This easy chicken noodle casserole is a true dump-and-go dinner. Uncooked egg noodles, canned chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and broth all get stirred right in the baking dish, then baked under melty cheddar and a buttery panko topping. It takes about 10 minutes of hands-on work, bakes for an hour, and there’s no pot of water to boil.
For the Nights You Need Dinner to Make Itself
I made this last night because I wanted something I could dump in a dish and walk away from. No boiling noodles, no cooking chicken, no sauce on the stove. Just whisk, stir, cover, bake. It gave me 10 generous servings, and several of those went straight into the freezer for this fall when our Merry Maker Mingle event keeps us busy and I’m glad to have dinner already made.
It’s also the rare casserole that doesn’t need anything alongside it. Noodles, chicken, peas, and a creamy sauce are already a whole meal, so we just eat big bowls of it and call it good.
And did I mention it’s delicious?
Let’s dig in!
Tips and Notes Before You Start
- Canned chicken is what makes this a 10-minute prep. Drain it well and it flakes right into the sauce. Leftover cooked or rotisserie chicken works too, about 3 cups shredded.
- Canned cream of chicken soup is the easy default here. If you’d rather skip the can, my cream of anything soup mix stands in for both cans. (I was out of mix and in a hurry, so cans it was.)
- The noodles cook right in the dish. They drink up the broth and milk as they bake, which is what makes the sauce so creamy.
- Stirring at the 30-minute mark is the one step you don’t want to skip. The edges cook faster than the middle.
- Peas are optional, and corn or chopped broccoli work just as well.
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What You’ll Need
- Egg noodles (12 oz), uncooked. Their ruffles hold the sauce, and they go in dry. Be careful not to swap in a thicker pasta, which won’t soften in the same time.
- Canned chicken (two 12.5 oz cans), drained. Drain it well so the casserole doesn’t turn watery.
- Cream of chicken soup, broth, milk, and sour cream. Together they make the sauce and give the noodles enough liquid to cook in. The sour cream is what keeps it tangy instead of flat.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and black pepper. Powders rather than fresh onion, since nothing gets sauteed first. Thyme is what makes it taste like chicken noodle soup.
- Sharp cheddar (2 cups, divided). Half melts into the casserole, half goes on top.
- Buttery panko topping. Panko, melted butter, Parmesan, and a pinch of garlic powder. That crunch against the creamy noodles is SO GOOD.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
Just three easy stages: whisk the sauce, bake it covered, then top it and brown it. Nothing gets browned on the stove and nothing gets boiled first.
Step 1: Whisk the sauce right in the baking dish
Grease a 9×13 dish, then whisk the soup, broth, milk, sour cream, and seasonings together in the dish itself. No mixing bowl to wash. Stir in the dry noodles, chicken, peas, and 1 cup of the cheddar, then press the noodles down into the liquid as much as you can. Don’t worry if a few stick up above the surface… you’ll stir them under later.
Step 2: Cover tightly and bake, then stir
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, then pull it out and stir it thoroughly, especially around the edges. This helps because the outside edges cook fastest, and stirring evens everything out and pushes the top noodles back into the sauce. Cover it again and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the noodles are tender. If they’re still firm and it looks dry, stir in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of broth. That’s totally normal, since noodle brands soak up different amounts.
Step 3: Add the cheese and panko, then brown it
Stir the panko with the melted butter, Parmesan, and a pinch of garlic powder. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the casserole, then the buttery panko, and bake uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until the top is golden. Let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens. If you dish it up straight from the oven, it will be soupier than you want (ask me how I know).
Freezing, Storing, and Reheating
This is where the recipe really earns its keep, and why a double batch is barely more work than a single one. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. For longer, bake the casserole all the way through, cool it completely, then portion it into containers and freeze up to 3 months. I freeze mine in single servings so anyone can grab one, and freezing it baked works better than freezing it raw with dry noodles sitting in liquid.
However you stored it, the noodles keep drinking up sauce as they sit, so stir a splash of broth or milk into each portion before reheating and it comes back creamy. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the fridge, then reheat covered at 350°F for about 25 minutes. The topping softens in the freezer, so run it under the broiler for a minute if you want the crunch back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my noodles still firm?
Usually the foil wasn’t sealed tightly and steam escaped, or the noodles were sitting up above the liquid. Press them down, re-cover well, add a splash of broth, and give it another 10 minutes.
Can I put it together ahead of time and bake it later?
I wouldn’t. Dry noodles sitting in liquid on the counter or in the fridge go soft and gummy before they ever see the oven. Since the prep is only about 10 minutes, it’s easier to measure everything out ahead and stir it together right before it goes in.
Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- whisk
Ingredients
For the casserole
- 12 oz egg noodles uncooked
- 2 (12.5 oz) cans chicken drained
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 cup frozen peas optional
For the buttery panko topping
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- garlic powder Pinch of
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Whisk the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, milk, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and black pepper together directly in the baking dish.
- Stir in the uncooked egg noodles, chicken, peas, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Press the noodles down into the liquid as much as possible.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir thoroughly, especially around the edges.
- Cover again and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the noodles are tender. If they are still firm and the casserole looks dry, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional broth.
- Mix the panko, melted butter, Parmesan, and a pinch of garlic powder.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar over the casserole, followed by the buttery panko.
- Bake uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the topping is golden.
- Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the sauce can thicken.
Notes
That’s all there is to it. If you make it, I’d love to hear how it went over at your table.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Jennifer
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Meet Jennifer
Jennifer cooks and experiments in the kitchen at Maker Farm, where she focuses on simple pantry cooking, homemade staples, and practical recipes that make everyday meals easier. Over the years she has tested many ways to make cooking simpler and more dependable, and shares the methods that work best in her own kitchen, occasionally showing them on her Heart to Home at Maker Farm vlog.
