30-Minute Chicken Noodle Bake Recipe

Inspired by the classic soup, this chicken noodle bake recipe is a casserole full of chicken, vegetables, and egg noodles with a savory, creamy sauce. For this budget-friendly family meal, we make a quick and easy homemade version of cream of chicken soup that’s way more flavorful than the canned version. This easy weeknight chicken dinner idea will put your pantry staples to good use!

I love having a few meals that are made entirely from pantry staples in my recipe repertoire. They come in handy for times when you don’t feel like running to the grocery store! Or when you’re snowed in or rained in and need a cozy, nourishing meal.

This chicken noodle casserole is a delicious pantry staple recipe to have up your sleeve. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your cupboard or freezer. But not worries if you don’t; all of the ingredients can easily be swapped out to help you use what you have on hand.

Chicken noodle bake starts with a quick and easy homemade creamy sauce. Don’t be intimidated to make your own sauce; it whips up in less than 5 minutes and is packed with flavor. You may never buy canned cream of chicken soup again!

Then the sauce is combined with egg noodles, canned chicken (rotisserie chicken is also a great choice), and frozen vegetables. Buttered breadcrumbs on top add flavor and a bit of crunchy texture.

Chicken noodle hotdish is a satisfying, hearty meal in itself. Just like chicken noodle soup, this casserole is healthy comfort food at its finest!

Why This Will Become Your New Favorite Casserole Recipe

• Economical cooking. This recipe makes 8 servings and uses relatively inexpensive ingredients. It’s great for meal prep or a dinner of leftovers!
• You probably have all the ingredients on hand. With items like canned chicken, egg noodles, and frozen peas and carrots, this is a pantry and freezer staple casserole, which means that you might already have everything you need to make it.
• We don’t use canned soup. It takes only 5 minutes to whip up a rich, creamy, and flavorful sauce for this casserole, and it makes all the difference.
• It’s easy to customize. You can swap out any component in this casserole recipe! See the Notes in the recipe card below for details.

Ingredients

How to Make This Chicken Noodle Bake Recipe

There are two easy steps to this recipe. This casserole doesn’t use canned soup, so the first step is to make a quick homemade version on the stovetop. You can do this while the egg noodles cook. After that, the second step is to combine everything and pop it in the oven!

Note that you can make this chicken noodle casserole with canned cream of chicken soup or canned cream of mushroom soup, especially if you’re in a time crunch. But if you have a couple extra minutes and a well-stocked kitchen, homemade cream soup is so much better.

How to Make Quick Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

1. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Cook 1 minute, whisking occasionally.
2. Whisk in the chicken stock, milk, dried minced onions, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
3. Add the cream cheese.
4. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat.

How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole

1. Stir together the breadcrumbs and butter in a small bowl until well-combined.
2. Add the egg noodles, chicken, peas, and carrots to a large bowl. Pour on the creamy sauce and stir to coat.
3. Spread this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top.
4. Cover the casserole with foil, and bake until warm throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes at 375F. Remove the foil and broil a couple minutes to brown the top.

Storage & Reheating

Store this casserole covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

After freezing, let it thaw overnight before reheating.

To reheat chicken casserole in the oven, sprinkle a couple tablespoons of chicken stock or water on top of the casserole. Cover the top of the casserole with foil. Reheat it in a preheated 350F oven until warm throughout, about 20 to 30 minutes.

To reheat chicken casserole in the microwave, put however much casserole you want on a microwave-safe plate. Dampen a paper towel with water and place it in on top of the casserole. Microwave in 45-second intervals until warm, stirring between each interval.

Recipe Tips: How to Customize This Recipe

The beauty of this meal is that you can swap out just about any of the ingredients to truly make it your own! It’s the perfect recipe to help you use what you have on hand. Here are the ingredient substitutions you can make:

• Creamy sauce: If you have a 22.6-ounce family size can (or two regular-sized 10.5-ounce cans) of cream of something soup (such as cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, cream of potato soup, etc.) on hand, feel free to use it (plus 1 1/2 cups of milk) instead of making the creamy sauce for this casserole.
• Canned chicken: Instead of canned chicken, if you prefer, you can use rotisserie chicken (about 3 cups chopped) or cook 1 1/4 pounds of chicken breasts and chop it up.
• Egg noodles: You can use 3 cups of cooked rice (brown or white rice is fine) instead of the egg noodles.
• Vegetables: Instead of frozen peas and carrots, you can use up to 6 cups of frozen broccoli (thawed) or fresh broccoli (steamed).
• Breadcrumbs: If you don’t have Italian style seasoned breadcrumbs on hand, you can use regular breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs (Ritz crackers work well).

Frequently Asked Questions

More Weeknight Dinner Casserole Recipes to Make

• Quick Lasagna Casserole (aka Lazy Lasagna)
• Million Dollar Ritz Chicken Casserole
• Vegetable Beef Guinness Casserole Topped with Scallion Mashed Potatoes
• Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on January 18, 2023 and updated on September 6, 2024.