Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

This Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole is creamy, comforting and packed with flavor. It’s an easy meal the entire family will love!

This Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!

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“This tastes like something I ate as a kid…but it’s way better than I remember!” One bite. That’s all it took to get us hooked on this Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe. And my wife nailed it perfectly – this recipe was meant to be reminiscent of a childhood favorite. Except instead of being made from a box, this delicious casserole is made from scratch. And it’s absolutely delicious!

This Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole definitely elevates weeknight meals. It uses cooked chicken (i.e. rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken) to save time, and it’s packed with veggies. The layers of flavor in this casserole are fantastic! And the creamy texture is just as good – without using a can of cream of whatever soup. It’s a meal that the whole family will love. Bonus: If there are leftovers, they’re perfect for reheating for lunch the next day.

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

This Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole is the perfect combination of creamy filling combined with cheesy pasta combined with crunchy topping. It’s definitely a tasty way to add veggies to your diet – onions, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers and peas all make an appearance in this homemade casserole recipe. Let’s take a look at the ingredients:

Ingredients

• Wide Egg Noodles: Egg noodles work well in casseroles as they hold their shape without becoming mushy.
• Onion, Carrots, Sliced Mushrooms, Red Bell Pepper: Assorted chopped veggies form the base of this casserole recipe. Feel free to substitute other veggies based on what you have around – chopped broccoli and/or cauliflower would be good substitutions here.
• Fresh Thyme, Garlic, Salt, Pepper and Dried Parsley: The fresh thyme makes a huge difference in this recipe. Dried thyme can be used in a pinch, but remember to only use ⅓ of the amount of fresh thyme.
• Chicken Stock and Milk. No canned cream of mushroom soup here. Just chicken stock and whole milk. The mixture simmers and thickens into a deliciously creamy casserole filling.
• Cooked Chicken. Feel free to use leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken in this recipe. Using cooked chicken speeds the process up a bit.
• Cheddar Cheese and Monterey Jack Cheese. The powerhouse combination of shredded cheddar and shredded Monterey Jack cheeses creates the ultimate creamy filling.
• Frozen Peas. Toss a couple handfuls of frozen peas in at the end for color and added nutrients and antioxidents.
• Panko Breadcrumbs and Butter. A simple combination of breadcrumbs and melted butter creates a layer of crunchy deliciousness on top of this casserole.

Cabot Cheese

My not-so-secret weapon for this Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe is Cabot cheese. You’ve probably seen bars of Cabot cheese in the grocery store. You might have even grabbed them for snacking. Well now it’s time to grab a couple of those bars and shred ’em into this casserole. The flavor is out of this world!

Cabot Creamery is a farmer-owned cooperative which means that the farmers themselves own the company. 100% of the proceeds from Cabot products go back to the farm families across Vermont, New York and New England. That’s pretty cool. And on top of that, Cabot’s cheeses taste amazing – in fact, Cabot products have won every major award for taste! We always keep various types of Cabot cheeses, yogurts and butter in our fridge. They’re perfect for snacking – and for cooking.

Casserole From Scratch

Speaking of cooking, let’s take a look at how to make this casserole from scratch:

• Cook Egg Noodles. Cook the egg noodles in a pot of salted water until al dente (~7-8 minutes).
• Sauté the Veggies. While the water is heating up for the egg noodles, go ahead and start sauteing the vegetables.
• Add Chicken Stock and Milk. Once the veggies have softened a bit, add the chicken stock and milk. Let this mixture simmer for ~5 minutes.
• Add Cooked Chicken and Cheeses. Remove the skillet from the stove and stir in the chicken, cheese and cooked egg noodles. Transfer everything into a casserole dish.
• Add Crunchy Topping. Stir the breadcrumbs with melted butter and sprinkle the topping over the casserole. Feel free to add a bit more shredded cheese on top, too!
• Bake until Bubbly and Golden Brown. Bake the casserole for ~20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let stand for ~10 minutes before serving. (This allows the creamy sauce to thicken back up a bit.)

Leftovers

Leftover casserole should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat over low heat when serving leftovers. These leftovers also freeze well! Just transfer the cooled leftovers into a freeze safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

If you’re looking for a fantastic weeknight meal, then this Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole is a winner. It’s a comfort food classic that’ll take you back to your childhood…but better! I suspect this casserole will be on regular rotation in our house – and I hope you and your family enjoy it just as much. Cheers!

Did you make this Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and Cabot (@CabotCreamery) on Instagram – we’d love to see your version!

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

This Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole is creamy, comforting and packed with flavor. It's an easy meal the entire family will love!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 459kcal

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Ingredients

For the Casserole

• 8 oz. wide egg noodles
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
• 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms
• 1 red bell pepper seeded, stemmed and diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1½ tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1¾ cups low-sodium chicken stock
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 3 cups fully cooked chicken shredded or chopped (see note)
• 1 cup shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 cup shredded Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1½ cups frozen peas

For the Topping

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
• ½ tsp dried parsley

Instructions

For the Casserole

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with nonstick baking spray; set pan aside.
• Cook egg noodles in salted water until al dente according to package directions; drain cooked noodles and set aside.
• Using a large, deep skillet, add butter and olive oil; place over medium heat.
• Once butter has melted, sprinkle flour into pan; stir until well combined.
• Add diced onions, carrots, mushrooms and bell pepper; stir until well combined. Cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes.
• Add garlic, thyme, parsley salt and pepper; stir until well combined. Continue cooking, stirring often, for 1 more minute.
• Add chicken stock and milk; stir until well combined. Let mixture simmer over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat and add cooked chicken, cheese, peas and cooked egg noodles (from above); stir until well combined. Transfer mixture into prepared casserole dish.

For the Topping

• Using a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, melted butter and dried parsley. Spread mixture evenly on top of casserole dish.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until topping turns golden brown. (Tip: Sprinkle extra shredded cheese on top of the breadcrumbs for more flavor!)

Notes

Rotisserie chicken works really well in this recipe!

Looking for more tasty casserole recipes? Check out these other favorites, too: