Inspired by the classic soup, this Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe is full of chicken, vegetables, and egg noodles with a creamy sauce that ties all the flavors together. This budget-friendly meal uses pantry staples, and you can easily customize it based on what you already have on hand!
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!
This chicken noodle casserole is a delicious pantry staple recipe to have on hand. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry or freezer. And all the ingredients can easily be swapped out!
Chicken noodle casserole 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.
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.
This casserole is a satisfying, hearty meal in one dish. Just like chicken noodle soup, this casserole is healthy comfort food at its finest!
Why This Will Become Your New Favorite Casserole Recipe
- Budget friendly 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 recipe, 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.
- It’s easy to customize. You can swap out any component in this casserole recipe! See the Notes in the recipe card below for instructions.
Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe From Scratch
Ingredients in Chicken Noodle Casserole
Creamy Sauce:
- Unsalted butter – together with the flour, this is used to make a roux to thicken the sauce
- All-purpose flour – along with the butter, this forms a roux that thickens the creamy sauce
- Chicken stock – use homemade chicken stock or a good-quality store-bought chicken stock
- Milk – I like to use whole milk here instead of reduced fat for creamy texture and richness, but any type of milk will work
- Dried minced onion – look for this in the spice aisle; instead of using fresh onion, this pantry staple is a time saver and adds a ton of flavor
- Garlic powder – instead of taking the time to peel and mince fresh garlic, this pantry staple ingredient is a good option
- Salt and black pepper – to season the creamy sauce
- Cream cheese – for creamy texture and flavor
Breadcrumb Topping:
- Italian style seasoned breadcrumbs – these are regular breadcrumbs that are already seasoned
- Salted butter – to add flavor and help brown the breadcrumbs
- Fresh thyme – this optional garnish adds a pop of color and bright flavor
Casserole:
- Egg noodles – just like in chicken noodle soup, we use egg noodles in this casserole
- Canned chicken – using canned chicken makes this a pantry staple meal; if you prefer, you can use rotisserie chicken (about 3 cups) or cook 1 ¼ pounds of chicken breasts and chop it up
- Frozen peas and carrots – these freezer staples are the vegetables in our chicken noodle casserole
Step-by-Step Instructions For How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole Without Soup
How to Make Quick Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup:
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Cook 1 minute, whisking occasionally.
- Whisk in the chicken stock, milk, dried minced onions, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Add the cream cheese.
- Whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole:
- Stir together the breadcrumbs and butter in a small bowl until well-combined.
- Add the egg noodles, chicken, peas, and carrots to a large bowl. Pour on the creamy sauce and stir to coat.
- Spread this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top.
- 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 and Reheating
Store this casserole covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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.
How to Customize This Recipe
- 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 ½ 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 ¼ 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 ½ cup of cracker crumbs (Ritz crackers work well).
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe FAQs
Do You Cook Noodles Before Adding to Casserole?
Yes. For this recipe, cook the noodles to al dente according to the package directions, drain, and then they’re ready to use here.
Should You Cover Chicken Casserole When Baking?
Yes. Cover this casserole with foil before baking to help prevent it from drying out. Before serving, we remove the foil and broil a couple minutes to brown the top.
What Goes Well With Chicken Noodle Casserole?
Like many casseroles, the beauty of this chicken noodle casserole is that it’s a full meal in one! With egg noodles, chicken, and vegetables, this dish is hearty and satisfying.
Don’t feel like you have to serve something along with this casserole. However, if you want to serve a side dish with this, or if you want to make this casserole stretch a bit, there quite a few things that pair well with it.
Here are some side dish ideas that pair well with casserole:
- Crusty bread: You can pick up a loaf at the store, or make this no knead bread recipe
- Biscuits: A comfort food staple, biscuits are easy to whip up; try this quick and easy recipe for garlic bread drop biscuits
- Salad: Throw together a salad with a base of chopped lettuce or leafy greens and any vegetables you have on hand; if you have the ingredients for it, this is the best salad dressing!
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
Let's Connect
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Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe Without Soup
Ingredients
Creamy Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
Topping:
- ½ cup Italian style seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- Fresh thyme for garnish (optional)
Casserole:
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 12 ounces egg noodles cooked to al dente according to the package directions and drained
- 25 ounces canned chicken drained
- 15 ounces frozen peas thawed
- 15 ounces frozen carrots thawed
Instructions
For the Creamy Sauce:
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Cook 1 minute, whisking occasionally.
- Whisk in the chicken stock, milk, dried minced onions, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Whisk in the cream cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat.
For the Topping:
- Stir together the breadcrumbs and butter in a small bowl until well-combined.
For the Casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray the inside of a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Add the egg noodles, chicken, peas, and carrots to a large bowl. Pour on the creamy sauce and stir to coat. Spread this mixture into the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top.
- Cover the casserole with foil, and bake until warm throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and broil a couple minutes to brown the top.
- If desired, sprinkle fresh thyme on top and serve warm.
Faith's Tips
- Storage: Store this casserole covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- 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.
How to Customize This Recipe
- 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 ½ 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) or cook 1 ¼ 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 ½ cup of cracker crumbs (Ritz crackers work well).
Nutrition
Carol C Lee says
I used crushed Savory Stove Top stuffing mix mixed with some melted butter on top of mine.....it was the best tasting!
Coleen Kennedy says
Where are the quantities of the ingredients?
Faith says
Coleen, The ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card: https://www.anediblemosaic.com/chicken-noodle-casserole-recipe/#recipe. You can toggle between US Customary and Metric amounts.
Kathie says
I wish to try this recipe, but need to find a way to cut the potassium content. What is driving it so high?
Faith says
Kathie, It looks like the chicken stock, milk, cream cheese, egg noodles, peas, and carrots contribute much of the potassium in this dish.