Chicken Noodle Casserole

This Chicken Noodle Casserole is made without canned soup. Instead, it’s made a homemade cream sauce, with egg noodles,​ and veggies. It’s an easy, “from scratch” comfort food classic dinner the whole family will love.

I’ve been making this recipe for many years. Chicken noodle casserole is a classic family dish like Chicken Pot Pie. 

It’s easy to make without canned soup. So, if this is your first time making it from scratch, don’t worry. I’ll guide you every step of the way. 

Chicken recipes are so common in my dinner rotation. You can do so much with chicken.

You only need about one pound of chicken to make this filling dinner. It’s a meal stretcher and a favorite in our family!

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but the price you pay is the same. 

Chicken Noodle Casserole No Soup

The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Ingredients

• 12 oz medium egg noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups of whole milk
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 dashes celery seed
• 1 1/4 cup of frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 lb of cooked shredded chicken (see my instructions on how to poach chicken below)

Instructions

First, preheat oven to 350F.

Next, cook the egg noodles for 7 minutes. Drain and set aside. NOTE: Instructions to poach chicken breast is below (and in the Notes section of the recipe card) and should be done at this point if you don’t have shredded cooked chicken.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a med/large saucepan on med/high heat. Add chopped onions. Cook two minutes.

Add the flour and stir.

Keep stirring.

Then, add milk and stir until well mixed.

Next, add chicken broth, garlic powder, celery seed, salt and pepper and stir until well mixed.

Then, add the frozen mixed vegetables.  

Add the chicken. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.

Next, add drained noodles back to the pot it was cooked in (without water.) Add chicken mixture and stir to combine.

Then, oil spray a 13″x9″x3″ baking dish. Add the noodle mixture to the pan and spread out.

Next, sprinkle bread crumbs evenly on top and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

That’s it! It’s not complicated.

How to poach Chicken Breast

First, add two cups of water to a small saucepan and boil.

Then, cut the chicken breast into three pieces. Add to boiling water. If you have half of an onion, add it in. It will add flavor to the chicken.

Let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Cut the thickest piece in the middle to ensure doneness (the inside is not pink.)

Can you freeze chicken noodle casserole?

Yes. Place it in plastic containers with lids and freeze it up to 6 months for best flavor.

Do you cook noodles before adding to a casserole?

Yes. The noodles in this recipe need to be cooked before put the casserole in the oven. Also, the noodles should be cooked to “al dente” so they don’t get mushy in the oven.

How to make seasoned bread crumbs

If you don’t have seasoned bread crumbs, add 1/2 tsp of all purpose seasoning to 1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs for this recipe. If you don’t have all purpose seasoning, add 1/4 tsp of garlic powder (or garlic salt) and 1/4 tsp of parsley flakes to the bread crumbs.

Substitutions

• Use any size egg noodle you like- wide, extra wide, medium, etc.
• Substitute turkey breast for the chicken breast.
• Use peas and carrots instead of mixed veggies if you prefer.

This comfort food family dinner is a hearty and delicious dinner made with simple ingredients. You don’t need canned cream of chicken soup to make a tasty chicken noodle casserole. 

You may also like:

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie

Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.