Ultimate Chicken Casserole
When I took this Ultimate Chicken Casserole to a neighborhood block party, I ended up emailing the recipe to a dozen new friends by the end of the night! It’s full of melted cheese, seasoned chicken, and creamy noodles all topped with crunchy French fried onions.
Ultimate Chicken Casserole Recipe
This easy dinner recipe is full of juicy chicken, creamy sauce, tender noodles, and all topped with a crunchy onion topping. And don’t forget all the yummy cheese and bacon.
Made with pantry ingredients, it’s a great way to use up leftover chicken. Plus you can prep it ahead of time and bake when ready. Makes it perfect for busy weeknights like this herb crusted chicken.
Fan of casseroles? Check out my chicken tetrazzini, my chicken potato broccoli casserole, or my French onion chicken casserole. They are my most popular chicken casserole recipes.
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless chicken breasts – Use seasoned rotisserie chicken or cooked shredded chicken for easy prep.
- Wide egg noodles – Substitute any shape of pasta you like. I love penne in this!
- Cream of chicken soup – Try cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery, or cream of onion.
- Corn – canned or frozen works best.
- Bacon – Crispy, cooked and chopped bacon.
- French-fried onions – These add a great crunch! Substitute cracker crumbs or Panko.
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How To Make Ultimate Chicken Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Cook the egg noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, 2 cups corn, milk, cans cream of chicken soup, onion, garlic, and milk.
- Add in the cooked pasta and gently stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Spread the chicken mixture in the baking pan. Top with cheese, crumbled bacon, and fried onions. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove and serve warm.
For the full recipe and detailed cooking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Serving Suggestions
This casserole is a great weeknight chicken recipe that is great on it’s own. But, l love this with a side salad, some crusty bread to get all that sauce, and maybe a cheesecake for dessert.
How long does it last?
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until warmed through.
You can also reheat in the original dish in the oven at 350F until bubbly and warmed through. The internal temperature should be 165F.
Can I freeze it?
I recommend freezing the unbaked casserole in a freezer safe casserole dish wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
When ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge, top with bacon and fried onions, and bake as directed.
Variations
If you want to put a spin on this classic casserole, here are some options:
- Layer broccoli spears or green peppers or other types of veggies to it.
- Use different styles of cream soups (mushroom or celery soup works nice!)
- Make it vegetarian by using a mix of mushrooms instead of the chicken.
- If you want it to be vegan then use a veggie broth based potato soup for the creamy soup component.
- Stir in some water chestnuts for more crunch.
Tips For The Best Casserole
- Spray with non stick cooking spray in the bottom or your 9 x 13 baking dish to make it easier to serve and to clean the dish afterwards.
- Substitute ground beef or ground turkey for the chicken.
- Change up the egg noodles and use your favorite pasta shape.
- Don’t have or like fried onions? Try a topping of bread crumbs or crushed corn flakes mixed with melted butter.
- Use different cans of cream soups, like cream of mushroom or cream of asparagus, cheese soup, etc.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!
This ultimate easy chicken casserole recipe is easy to throw together with simple ingredients on a busy weeknight is one the whole family will love!
Ultimate Chicken Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 2 ½ cups cooked chicken shredded or diced
- 2 cups corn canned, fresh, or frozen
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cans 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 ½ cups 6 ounces french fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the egg noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, corn, cream soups, onion, garlic, and milk. Stir to combine.
- Add in the egg noodles and gently stir to mix.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with cheese, crumbled bacon, and fried onions.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Remove and serve.
Notes
- Make sure to preheat the oven to at least 350 degrees.
- Spritz with non stick cooking spray in the bottom or your 9 x 13 baking dish to make it easier to serve and to clean the dish afterwards. A greased pan is a good one!
- Substitute ground beef or ground turkey.
- Change up your cooked egg noodles to use your favorite.
- Don’t have or like fried onions? Try a topping of bread crumbs or crushed corn flakes mixed with melted butter.
- Use different cans of cream soups, like cream of mushroom or cream of asparagus, cheese soup, etc.
Nutrition
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My family loved this. We ate it for leftovers until it was gone. This recipe will go in my file box!
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks!