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Ultimate Chicken Casserole

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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! Full of melted cheese, seasoned chicken, and creamy noodles all topped with crunchy French fried onions. 

comforting casserole with chicken that even a picky eater will love

Ultimate Chicken Casserole Recipe

This easy dinner recipe brings together the delicious flavors of juicy chicken, creamy sauce, tender noodles, all topped with a crunchy onion topping. And don’t forget all the yummy cheese and bacon. 

Made with simple 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 or French Onion Chicken Casserole. They are my most popular chicken casserole recipes.

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medium bowl with ingredients for an easy weeknight meal

Ingredients Needed

  • 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 soupcream of celery, or cream of onion.
  • Mozzarella cheese – Cheddar cheese works great too.
  • Corn  canned or frozen works best.
  • Milk – Whole milk makes this extra creamy but use your favorite.
  • Onion – I like a sweet or white onion.
  • Garlic  Fresh minced works best or substitute garlic powder.
  • Bacon – Crispy cooked and chopped bacon.
  • French-fried onions – These add a great crunch!

How to make Ultimate Chicken Casserole

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
  2. Cook the egg noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, 2 cups corn, milk, cans cream of chicken soup, onion, garlic, and milk.
  1. Add in the cooked pasta and gently stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
  2. Spread the chicken mixture in the baking pan. Top with cheese, crumbled bacon, and fried onions.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove and serve warm.

For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

comforting chicken noodle casserole with scoop missing

What to Serve with it

This hearty 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.

Storage

Leftovers: Store 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.

a ladle full of chicken casserole

Variations On Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole

If you want to put a spin on this classic creamy chicken noodle casserole, then you have all sorts of 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.
fork of casserole over a plate

Best Casserole Tips

  • 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.

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!

ultimate chicken casserole with spoon

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!

casserole dish with chicken

Ultimate Chicken Casserole

A chicken casserole full of melted mozzarella cheese, corn, and seasoned chicken with creamy noodles goes there, and beyond.
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 307kcal
Author: Jennifer Stewart

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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 491mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g

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