Juicy chicken and tender egg noodles come together in this creamy and comforting chicken noodle casserole. Top it off with crunchy ritz crackers for the best dinner ever. Best of all it only requires 10 minutes prep! Serve with biscuits, or garlic knots for a complete meal.
I firmly believe anything can be turned into a casserole. So far we’ve made fun creations like stuffed pepper casserole and buffalo chicken pasta. My newest casserole is this chicken noodle casserole which features veggies, tender chicken, and a crunchy topping. The flavors are almost reminiscent of chicken noodle soup.
It is cheesy, creamy, and beyond comforting. It is like a hug on a plate. Best of all it comes together in 10 minutes flat making it perfect for busy weeknights.
We make it for dinner often. It would also be wonderful to gift to a family who has suffered a loss ,or just had a baby.
Why I Love This Casserole
- Easy: This easy dump and bake dinner comes together in minutes.
- Creamy and Crunchy:Creamy noodles are topped off with crunchy crackers leading to a wonderful combination of flavors and textures.
- Serves a Crowd: This dish serves a crowd making it perfect for a hungry family or a potluck.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Egg Noodles: I like the flavor and texture egg noodles bring. However, they do tend to soak up more liquid. If you use regular pasta, you may need to dial back the broth a bit.
- Chicken: I used poached chicken breast for this recipe. However, you can use any chicken you have on hand such as rotisserie, or even grilled. You could even use leftover turkey instead.
- Mayo: This adds wonderful creaminess to this dish. If you’re not a fan try sour cream or cream of chicken soup instead.
- Broth: Use low sodium broth to avoid an overly salty result.
- Ritz Crackers: Ritz Crackers remind me of my grandparents and are my go-to for topping casseroles. Any crunchy topping would work though: try potato chips, cornflakes french fried onions, or croutons.
How To Make Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Prep Work: Preheat oven and line pan with foil.
- Cook Aromatics: Cook onion and garlic.
- Mix: Combine onion/garlic, chicken, broth, mayonnaise, cheese, and noodles. Fold in chicken.
- Top: Spread into pan and top with crushed crackers.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Storage
Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Freeze: This makes a great freezer meal. I like to make a double batch, one to eat and one to freeze. Prepare the 2nd casserole in a disposable pan and store it tightly covered in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight before baking.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overcook the pasta: Cook until the pasta is just al dente (it should still be a little chewy). The noodles will continue to cook while the casserole is in the oven.
- Make Ahead: You can prepare this dish the morning or night before to save time. Mix all your ingredients in a bowl, and add the Ritz crackers right before baking.
- Coat Well: Make sure the top of your noodles are well coated in the sauce mixture. If not they could dry out, and get overly crunchy.
- Use Foil: If your topping begins to brown before your casserole is cooked through, cover with foil.I also like to use foil on the bottom of my pan to make cleanup a breeze.
More Chicken Recipes To Try
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 12 Ounce Package Egg Noodles Cooked according to package directions
- 3 Cups Cooked Chicken Cubed
- 1 Cup Mayoannnaise
- 1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 Sweet Onion Diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 ½ Cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables
- 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- 1 Cup Ritz Crackers Crushed (About 24 Ritz Crackers)
- ¼ Cup Butter Melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with foil. Spray with non stick cooking spray.
- Spread into prepared pan. Evenly pour Ritz crackers on top. Drizzle with butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Egg Noodles: I like the flavor and texture egg noodles bring. However, they do tend to soak up more liquid. If you use regular pasta, you may need to dial back the broth a bit.
- Chicken: I used poached chicken breast for this recipe. However, you can use any chicken you have on hand such as rotisserie, or even grilled.
- Mayo: This adds a wonderful creaminess to this dish. If you're not a fan try sour cream or cream of chicken soup instead.
- Broth: Use low sodium broth to avoid an overly salty result.
- Ritz Crackers: Any crunchy topping would work though: try potato chips, cornflakes french fried onions, or croutons.
- Don't overcook the pasta: Cook until pasta is just al dente (it should still be a little chewy). The noodles will continue to cook while the casserole is in the oven.
- Make Ahead: You can prepare this dish the morning or night before to save time. Mix all your ingredients in a bowl, and add the Ritz crackers right before baking.
- Coat Well: Make sure the top of your noodles are well coated in the sauce mixture. If not they could dry out, and get overly crunchy.
- Use Foil: If your topping begins to brown before your casserole is cooked through, cover with foil.I also like to use foil on the bottom of my pan to make cleanup a breeze.
Nutrition
This chicken noodle casserole was such a great dinner! My family and I really enjoyed this, and so did my daughter’s boyfriend’s family! Can’t wait to remake this casserole again!
I’d love to make this again!! Such a huge hit at my house!
My kids absolutely loved this! Pure comfort food!
In spite of hot weather, we are both into comforting dinners ! Thank you so much fir this one !!
In your ingredients you have chicken broth soup. And in the instructions you say cream of chicken soup. Those are too entirely different soups, please explain .
Hi Teresa,
Great catch! It is chicken broth not cream of chicken soup. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this, thanks for letting me know.