Cheesy Chicken Casserole With Egg Noodles and Cheddar
Add Preferred SourceCheesy Chicken Casserole is what I make on the nights I’ve got cooked chicken to use up and no energy left to plan dinner. Because the chicken and egg noodles are already cooked, the oven is only melting the cheddar and heating everything through, so it’s on the table in about twenty-five minutes.
Leftover roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird both shred straight into the mix, so this is an easy chicken casserole for a clean-out-the-fridge weeknight. I scatter crumbled bacon, fried shallots, and green onions over the top so the creamy noodles get a little crunch.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It comes together fast. Start to finish it’s about twenty-five minutes, and most of that is the fifteen-minute bake, so it slots into a weeknight without much fuss.
- It uses up cooked chicken. Any cooked chicken works, whether that’s last night’s roast or a rotisserie bird from the store, so a little bit left over turns into a full dinner.
- 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’s not much to wash up.
- One dish feeds six. It bakes in a single 9×13 dish and scoops out into six servings, and the leftovers reheat for lunch the next day.
- It freezes for later. Portion and freeze what you won’t get through that week, and you’ve got a second meal waiting.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what’s worth a note before you start; the printable card below has the full list with quantities.
- Egg noodles. You’ll want about three cups of dry noodles, boiled just short of the package time so they keep their bite in the bake (more on why below).
- Shredded chicken. Around two cups, already cooked so it stirs in cold. A rotisserie bird is the fastest route, though any leftover cooked chicken does the job.
- Cream of chicken soup. One can, and it’s the savory base that binds the noodles and chicken together. Cream of mushroom works in its place if that’s what’s in the pantry.
- Milk. One cup, stirred in to loosen the condensed soup into a sauce that coats the noodles as they bake.
- Shredded cheddar cheese. Two cups, divided, with most stirred through the mix and the rest scattered on top, where it melts into a golden crust. Parmesan, or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, changes up the flavor if you’d like.
- Salt and pepper. To season the mix, to taste.
- Crumbled bacon, fried shallots, and green onions. Scattered over the top at the end for crunch and a little sharpness.
How to Make Cheesy 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.
Cook the egg noodles for 2 to 3 minutes less than the package time, keeping them firm enough to hold up during baking. Drain the noodles, then set them aside.
Mix the casserole
In a large bowl, stir together the drained noodles, shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, 1½ cups of the shredded cheddar, and a little salt and pepper, until everything is evenly coated.
Assemble the dish
Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish, transfer the mixture in, and spread it into an even layer. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top for a golden crust.
Bake until bubbling
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.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Undercook the noodles on purpose. Boiling them a couple of minutes short of the package time is the single thing that keeps them from going soft in the bake, since they keep cooking in the sauce. It’s the most common way a noodle casserole goes wrong, and it’s the easiest to avoid.
- Warm it through, don’t overbake it. Everything starts cooked, so you’re heating the dish rather than cooking it from raw. Pull it once the center is steaming hot and the top has melted; leaving it in longer to brown mostly just dries it out.
- If the mix looks dry going in, add a splash more milk. A dry-looking mix bakes into a dry casserole, so if the noodles have soaked up the sauce while you were assembling, stir in an extra splash of milk before it goes in the oven.
Recipe Variations
- Cream of mushroom soup stands in for the cream of chicken for a slightly different savory base; I’ve made this swap plenty of times, so it’s a tested one.
- Cooked turkey or ham works in place of the chicken, since the dish is built around folding a cooked protein into the creamy noodles. It’s a supported swap that doesn’t change the timing.
- Baking a vegetable right in is easy: broccoli, peas, spinach, or mushrooms mix into the base well, though if you go with frozen, thaw and drain them first so they don’t water down the sauce. That approach is well supported as long as the vegetables go in dry.
- For crunch on top, scatter crushed crackers or breadcrumbs over the cheese before baking, on their own or alongside the bacon and shallots. I haven’t tested a fully cracker-topped version start to finish, but as a light scattering it’s low risk.
How to Store Leftovers
To get ahead, you can assemble the casserole a day early, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge unbaked, then bake it straight from cold when you’re ready.
Give it a few extra minutes since it’s going in chilled, and make sure the center reaches 165°F (74°C) before serving. That’s a make-ahead dish held cold, which is different from storing cooked leftovers.
Baked leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
The noodles firm up as they chill, so warm individual portions in the microwave or the whole dish in a 350°F (180°C) oven until it’s steaming hot in the center.
Add a splash of broth or milk. Reheat to 165°F, then add the crunchy toppings.
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, I usually serve just one side alongside it.
FAQs
Overcooked noodles are almost always the reason. Boil the egg noodles 2 to 3 minutes short of the package time, because they keep cooking in the sauce as the dish bakes; noodles that went in already fully cooked are the ones that turn soft.
Two things help. Don’t overbake it, since everything is already cooked and you’re only heating it through, and if the mix looks dry before it goes in, stir in an extra splash of milk. For leftovers, add a little broth or milk before reheating.
Yes, and it’s the quickest option. Pull the meat off a store-bought rotisserie bird, shred it, and stir it straight in; leftover roast chicken works the same way.
More Easy Casserole Recipes to Try
If this one earns a spot in your rotation, here are a few more one-dish bakes from the site, each scooping out of a single dish with not much to wash up after.
- Walking Taco Casserole turns taco night into a scoopable bake; it’s my pick when the table wants something with a bit more spice.
- Tater Tot Casserole layers seasoned beef under a crispy tot-and-cheese top, and it’s the one to make when you want crunch instead of a creamy finish.
- Cheeseburger Casserole folds that cheeseburger flavor into a baked pasta, good for a night when burgers are what everyone wants.
- Tuna Casserole is the pantry-friendly, low-effort cousin of this one, built on the same creamy egg-noodle base.
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole keeps the creamy, chicken-and-vegetable pot pie feel in another easy one-dish bake.
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 165°F (74°C) 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 recipe uses cream of chicken soup. If you prefer, you can use cream of mushroom soup instead.
- 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 (74°C) when ready.
- Storage (after baking): Cool, then refrigerate baked leftovers for 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Add a splash of broth or milk. Reheat to 165°F (74°C). Add the crunchy toppings after reheating.
- Nutrition: The nutrition figures are an estimate provided for guidance, not a guarantee.
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?