Cheesy Chicken Casserole With Egg Noodles and Cheddar
Add Preferred SourceEasy Chicken Casserole is the dinner I put together when I have cooked chicken to use up and little time to cook. Shredded chicken, egg noodles, cream of chicken soup, and cheddar go into one dish and bake just long enough to melt the cheese.
Because the chicken and noodles are already cooked, the oven is really just heating everything through, so it’s ready in about twenty-five minutes. I finish it with crumbled bacon, fried shallots, and green onions for a bit of crunch.
Why You Will Love This Chicken Casserole
- It’s genuinely quick. Because it starts with cooked chicken and quick-boiled noodles, the bake is only about melting the cheese and heating everything through, so dinner is ready in around twenty-five minutes.
- It’s a good way to use up cooked chicken. Leftover roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird both shred straight into the mixture, so it earns its keep on a clean-out-the-fridge night.
- Everything mixes in one bowl. The noodles, chicken, soup, milk, and half the cheese stir together in a single bowl, then bake in one dish, so there isn’t much to wash up.
- One dish feeds six. It bakes in a single 9×13 dish and scoops out into six servings.
- It freezes well. It holds up well in the freezer, so you can freeze leftovers and reheat them for an easy second meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients in the photograph below.
Egg noodles. Boiled a couple of minutes short of the package time so they hold up in the bake instead of turning soft. About three cups of dry noodles.
Shredded chicken. Already cooked, so it stirs straight in. Leftover cooked chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird both work; the card notes name rotisserie as the quick shortcut.
Cream of chicken soup. One can, the creamy savory base that binds the noodles and chicken together. Cream of mushroom soup works in its place if that’s what’s in the cupboard.
Milk. Loosens the condensed soup into a sauce that coats the noodles as it bakes.
Shredded cheddar cheese. Divided, with most stirred through the mixture and the rest scattered over the top, where it melts into a golden crust. Parmesan, or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, works too if you’d like to change the flavor.
Salt and pepper. To season the mixture, to taste.
Crumbled bacon, fried shallots, and green onions. Scattered over the top at the end for crunch.
How to Make Chicken Casserole
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Prep the oven and the noodles.
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles for 2 to 3 minutes less than the package says, so they stay firm enough to hold up once they bake. Drain them and set them aside.
Mix the casserole.
In a large bowl, stir together the drained noodles, shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, most of the shredded cheddar, and a little salt and pepper, until everything is evenly coated.
Assemble.
Lightly grease a baking dish, then transfer the mixture in and spread it into an even layer. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top for a golden, cheesy crust.
Bake.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese on top has melted. Because the chicken and noodles are already cooked, this bake is really about heating everything through, so make sure the center is steaming hot, to an internal temperature of 165°F, before serving.
Finish and serve.
Scatter the crumbled bacon, fried shallots, and green onions over the top, then scoop and serve while it’s hot.
Tips
- Undercook the noodles slightly. Boiling them a couple of minutes short of the package time keeps them from turning soft in the bake, since they keep cooking in the sauce.
- Heat it through fully. Since everything starts cooked, you’re warming the dish rather than cooking it from raw; make sure the center is steaming hot before you take it out.
Make It Your Own
Change the protein. Cooked turkey or ham stands in for the chicken, since the dish is really about folding a cooked protein into the creamy noodles.
Swap the soup. Cream of mushroom soup stands in for the cream of chicken for a slightly different savory base.
Change the cheese. Use parmesan, or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, in place of some of the cheddar for a different flavor and finish.
Add a crunchy topping. Crushed Ritz crackers or breadcrumbs scattered on before baking give the top some crunch, alongside or instead of the bacon and shallots.
Make the sauce creamier. A spoonful of sour cream stirred into the mixture makes the sauce a touch creamier.
Stir in vegetables. Broccoli, mushrooms, peas, spinach, or bell peppers mixed into the base add color and bake a vegetable right in.
Ingredients
- 3 cups egg noodles
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 can chicken soup
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup crumbled bacon
- ¼ cup fried shallots
- 2 tablespoons green onions
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180ºC.
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil and boil the noodles 2-3 minutes short of the time indicated in the package. Reserve.3 cups egg noodles
- In a large bowl, combine the noodles, shredded chicken, chicken soup, 1 cup of milk, 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper.2 cups shredded chicken, 1 can chicken soup, 1 cup milk, 2 cups cheddar cheese, Salt and pepper
- Grease a baking pan and transfer the mixture. Top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Top with the crumbled bacon, shallots and green onions.½ cup crumbled bacon, ¼ cup fried shallots, 2 tablespoons green onions
Notes
- Cooked chicken: This casserole is built from already-cooked chicken (leftover or rotisserie), so the bake heats it through rather than cooking it from raw. Make sure the center reaches an internal temperature of 165°F before serving.
- Noodles: Boil the egg noodles 2 to 3 minutes short of the package time so they don’t overcook in the bake.
- Soup: The card’s Notes indicate the soup is cream of chicken (the ingredient line reads a generic “chicken soup”); cream of mushroom stands in if you’d prefer.
- Make ahead (before baking): You can assemble the casserole a day in advance, cover it, and refrigerate it, then bake from cold to 165°F when ready. (This is an unbaked dish held cold, not a cooked leftover.)
- Storage (after baking): Cool, then refrigerate baked leftovers 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Add a splash of broth or milk and reheat to 165°F; add the crunchy toppings after reheating. (Full steps are in the How to Store Leftover Chicken Casserole section above.)
- Nutrition: The nutrition figures below are an estimate provided for guidance, not a guarantee.
Nutrition
What to Serve with Chicken Casserole
This is a rich, creamy dish, so I like something fresh and sharp alongside to balance it. A simple green salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber in a tangy vinaigrette is my usual first pick, light and refreshing next to all that cheese. Warm garlic bread or soft dinner rolls are good for scooping up the creamy sauce left in the dish. At my table, one simple side is usually all I put alongside it.
Make It Ahead
You can assemble this casserole a day in advance, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge, then bake it when you’re ready. Because both the chicken and the noodles are already cooked, it’s safe to hold it that way. Bake it straight from cold, giving it a few extra minutes since it’s going in chilled, and make sure the center reaches 165°F before serving.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Casserole
Cool it first. Let the baked casserole cool to room temperature, then move portions into an airtight container or cover the baking dish tightly with foil.
Refrigerate or freeze. In the fridge, baked leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days. To hold them longer, wrap the casserole tightly or portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat. These are already-cooked leftovers, so you’re warming them back through, not cooking them from raw. The noodles tend to dry out in the fridge, so add a splash of chicken broth or milk before reheating to bring back that creamy texture. Warm individual portions in the microwave, or the whole dish covered with foil in a 350°F oven, until it’s steaming hot all the way through, to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Add the crunchy toppings after reheating. If you’re storing leftovers, hold the bacon, fried shallots, and green onions until after the casserole is warmed back through, so they go on crisp rather than turning soggy in the fridge.
Leaving it out on the table? Cooked food shouldn’t sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it’s a hot day above 90°F. Keep it covered and get leftovers back in the fridge inside that window.
Making it Go Further
- One dish, several meals. A single casserole covers dinner and still sends leftovers to the next day’s lunch.
- Cook once, freeze for later. Portion and freeze what you won’t get through that week for a fast dinner down the line.
More Casserole Recipes You Will Love
If this chicken casserole earns a spot in your rotation, here are a few more easy one-dish bakes from the site, each one scoops out of a single dish with not much to wash up after.
- Walking Taco Casserole turns the flavors of a walking taco into a scoopable, crowd-friendly bake.
- Tater Tot Casserole layers seasoned beef under a crispy tater tot and cheese top.
- Cheeseburger Casserole is where I go for that cheeseburger flavor in a comfort-food dinner.
- Tuna Casserole is the creamy, pantry-friendly one for a low-effort dinner.
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole keeps that creamy pot-pie feel with another chicken-based bake.
This was the most amazing casserole I have ever made! It truly was easy and absolutely delicious. The recipe was easy to cut in half for just my husband and I, although to be honest I used the full amount of cheese and chicken. I also added a wee pinch of onion powder. I will certainly be making this many times over. Thank you for such a delightful recipe.
So pleased that you loved the recipe and that you made it your own! What do you like to eat it with best?