A quick and easy, creamy chicken and noodle casserole the whole family will love with a little spin on adding vegetables your kids will surely eat!
I absolutely love the ease and comfort of my Family Favorite Chicken Noodle Casserole. It is both filling and delicious and oh so versatile! Need a quick one-dish wonder on a busy week night? Or, a simple way to get veggies in your kiddos’ bellies? Want your children to help you in the kitchen? Need an easy casserole to bring to a potluck? Want to drop off a trusted and true dish for a family or loved one? Family Favorite Chicken Noodle Casserole is the answer to all these questions!
And here’s an added bonus… you can turn this casserole into a build-your-own dish! Sure you can make this an easy one-dish casserole, but I love the option to make this a DIY meal, especially for little ones.
It’s no secret that getting kids to eat their vegetables can be a little challenging. (Ok, a LOT challenging.) But, I’ve found that offering a few options in a fun and interesting way often gets them to eat some of the good stuff. That’s why I love this Family Favorite Chicken Noodle Casserole.
What is chicken noodle casserole?
Chicken noodle casserole is a satisfying and comforting dish that is often served as a main course for family dinners or potluck gatherings. This warm and filling one-dish recipe offers a combination of tender chicken, noodles, and a creamy sauce. While there are many variations to chicken noodle casserole, the main ingredients include chicken, egg noodles, vegetables, and a creamy sauce.
This one-dish wonder can include all kinds of vegetables or no vegetables at all. For the purposes of this recipes, I recommend providing your little ones with a lot of options and allowing them to add in their desired vegetables once the casserole is already baked up. They can mix them in or eat them on the side. I love giving them options because often times if you let them think they made the dish… they will eat the dish! And, that’s a win-win in my book!
Overall, this is a simple and common all-in-one casserole great for family dinners and potlucks or passing on to a friend who just needs a helping hand.
How to make this a build-your-own casserole:
The recipe starts out as a quick and easy, creamy chicken and noodle casserole without the veggies. Now you can absolutely add those veggies in before you bake the casserole, but I really wanted to provide you with an out-the-box approach to chicken noodle casserole. Enter… build-your-own casserole! It’s like a baked potato bar… casserole style!
This allows everyone in the family to eat their favorite veggies without having to pick out the ones they don’t love. And, this is a great way to get your kids involved! Plus, it makes them much more likely to eat those veggies.
- Go ahead and bake the casserole without the vegetables per the instructions below.
- While your casserole is baking, begin preparing several canned vegetable options. I provide you a list of ideas below!
- Scoop up some of the baked casserole into bowls.
- Let your little ones and/or guests add in the vegetable options they would like!
- Stir in the vegetables with your casserole! Since the canned veggies are already cooked, allow the casserole to warm the added vegetables through and you’re ready to eat!
Ta da! A DIY casserole just how you like it! Enjoy!
What can I add to my chicken noodle casserole?
One of the big reasons I love chicken noodle casserole so much is because it is so versatile. This can be a great way to use up leftover chicken and vegetables. Or, you can make this a build-your-own dish! For little ones, I love to bake the chicken, noodles, and creamy sauce without vegetables. When it is done, give the kiddos lots of options to add to their casserole. A few vegetables to consider are canned carrots, green beans, peas, corn, mushrooms, and more.
Recipe Card
Family Favorite Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- Assorted (4-ounce) Libby’s® Vegetable Cups (Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, Diced Carrots, Cut Green Beans, Sweet Peas or Peas & Carrots)
- 4 cups shredded chicken (a rotisserie chicken works great)
- 1 (12-ounce) package wide egg noodles
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 sleeve buttery crackers (about 30 crackers), crushed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions and then drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milks, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper and stir to combine. Add the chicken and noodles and mix well to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the crushed crackers and melted butter and stir to coat. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
- When ready to serve, allow each family member to pick their favorite Libby’s® Vegetable Cup, drain, and stir the vegetables into their individual serving of casserole.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
For more information and other quick and easy ways to get your family back around the table, visit my friends at Libby’s® at www.getbacktothetable.com.
Gladys
I mixed peas, carrots and corn in the casserole. No other changes. It was delicious! My husband took one bite and said, “wow, this is really good! ” I’ll be making it again. Good enough to make for company.
Does this freeze well? There are only the two of us and it makes plenty for a couple meals for us.
So glad y’all enjoyed it! I don’t love the texture of pasta once it’s been frozen and reheated because it gets pretty soft, but to keep it from being wasted, it will certainly work.
Kathryn Voan
I am going to have to try this, looks so good! I have never been a fan of English Peas, so I could leave those out.
You could certainly leave them out! Enjoy!
Travis
Didn’t change a thing, great recipe, super results. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad it turned out great for you!
Candace
I think it was too much sour cream and too bland.
Oh no! Perhaps next time adding a little more onion or garlic powder might help?
Ellen
I added 2 stalks and half chopped onion sautéed to the chicken. Also, I subbed regular corn flakes instead of crackers and used a stick of melted butter over the corn flakes. Yum!!
Way to make it your own! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
Gailmillerkc
I thought it was tasteless and bland when I mixed it all together before baking, so added thyme and sage to it and a bit of poultry seasoning. I added French Fried onions on top the last 15 minutes, instead of crackers. That really put it over the top!
Glad to hear you were able to make it your own!
Beverly Blissitt
That is almost the same recipe we use! We just add 1- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard to punch up the flavor. We are mushroom fans, so we saute mushrooms along with onions. Every person in this household is a huge fan of your recipes. They like that you write them and I cook them! Be blessed.
Thanks so much, Beverly! I love the idea of adding the mustard!
Ann
It is so great to have a dish that the whole family loves, without exception, and get together at the dinner table, eat and enjoy the conversation! The recipe is very interesting and detailed, I will definitely try to cook this dish. It looks really appetizing. In addition, I like dishes with different vegetables. Thank you for the idea!
Sure hope it turns out GREAT for you!