Two stand above all others in the world of egg noodle casserole recipes: tuna noodle and chicken noodle casserole. This is one of the ultimate comfort foods, perfect for potlucks, freezer-meal planning, gifts for friends going through a tough time and more. It’s an easy meal you can make after a long day, feeding several people. This recipe is very easy to modify if you want to add or substitute other ingredients, including vegetables and cheese.
Chicken Noodle Casserole Ingredients
- Egg noodles: Al dente egg noodles give this casserole the right “bite,” one that’s soft but not mushy.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup: This adds creaminess and acts as a binder for the other ingredients.
- Sour cream: This adds a little acidity to balance out the richness of the soup and milk.
- Milk: 2% milk adds a little more fat to the casserole, increasing the creamy texture but not going overboard.
- Chicken breast: Use canned chicken, leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken in this casserole.
- Ritz crackers: The classic cracker topping crumbles easily and soak up melted butter.
- Butter: Mixing creamy butter with the crackers produces a delicious golden-brown topping.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the noodles
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cook the noodles to the al dente according to the package directions. When the noodles are done, drain them.
Step 2: Mix and bake the casserole
In a very large bowl, whisk together the soup, sour cream and milk, plus salt and pepper. When those are all blended, add the chicken, cooked noodles and stir everything together. Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish and pour everything from the bowl into the dish. In a separate, small bowl, mix the crushed crackers and melted butter. Distribute the mixture over the top of the unbaked casserole. Bake everything for 30 to 35 minutes until the casserole is bubbly.
Chicken Noodle Casserole Variations
- Add cheddar cheese: You can try topping the chicken noodle casserole recipe mixture with shredded cheddar cheese before adding the crackers or mix in a cup or two of shredded cheddar with the chicken and noodles. One of the best things about casseroles like this is that they’re so easy to modify to your tastes.
- Add a vegetable mix: This is a creamy casserole with no vegetables, so add some extra texture and flavor by mixing in a bag of frozen peas, carrots and onion. Get one of those 10 ounce bags of frozen mixed vegetables, peas and carrots or whatever tiny frozen vegetables you want, and mix the contents into the casserole in Step 2 before baking. If you use big chunks of frozen vegetables, those may remain cool enough to leave the finished casserole undercooked in spots. If you add onion, dice it well and mix in with the chicken and noodles. If you use fresh white or yellow onions and the flavor will mellow as the onions cook. You could try using sweet onions such as Vidalia, although the resulting flavor may be quite mild.
How to Store Chicken Noodle Casserole
Divide leftovers into individual portions and store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator for no more than three days.
Can you make chicken noodle casserole ahead of time?
Yes! Chicken noodle casserole is a terrific freezer meal. Mix the casserole together, put it in a greased baking dish that’s also freezer-safe and then cover it tightly. Store it in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to bake it, place it in the refrigerator the day before to let it thaw. Take it out of the refrigerator 3o minutes before you plan to bake it. Preheat the oven to 350°, remove the cover you used in the freezer and re-cover the dish with foil. Bake the covered casserole for 40 minutes and insert a thermometer into the center of the casserole to check that it’s 165°. Remove all of the foil and then continue baking the casserole for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the casserole is bubbly.
Chicken Noodle Casserole Tips
Can you use uncooked noodles?
No, you need to cook the noodles in this recipe to the al dente stage before adding them to the casserole. Using uncooked egg noodles would result in an unpleasant gummy texture. The noodles could also absorb more of the liquid than they should and make the casserole rather dry overall. Plus, having to cook the noodles from an uncooked stage means the casserole will need longer to bake and that will potentially overcook the rest of the ingredients. You want the noodles al dente as that allows them to still soak up some liquid without becoming mushy.
What can you serve with chicken noodle casserole?
The casserole is so soft in texture so pair it with crunchy side dishes like garlic broccoli or a vegetable medley. A green salad would also be a good choice if you want something fresh and cool to contrast with the warm casserole.
Why does the recipe specify Ritz crackers?
Ritz crackers (or their store-brand counterparts) have a wonderfully buttery flavor, so when you mix them with the melted butter, you get this extra-rich combination that doesn’t have any plain pockets that could make the topping taste flat. Many casseroles, like this chicken casserole with crackers, use Ritz-style crackers instead of other crunchy toppings. You don’t have to use Ritz if you don’t have them, but if you use other crackers be aware that there could be subtle changes to the flavor of the topping.
