Chicken Noodle Casserole
This chicken noodle casserole is made with a creamy mushroom sauce, chicken, broccoli, and lots of cheese! A perfect make ahead meal for busy weeknights with lots of substitution options.
Try my Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole next!
If you’re familiar with The Cozy Cook, you probably know that casserole recipes are pretty common around here.
This chicken noodle casserole is a classic comfort food. No fancy ingredients, and very easy to customize.
You can use peas and carrots instead of broccoli, use leftover rotisserie chicken, and play around with different cheese options.
You just might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now, one way or another!
Ingredients
See recipe card at the end of this post for ingredient quantities and full written instructions
- Rotini- One of the best pastas for casseroles. They hold their shape and grip the sauce well.
- Chicken- I cook fresh chicken in this recipe but 2 cups of rotisserie chicken works well too!
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil- Vegetable or canola work as well
- Low Sodium Cream of Mushroom Soup- Cream of Chicken works too. You can also make your own homemade condensed mushroom soup.
- Sour Cream
- Milk- Any kind
- Broccoli Florets- See below about subbing frozen broccoli
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese- You can use all regular cheddar if preferred.
- Regular Cheddar Cheese
- French’s Crispy Fried Onions
How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
Cook the chicken and broccoli while you boil the pasta.
Season the chicken and sear in a skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the broccoli and cook further. Meanwhile, boil the pasta for 1 minute less than al dente.
Assemble the casserole.
In a separate bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk, 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Add the cooked chicken and broccoli.
Combine with the cooked pasta and add to a lightly greased casserole dish. Top with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Bake.
Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, top with crispy fried onions, and bake for 8 more minutes.
Using Frozen Broccoli
- Using a 16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli (and/or cauliflower) can also be used. Just be sure you thaw and pat it dry!
- Frozen broccoli is already blanched so you don’t need to cook it prior to mixing the casserole together.
Frozen peas and carrots make a great addition too!
Make Ahead Method
- Follow assembly instructions and let the casserole completely cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- When ready to serve, let it sit out for 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake it covered for 35 minutes instead of 25.
Storage
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
If you made this casserole 2 days ahead of time, store leftovers for 1 day in the refrigerator or freeze leftovers.
Freezer
Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Try These Next
-
- Creamy Chicken Stew
-
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
-
- Chicken Caesar Pasta
-
- Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
-
- Mashed Potato Casserole with Crispy Chicken
-
- Chicken Alfredo Bake
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Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry Rotini
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/3 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10.5 oz. low sodium cream of mushroom soup, (cream of chicken works well too)
- 8 oz. sour cream, equal to one cup
- 1/2 cup milk, any kind
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup regular cheddar, shredded
- ½ cup French’s crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Boil the Rotini and cook for 1 minute less than al dente, refer to package for cooking time. Prepare the rest of the casserole as the pasta cooks.
- Season the cubed chicken with 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/3 tsp garlic salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear, tossing occasionally, for 4 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, (you may need to drizzle on some additional olive oil.) Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk, 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Add the cooked chicken and broccoli..
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the casserole ingredients.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and add the casserole filling. Top with 1 cup regular cheddar cheese.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover. Top with crispy fried onions and bake for an additional 8 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I have used egg noodles for this recipe as well, but they are thinner and don't hold up quite as well as Rotini.
- I like to use Cabot sharp white cheddar cheese in this casserole but you can use any kind of cheddar, it doesn't have to be sharp.
- This casserole freezes well. I like to freeze individual sizes for easy work lunches!
Make Ahead Method: Follow assembly instructions and let the casserole completely cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, let it sit out for 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake it covered for 35 minutes instead of 25.
My toddler loved this but I found it to be very sweet and not savory at all. The only savory thing was the fried onions but after serving they got lost in the dairy. The cream of mushroom soup got completely lost for me as well as the herbs used on the chicken.
Hey Cailin, I’m glad that your toddler loved this! Something doesn’t seem right though if you’re getting a sweet taste, because every ingredient in here is savory.. there actually isn’t a single sweet ingredient listed. Did you make any substitutions or alterations? What kind of cheese did you use? Did you possibly use any sort of sweetened condensed milk instead of regular? Something is to blame for the sweet taste you got. 🤔
Hi! I wanted to know if cream of cheddar works too.
Absolutely! That would taste great!
Could you use chicken or albacore in a can from Costco? If so same amount?
Hi Andrea! I think 2 (5 oz.) can would work well in this! 🙂 Here is a link to my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe too if you’d prefer!
This was an absolutely delicious dinner! I bought shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked the broccoli in the microwave, added the seasonings, and mixed everything together! My husband helped which was very nice! We loved this, thank you for a great recipe!
That’s SOOO great to hear Chrissy!! It’s always more fun when you cook together! Thank you SO much for letting me know how it came out!!!!