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Homemade Chicken Noodle Casserole. Swapping the canned goods once used in this recipe, and making my family’s favorite chicken noodle casserole just a little healthier, plus so much tastier! Think of this casserole as a creamy baked version of chicken noodle soup, with shredded chicken, vegetables, noodles and topped with salty, crunchy Kettle Brand Potato Chips. Comfort food at its best, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
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There are a few foods I ate a lot of while growing up, chicken and rice, pasta with butter, pot roast, tacos, and chicken noodle casserole. Typical kid friendly foods, typical midwest foods, Gerard classics. You’ve probably noticed, but I don’t really share that kind of food here on HBH. Yes, plenty of chicken and rice, ok, pasta and tacos too, but the casseroles are not something I dive into all that much. That said, I still make these foods every so often, especially when a brother comes into town…because they are family favorites.
With the official start of fall coming next week, and my older brother’s recent visit, I thought it was the perfect time to take one of his favorite recipes and make it 100% from scratch. If you’ve ever made chicken noodle casserole, then you know it’s typically filled with a lot of canned soup and processed ingredients. I’m really not a fan of using canned soup (and definitely don’t like using processed ingredients). So I ditched the cans and made a completely homemade version of our longtime family favorite, chicken noodle casserole. This recipe is simple to make, healthier, and so comforting.
My goal when I set out to make this casserole was to make it as close to the original as possible, but without using any weird ingredients, and also to bump up the vegetable content.
Here’s all the nitty-gritty details.
Basically we’re making chicken noodle soup, so the recipe starts with the usual onion, garlic, and carrot combo. You’ll season everything with fresh herbs and sprinkle in a little bit of flour to help thicken the soup base. To make things creamy, but not too rich, I stirred in whole milk instead of heavy cream.
The key to making this dish delicious is the noodles, chicken, and bread ratios. You’ll want lots of egg noodles, some chicken, and good bread to make the flavors and textures spot on, and just like the classic casserole I grew up eating. Also, if you wanted to add in more veggies, I would recommend stirring in frozen peas or chopped broccoli florets.
So that’s the base of the dish, chicken noodle soup, thickened up and made creamy. Delicious.
But, no casserole is complete without a crunchy topping. Enter in the Kettle Brand potato chips. Oh my gosh. If you’ve never used potato chips as a crunchy topping for baked casseroles like mac and cheese, potatoes, and of course chicken noodle casserole, you are totally missing out.
Side Note: you can really see my midwest roots shining through in today’s recipe. I kind of love it.
I’ve been crunching up potato chips and using them in place of breadcrumbs for years. They just make baked casseroles that much better and give them a whole new, deliciously salty finish. SO GOOD. I use Kettle Brand chips because they’re perfectly salted (this is very important). They’re also sturdy enough to hold up to oven baking.
I’ve made this several times since first testing the recipe. It is now safe to say that all of my family (and friends) love this homemade chicken noodle casserole soo much. Therefore, I’ve decided that going back to my mom and dad’s outdated “retro” recipe is just not an option.
As I always like to say, homemade is best.
Excited to have this recipe in my back pocket for cozy fall and winter dinners to come. Best part? I can make it ahead of time and then just bake before dinner, AND, this recipe works perfectly to freeze and bake later as well!
You see, perfection.
Watch the How To Video:
If you make these homemade chicken noodle casserole, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
- kosher salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 cups cubed whole grain bread
- 2 cups uncooked egg noodles
- 1 1/2 cups cooked shredded or cubed chicken
- 1 cup crushed Kettle Brand potato chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13 inch baking dish or large round baker.2. Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes, season with salt + pepper. Add the butter, carrots and garlic and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cayenne. 3. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and cook, stirring to incorporate, for another minute. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and milk, season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a low boil and then reduce the heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley. Let cool until no longer hot to touch, then stir in the eggs.4. Add the cubed bread, noodles, and chicken, tossing to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top evenly with Kettle Chips. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the the top is golden. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
{This post is sponsored by Kettle Brand. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!!}
In agreement with Eric ic and a couple others. Boy was it dry. I even added an extra 2/3 milk after reading their comments and still dry as a bone. The noodles and bread soak up so much liquid. So if 2/3 more milk didn’t help, what would? A smaller deeper dish? I used the 9×13. Maybe a 4×4? Would it cook through? Dreadfully easy to make and I’d like to try it again. I measured everything.
Hi Jack,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. If you want to try again, I would use just 1 cup of noodles. That should help!
Thank You I know it’s going to be good.
Easy different from usual and delish.
Thanks so much, Kim!!
I love the recipe! I would offer a suggestion. We added a few mushrooms and some chopped broccoli, but our noodles cooked except for the ones sticking out. So I will try pouring the noodles into the casserole dish, then pouring the rest of the mixture. Otherwise, we are thrilled with the casserole (we cut down the bread a bit too).
Hey Dana,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a very Happy New Year!🥂🎆
I made this today but haven’t baked it yet but tasted it before the last step and it tastes amazing. I can only image how much better it will taste with the final step and then the crushed chips on top. OMG, I can’t wait. Thank you for all your beautiful creations.
Dee
Thanks so much, Dee:)
I appreciate you trying the recipe, I hope the finished product is amazing!
Happy Monday!
Needs more liquid. Ended up too dry. Needs at least another 1/2 cup to full cup of liquid.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
This was super delicious, easy to make and the kids cleaned their plates! Maybe next time I’d add a little more milk because I dried it out a bit in the oven. Sooooo good. We’ll definitely make it again! Thank you!!
Hey Jessica,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try and your comment! Xx
I liked it. I would have preferred the bread be a bit more dense. Broccoli could also work well? I think kids would like it.
Thanks for trying this recipe, Dawn! Sure, you could also add broccoli. I hope this helps!
This recipe sounds delicious. Do you think it’s tastier with white meat chicken or dark meat chicken?
Hi Cynthia! I usually use white meat for this recipe! xT
I have like a tuscan ring of bread its more of a crusty bread would that be ok to cube up for this?
Hi Kimberly! Yes, that will be just fine! xT
I make this constantly. I love this recipe but i have a friend who just gave birth and she asked for your spicy orange chicken and then the chicken noodle soup casserole this obviously. Would it be ok to freeze and cook??? Should i cook it first fully then have them unfreeze and reheat??? I’m not sure!
Hi Stephanie,
I would make through step 4 just until adding the chips and freeze. You could then give the chips to your friend and share the baking instructions. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This recipe was good only thing is I would cook the noddles little because I had a lot of uncooked noddles even after I put it in the oven.
Hi Rini,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! Sorry to hear about your noodles! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Yummy! I was craving chicken noodle soup but in a baked form, and this hit the spot. It does have a bit of a spicy kick to it, not sure where that’s coming from? There is cayenne pepper in it, but I wobuldn’t think that just half a teaspoon would give it that much of a kick. As for the cubed bread, I wasn’t quite sure what that was & I couldn’t find it in the store, so I used croutons.
Hey Robyn,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! The cayenne gives it the kick of heat. xxT
Loved this for my first-ever chicken noodle casserole! Dietary needs and on-hand ingredients led to substitutions that took nothing away from this dinner. Used half heavy cream & half oat milk for the milk, gf bread and fettuccine noodles, and grated a light spread of gruyere cheese on top for last 10 minutes in the oven. Also threw in a small amount of maitake mushrooms during simmer. This is now at the top of our comfort-food list. Thanks!
Hey Lori,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
I”ve noticed that on your recipes it’ll say, “Watch the how to video:” but there’s no link or video following the heading. I’m new to your website, so maybe I missed the memo on how to actually access the videos? haha
Hi Lizzy,
The video for this recipe is right above the ingredient list:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Such a cozy, delicious, winter dinner: thank you, Tieghan! We used sea salt & vinegar Kettle chips on top, adding a wonderful touch of acid. I never would have thought to include the eggs and bread cubes: brilliant recipe development, yet again, Tieghan. We will make again!
Hey Annie,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try. I hope you have an amazing week! xTieghan