Chicken Noodle Casserole – 🍗🙌🏻💛 A modern spin on classic chicken noodle casserole and my EASY recipe does NOT use condensed soup. Instead, there’s two types of melted cheese, juicy shredded chicken in every bite, and perfectly cooked noodles! This comfort food family favorite recipe comes together in 30 minutes so it’s doable on busy weeknights, especially when the weather is chilly and you need a hearty dish!
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Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe
I remember eating lots of chicken noodle casserole growing up in rural Minnesota. It’s a dish that was always served at potlucks and church basement dinners.
But my recipe for chicken noodle casserole differs from those classic versions in one major aspect: there’s no condensed soup in my chicken noodle casserole recipe. Many people do not care for this ingredient, and it’s not available in some countries, and it’s easy enough to cook with more ‘real ingredients’ for this recipe and that’s what I did.
Heavy cream as well as melted Swiss cheese help bind the casserole ingredients together – no condensed soup needed. There’s succulent pieces of juicy shredded chicken in every bite, onions and garlic for flavor, and with some mozzarella cheese on top that melts beautifully, you’re in chicken noodle casserole heaven.
I also added broccoli florets but if you’re not a fan, you can stick with the old standby of frozen peas and carrots. And of course, use your favorite kind of noodles from egg noodles to rotini to ziti or penne.
With about 15 minutes of active prep work (make sure you’re multitasking) and 15 minutes to bake it off, this is a doable 30-minute recipe for busy weeknight dinners or make it for a special Sunday family meal. Everyone is going to clean their plates!
More Easy Chicken + Broccoli Recipes
I’ve got a great recipe for 30-Minute Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole which is similar to this recipe but uses rice rather than noodles. And for the IP fans, I’ve got an Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli Pasta recipe that’s also ready in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients in Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Cooked noodles or cooked pasta – see the FAQs below for my recommendations
- Olive oil
- White or yellow onion
- Garlic
- Broccoli florets – want to make a swap? see the FAQs below for my recommendations
- Salt
- Pepper
- Heavy cream – do not substitute because there is no cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, no condensed soups so you need the fat from heavy cream
- Shredded cooked chicken – see the FAQs below for my recommendations
- Shredded Swiss cheese
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Chicken and Noodle Casserole Without Condensed Soup
- Noodles: Cook the pasta according to package directions, rinse, drain, and set aside. While the noodles or pasta are boiling, get to work on the next steps.
- Saute the Vegetables: To a large skillet, add olive oil, onion, and saute over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes before adding the garlic and sauteeing for an additional 1 minute.
- Add the broccoli, salt, pepper, stir to combine, cover the skillet with a lid to allow steam to form, and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Heavy Cream: Add it and allow it to come to a very gentle boil, just to a simmer.
- Add the Chicken + Cheese: Add the shredded chicken, shredded Swiss, and stir to combine and allow the cheese to melt.
- Combine + Transfer: Add the cooked noodles, stir well to combine, and transfer the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish or similar.
- Cheese + Bake: Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the top is as lightly golden browned as desired.
Storage
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the Freezer: This recipe will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any type you like. While long-strand wide egg noodles may be traditional in this dish, I find they’re a bit trickier to work with (longer length and they absorb more liquid). And I prefer a shorter shaped pasta or noodle. In this case, I used rotini but any pasta you like is fine including ziti, penne, egg noodles, and more. Cook it according to package directions.
You’ll need about 2 1/2 cups of cooked and shredded (or diced) chicken – from about 2 average-sized chicken breasts. The easiest course of action is to use a store bought rotisserie chicken that you shred. If you have extra chicken, make my 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with it!
Of course, feel free to use chicken from my Easy Sheet Pan Whole Roasted Chicken or use Poached Chicken. Other leftover chicken you have on hand is also fine. I’ve seen this recipe made with canned chicken and while it’s not my personal favorite, if that’s what you like, go for it.
Yes you can indeed mix it up. I suggest reducing the broccoli florets to about 1 cup and replacing the other 1 cup with a mixture of bagged frozen peas and carrots; or peas, carrots, and corn. Aim for about 2 cups total of veggies. If using frozen, they don’t need to be fully thawed and you can add them straight from your freezer.
Yes and no. You want a mild type of cheese that melts well for both the cheese that’s stirred into the casserole (I used Swiss) and for the cheese on top (mozzarella), it should also melt well for an ooey-gooey texture. You can sub this with say shredded Parmesan or a shredded cheddar cheese blend, but they don’t melt the same as mozzarella so the overall mouthfeel will be different, but still good.
If you love crispy, crunchy toppings on your casseroles (check out my Cauliflower Gratin and my Green Bean Casserole), combine 1 cup panko breadcrumbs + 4 tbsp of melted unsalted butter, and sprinkle them on top when you add the mozzarella cheese before baking. They’ll crisp up into golden perfection! I’ve seen people use crushed Ritz crackers too in place of the breadcrumbs.
Casseroles like this one are easy to prep in advance if you want to make it in advance of an event. I suggest making it to the point of baking it but stopping there, covering it, and at that point you can refrigerate it for up to 24-48 hours before baking it. Note that as it sits, the noodles will absorb the extra liquid (cream) volume so don’t be surprised if it looks more dry a day or so later. This is unavoidable. You could add an extra 1/3 cup heavy cream to the recipe when you’re making it if you know you’re prepping it in advance.
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Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry pasta or noodles, cooked according to package directions (I used rotini, see FAQs in blog post for more ideas)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 cups broccoli florets , (fresh or frozen is fine; want to make a veggie swap? see the FAQs)
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream, do not substitute
- 2 ½ cups cooked and shredded chicken, such as from a rotisserie chicken, or make your own chicken and shred it; see the FAQs for recommendations
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or diced into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and spray a 3 to 4-quart casserole or baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Noodles: Cook the pasta according to package directions, rinse, drain, and set aside. While the noodles or pasta are boiling, get to work on the next steps.
- Saute the Vegetables: To a large skillet, add olive oil, onion, and saute over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes; stir very frequently.
- Add the garlic and saute for 1 additional minute or until fragrant; stir constantly.
- Add the broccoli, salt, pepper, stir to combine, cover the skillet with a lid to (this allows steam to form so the broccoli cooks quicker), and cook for about 3 minutes. Tip – Make sure the broccoli florets are quite small to ensure they cook quickly. Plus, in a casserole, it's not preferred to bite into an overly large piece of broccoli.
- Heavy Cream: Add it and allow it to come to a very gentle boil, just barely bubbling, about 2-3 minutes. Tip – Be careful and do not allow it to boil too fast or hard. Cream (dairy proteins) + hard/heavy boiling do not mix well.
- Add the Chicken + Swiss: Add the shredded chicken, shredded Swiss, and stir constantly to encourage the cheese to melt.
- Combine + Transfer: Add the cooked noodles or pasta, stir well to combine, and transfer the mixture into a the prepared baking dish.
- Mozzarella + Bake: Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the top is as lightly golden browned as desired. Tips – Want a crispy/crunch topping? Combine 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs with 4 tbsp melted butter in a small bowl, stir, and sprinkle this over the top with the mozzarella. Want to make this in advance? Stop now before baking, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24-48 hours before baking it.
- Serving + Storage: Serve warm and fresh. Extra casserole will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave for 30 seconds, or as desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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