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Chicken and noodle casserole in a white baking dish with a golden cracker topping and one portion scooped out

Chicken and Noodle Casserole

A creamy chicken and egg noodle casserole under a buttery cracker topping, with the noodles boiled short so they finish in the oven.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 840
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Creamy base
  • 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can
  • 10.75 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup 1 can
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
Filling
  • 12 ounces wide egg noodles about 340 g
  • 3 cups cooked chicken chopped, about 1 rotisserie chicken
  • 12 ounces frozen peas and carrots 1 bag, added frozen
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, preferably sharp
Topping
  • 32 round buttery crackers about 1 sleeve, crushed
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted
  • fresh parsley, salt and pepper optional, to taste

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350F (175C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Boil the egg noodles in salted water for about 2 minutes less than the package directs, so they still resist in the middle. Drain and do not rinse.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese soup, sour cream, heavy cream and onion powder until completely smooth with no streaks of condensed soup remaining.
  3. Fold in the drained noodles, chopped chicken, frozen peas and carrots and shredded cheddar, lifting from the bottom until everything is coated. Transfer to the baking dish and level the top.
  4. Toss the crushed crackers with the melted butter and scatter evenly over the surface. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges bubble and the topping is deep golden. Cover loosely with foil if the topping colours before the centre is hot.
  5. Rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the sauce can set. Garnish with chopped parsley if you like.

Notes

Noodles: boil them about 2 minutes short of the package time. They keep absorbing sauce in the oven, so fully cooked noodles come out soft. Thicker shapes such as rotini or penne can take 3 minutes off.
Make ahead: assemble up to a day in advance but add the cracker topping only just before baking, and allow about 10 extra minutes for a fridge-cold dish.
Storage: baked leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat at 350F rather than in the microwave to keep the topping crisp. Unbaked and tightly covered, it freezes for up to 2 months.
Without condensed soup: make a roux with 4 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons flour, whisk in 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup milk, simmer to thicken, then stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar off the heat and use in place of both cans.
Vegetables: add peas and carrots straight from the freezer. Thawing them first releases water into the sauce.
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from standard reference values for the ingredients, not a laboratory analysis.