Classic Chicken Casserole Recipe

This classic chicken casserole is the ultimate all-in-one dish. It features layers of chicken, creamy soup, egg noodles, and a few key spices that add wonderful flavor to this dish. This classic chicken casserole would be great to serve a crowd or you could whip it up for a family dinner — you really can't go wrong either way.

Recipe developer Molly Pisula came up with this delicious casserole and checks all the boxes. "I love this recipe because it reminds me of those warming casseroles my mom used to make when I was a kid — this is classic comfort food in the best way," she raves. "Also, it's not a lot of work when you consider that this easily serves six people, and could absolutely serve eight if you added a side salad." 

Another plus? "You can make it in advance — I'd leave off the breadcrumbs and butter until you're ready to bake, but you could make the casserole up to a day in advance and just keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake," Pisula notes.

For starters, make a list and head to the store. Just pick up boneless, skinless chicken breasts, egg noodles, two types of Campbell's soup: cream of mushroom and cream of chicken, sour cream, dried oregano, dried thyme, unsalted butter, white bread, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

There are a few things to note for the ingredients. "I prefer to use low-sodium or no-sodium soups, so that I can control the salt content myself. If you use the regular versions of those soups, you may not need to add any salt to the casserole at all," Pisula shares. You can also swap the spices. "If you don't have dried oregano or thyme, you could substitute other herbs as well. Herbes de Provence would be a good fit for this casserole, or you could try dried basil or rosemary," Pisula notes. "You could also substitute fresh herbs (if so, double the amount of dried herbs called for in the recipe)."

Since you need to use an oven, preheat yours to 350 F. Then, grab a 13x9-inch baking dish and grease it with either butter or cooking spray. "You could split this into two 8x8 baking dishes instead of using one large baking dish," Pisula notes. 

Meanwhile, add the chicken to a saucepan and fill it with cold, salted water. You want to add enough water to cover the chicken with at least 1 inch of liquid.

Place the saucepan with chicken on your stove and turn the heat to medium-high, bringing the water to a low boil. Continue cooking the chicken for 10-15 minutes until it's fully cooked. "Use an instant meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is fully cooked — the thermometer should register 165 [F] for chicken," Pisula suggests. Once cooked, remove the chicken and set aside to cool.

For this step, you can use the same saucepan that you did for the chicken. Just dump out the saucepan's liquid and fill it with fresh, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and once bubbles reach the pan's surface, add the egg noodles.

Cook the egg noodles for about 5 minutes, until they're al dente. You can test by biting into the pasta to ensure it has a bit of resistance but is thoroughly cooked. Then, strain the noodles and add them to a large bowl.

If the chicken is cool enough to work with, chop or shred it into small pieces. Then, you can start to mix everything together in the same bowl with the noodles. 

Add the shredded chicken first, followed by the cream of mushroom and chicken soups. Then, toss in the sour cream, dried oregano, and thyme. The dried herbs are the secret ingredients. "The dried herbs (oregano and thyme) in this recipe really take it up a notch," Pisula raves. "They pair well with the chicken and mushrooms in this dish but add another layer of flavor." Season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the noodle mixture into the greased baking dish to start. Then, place the butter in a microwave-safe dish and pop it in the microwave to melt. 

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole and add the melted butter over the top. This will help the breadcrumbs get nice and crispy. "You could substitute wheat bread for the white bread called for in this recipe," Pisula notes. "You could even replace it with breadcrumbs if you don't have sliced bread."

Pop the casserole into the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes. Once your timer goes off, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a short time, but please note that it's best to serve warm. This casserole has it all, so there's really nothing that you need to serve it with, though Pisula gives a few options just in case. "I do like to serve it with a vegetable side dish. It's great with a salad on the side, or with something simple like steamed broccoli or green beans," she shares.

Anything left? It will make a great bonus meal. "Casserole will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days — just keep it tightly wrapped or transfer to an airtight container," Pisula shares. We hope you love this hearty casserole!