’s what life is all about.
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Other Main Dish Ideas
- Easy Baked Spaghetti
- Rosemary Parmesan Chicken
- My Mom’s Pot Roast
- Chicken Pot Pies with Puff Pastry Crust
- Small Batch Chicken Cobbler Recipe
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The Best Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups egg noodles (measured before cooking)
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 1 cup milk (or just fill the soup can)
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 deli rotisserie chicken breast meat only
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- fresh bread crumbs ( I use 2 hamburger buns.)
- olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook the egg noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large bowl, or right in your casserole dish, whisk together cream of celery soup, milk, and mayonnaise.
- Remove the breast meat from the rotisserie chicken. Roughly chop and add to the soup mixture.
- If there is any juice in the chicken bag, add it to the soup mixture.
- Add the noodles to the soup and chicken. Don’t add them all at once. The mixture should be a little soupy so sometimes I don’t use all the noodles.
- Stir in the peas.
- Put the mixture in a casserole dish prepared with nonstick spray.
- Make fresh bread crumbs by grinding two hamburger buns in a mini food processor. Put on top of casserole. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. When done, top will be golden and edges will bubble.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
Hi Ann, your comment on being an empty nester certainly resonated with me!
My situation is the same but I am going to make your lovely chicken casserole this weekend as my cousin is coming from Australia and my daughter from Toronto, so we will all be together for the first time in 5 years. Comfort food is just the ticket!
Thank you for your super blog…I thoroughly enjoy it all…it’s beautifully executed. 🤗
The way we were back then…yes, I would give anything, too…the little kids at the table, true family time. It’s just the two of us now & this sounds like a winner for a comfort dish. Will try soon! Your tips to make life easy are always appreciated.
I made it tonight and doubled the recipe. It is very much like a tuna casserole i have made for my family for 40 years! In the tuna casserole I add cheddar cheese. Will be making again!
Thanks for the recipe!!!
This is a great go-to! I like to make a big one and keep half in the freezer. Only difference in my recipe is that my topping is Ritz crackers crumbled into melted butter, then browned in the oven. We’re having chicken for Easter; I may steal a little breast meat and make this for supper tomorrow night.
Made this casserole last night and it was really good! It’s perfect for a ladies’ luncheon! I might try adding some diced jalapenos next time just for a little zip. I even purchased the ruffled dish because I have admired it before with some of your other recipes. I love it! Is yours the “deep” dish or just the “regular” dish? I purchased the regular dish and the casserole pretty much filled it to the top, but it baked up just fine. Thanks for all you do!
This looks yummy! Are you using a thick egg noodle like Reames or the dried kind?
I try to use Kluski noodles when I can find them. Mrs. Weiss’ are my favorite.
Thanks Ann! Our oldest went off to college last fall and I have days where I long for things the way they were. So I am going to make your chicken noodle casserole and be thankful for my two precious daughters and husband who are still home to share it with me! Thanks!!!
Ann,
I can certainly relate to that empty nest feeling. Wish we lived closer…we could share stories, pictures and tears with some laughter tossed in. Both of our children live out of state attending grad school.
I need to get use to those limited visits as I do not anticipate their careers bringing them back home. It was wonderful having them home for the holidays❤️
Wishing you a blessed New Year. Thank you for all the work you do to create such a beautiful haven to visit. I LOVE SUTTON PLACE❤️
Ann,
I really enjoy your blog, I always feel inspired and motivated. I love your style, thanks for all of the wonderful content.
Thank you Ann for all the great decorating ideas,recipes,gardening tips that you have shared with us thiis past year. So glad I found your blog. We tend to like alot of the same things. Hoping 2019 will be a great year for all,
Hi Ann,
I’ve been thinking a lot about summer and how fun it was with “the littles”, as my husband and I call those magical and busy days. I try to gently remind my daughter who has 3 boys 4, 3 and 10 months (!) that this is the time of your life that will be most cherished, as you get older. She knows it’s true… but some times “ the witching hour” is enough to put her over the top. I will pass this recipe on to her…. making it for the first time and it just smells like home. Love your website.
I am eager to try this. Wondered if you use dry egg noodles or frozen egg noodles like Reames? Mealtimes are not so much fun as they used to be, and sometimes, we are lonely, but it is what it is and we just keep trucking. Who know we would miss all those hectic times!? Thank you!
Hi Pat! Oh I know what you mean…my husband and I eat with the TV most nights. It’s not as lonely! I use dry noodles for this casserole. My favorite are kluski noodles but sometimes they are hard to find. Any egg noodle will work. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe. I love to add crushed potato chips for the topping!
Hi Ann – I shared this recipe with a local volunteer group and we made it on Sunday to serve at a soup Kitchen. Several people doubled The recipe and brought it. It was a huge hit! People came back for seconds and we sent them home with leftovers. We served it with salad and rolls, with a variety of things for dessert. Thank you for a great, easy, recipe! We will make it again.
Hi Martha…thank you so much for sharing this. I am so grateful you took the time to write. This totally made my day!
Thank you for these wonderful recipes. I hope to serve the Chicken Noodle Casserole at our next Bible Study get together. I enjoy your honesty about Empty Nest. My greatest joy is when my boys and their families come ” home” The laughter and joy of family never gets old.
I find myself thinking more and more of the time when they were little. Watching young moms holding babies or toddlers sometimes makes my heart ache. But it’s part of my life now so I try to focus on the good things.
Thank you for your blog. Your words touch my hearth.
This looks yummy. I want to make it with veggie chicken. Can you give me an idea about the amount, cup wise, of chicken breast you use?
Thanks! (LOVE, love your blog)
Can I use cream of chicken soup rather than cream of celery?
Sure! It will taste a bit different but the texture should be the same. Enjoy!
Be comforted, Ann, by knowing that you are in very good company! I’m going thru the empty nest thing for the second time. I raised my own family and then was the regular care giver for two of my grandchildren, basically being their mom 3 days a week. This was a rich and treasured time and I’m grateful to have had the chance to create very close relationships with them. They are teens now and rapidly moving into the mainstream of their own lives. I miss them, but keep reminding myself that families grow and change, and so must we.
Our roles within the family change as we age and become the wise women for the next generations. We still have great value to our children and grandchildren. Our time with them is perhaps condensed into shorter periods, but can be richer as we are mature enough to recognise the sweetness when it comes.
I am also adjusting to life without my mom, who died recently at 97. That has been a very demanding journey. I am grateful that you shared so much of your grieving process when you lost your own mom. I read all your posts about it with interest, knowing that my turn was coming soon. Watching you navigate that path then, is helping me now.
All this to say that we are all on this path together, we Moms and Grand Moms. We are matriarchal figures to our families, with much life experience to offer them. It is our job to ensure that the values of our parents and grandparents do not disappear. We must remember that those around us learn much by simply watching. We are the role models now, so we’d best do it well.
Thank you for all the work you put into this blog, and for sharing who you are so honestly. I always enjoy your content.
Thank you Ann for this recipe. Best time of my life was being home with my children . WE always had meals at the table and it was a good time to connect and talk of the days events. This was before cells phones and iPads! I had good eaters and tried different recipes all the time . Now they too have grown up and living their own lives – one is near raising his family – newborn is 1 week old and the other is on the other coast – my daughter and it’s so hard without her but thankfully we have cell phones, and can communicate easily. I plan on making his casserole for the new parents as well as many others . Do you suppose this would freeze well? Should I freeze precooked or after? Thank you for your lovely blog… I am a long time reader.
So many of our family memories are centered around food. We are empty nesters but are fortunate to see our two grandsons a couple times a week. I make an effort to keep the conversation interesting for them. I will be trying this recipe and the cinnamon bars. The ruffled pie plate is so pretty!
I made your casserole yesterday and it was quite the hit!!Delicious and so creamy and tasty. Bi will definitely make it again.
Thank you for sharing!!
Kathy
Newnan, GA
I’m so glad you liked it!
Ann, I am an empty nester, too. I agree with you about wishing you could bring back the kids to the table. Right now, they are too busy to even return a text or phone call. Sad, & it breaks my heart. But I have to go on. Thank you for your blog, your beautiful watercolor pictures & recipes!!
This chicken casserole looks so yummy and sounds easy to make; just my style!! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be sure to try it soon.
Hi Ann!
I’m going to make this dish tonight!!!
My little grand daughter (31/2) is staying over for her first sleepover!!! And though I too miss the family meals, I am anxious to ensure a legacy with these new little babies.
My grandmother is the one who loved me, and I have very early memories of eating homemade buttered bread and drinking sugar water(before we had koolaid).
God bless,
Carol
My heart is with you Ann!
Thank you for always sharing so honestly!
I know those days are coming quickly for me as well.
Even if from a distance, as Moms we are all in this together.
By being honest we encourage one another and somehow ease a little of the sadness ❤️
After being gone to a professional meeting for a couple of days this will be perfect for supper this evening. So easy and comforting for a meal in the winter and it will let me get caught up on laundry, etc. Will probably use panko bread crumbs – pantry is out of bread to use.
I hear ya’. I’ve been thinking a lot about when my kids we’re younger too. Time really did fly by. Family dinners were enjoyable most of the time especially when I cooked something everyone liked. Thanks for the recipe.
My daughter would love this recipe. I gave my daughter a crock pot last Fall and she loves making Pot Roast, family memories too, and now she can make her own with her family.
That’s one of things I enjoy about your blog, Family!
Have a beautiful weekend Ann,
Kathleen in Az