Classic Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe (No Canned Soup)

Classic Chicken Noodle Casserole is hearty and comforting.  Tender egg noodles, juicy chicken, peas & carrots, creamy sauce, and no canned soups.  

Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole is easy to make on a busy weeknight but also comforting and special enough to serve for Sunday dinner.  

If you like chicken and pasta recipes, you will love my One Skillet Creamy Chicken Pasta.

Top Tip

With noodle casseroles, it is important to make the noodles slightly undercooked (not quite al dente). The noodles will absorb the sauce as the casserole bakes.  My brand of egg noodles suggests 8-9 minutes for al dente, so I cook mine for 6-7 minutes.

Ingredients

No canned cream soup here- just wholesome, real ingredients. Comforting Chicken Noodle Casserole has always been my favorite kid-friendly meal, but I know your whole family will love it.

• ¼ cup salted butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion  powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 cups uncooked egg noodles
• ¼ cup celery, very thinly sliced
• ¼ cup yellow onion, very thinly diced
• 2 tablespoon salted butter
• 12 oz frozen peas & carrot mix
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 4 tablespoon salted butter, melted
• 30 saltine crackers crushed

Instructions

❤️Note: This recipe calls for precooked chicken.  I frequently use store-bought rotisserie chicken, but you can also use any cooked chopped chicken.  This is a great way to use up any leftover chicken you might have from another meal.

1. Saute onion and celery

2. Start the sauce

3. Everything mixes in a large bowl

4. The creamy sauce is amazing

1. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make the sauce.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.  Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder and pepper.  Stir and let cook for 1 minute to become fragrant.
3. Whisk in the flour and stir for about a minute until it combines with the butter and seasonings well.
4. Slowly add in chicken broth and heavy cream while stirring.  Allow sauce to bubble and thick while stirring.  It will take about 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat for the sauce to get thick.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until not quite done.  I cook mine for about 6 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.
6. In a small skillet, saute the thinly diced celery and onion in butter or olive oil (2 Tbsp) over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes until tender.
7. Use a large mixing bowl and stir together cooked noodles, sauteed celery and onion, frozen peas & carrots, shredded cheese, cooked chicken, and sauce.  Mix well.
8. Pour the casserole mixture into your greased baking dish.
9. In a large glass measuring cup, melt butter in the microwave and then stir in the crushed crackers.  Spread the cracker mixture evenly over the top of your casserole.
10. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil cover and bake for another 5 minutes.
11. ENJOY!

This meal is perfect to make ahead.   Make this up to 24 hours in. advance and just add 10 minutes to the covered bake time.

Substitutions and Variations

You can truly make this to suit your taste. My main secret is that when I am feeding a large group of kids, I increase the noodles to 6 cups (everything else stays the same). It really stretches the meal.

• use other toppings.  Crushed Ritz crackers, crushed potato chips,  panko crumbs, bread crumbs.
• shredded cheese.  I've used cheddar, Colby jack, and Monterey jack, all with success.
• add a drained can of corn.
• onions and celery are optional.  You can easily skip this step if you are in a hurry.
• use any type of noodle, just make sure to undercook them a tad.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This casserole does not freeze well; the noodles get mushy.

You can make this ahead of time (up to 24 hours) and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Just add 5 minutes to the covered and uncovered cooking time.

Related

Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Try these:

Classic Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe (No Canned Soup)

By Alexis

Classic Chicken Noodle Casserole is hearty and comforting.  Tender egg noodles, juicy chicken, peas & carrots, creamy sauce, and no canned soups.  

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup salted butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 cups uncooked egg noodles
• ¼ cup celery very thinly sliced
• ¼ cup yellow onion very thinly diced
• 2 tablespoon salted butter
• 12 oz frozen peas & carrot mix
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 4 tablespoon salted butter melted
• 30 saltine crackers crushed

Instructions

 

1. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt ¼ cup butter. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder and pepper. Stir and let cook for 1 minute to become fragrant.
3. Whisk in the flour and stir for about a minute until it is well combined with the butter and seasonings.
4. Slowly add in chicken broth and heavy cream while stirring. Allow sauce to bubble and thick while stirring. It will take about 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat for the sauce to get thick.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until not quite done. I cook mine for about 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
6. In a small skillet, saute the thinly diced celery and onion in butter or olive oil (2 Tbsp) over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes until tender.
7. Use a large mixing bowl and stir together cooked noodles, sauteed celery and onion, frozen peas & carrots, shredded cheese, cooked chicken, and sauce. Mix well.
8. Pour the casserole mixture into your greased baking dish.
9. In a large glass measuring cup, melt 4 tablespoon butter in the microwave and then stir in the crushed crackers. Spread the cracker mixture evenly over the top of your casserole.
10. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil cover and bake for another 5 minutes.
11. ENJOY!

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