Comforting and easy Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe with a simple homemade white sauce, cheese, chicken, and egg noodles. My entire family enjoys every bite of this meal.

Want more kid-friendly recipes? Try these Pizza Quesadillas, Crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos, Mini Meatloaf, or Chicken Pot Pie!

What I love about this recipe:

A winner with everyone: it’s not often that everyone in our family of six loves what I made for dinner, but this Chicken Noodle Casserole is a big exception. It has those cozy and delicious flavors we all love from chicken noodle soup, but made even more “comfort food” worthy in casserole form.

Leftovers: It makes a ton, so I like to meal prep lunch the next day with roasted veggies on the side, or freeze the leftovers for another meal.

How to make easy Chicken Noodle Casserole:

Cook Egg Noodles.

Make Sauce and Cheese Mixture: Melt butter in an extra large saucepan then add flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, stirring until mixture thickens. In a large mixing bowl, stir together cottage cheese, egg, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, then ½ cup parmesan cheese.

Combine: Add remaining ingredients; chicken, noodles and cheese mixture then stir to combine. Bake in the pot, if desired, or pour into a large casserole dish.

Bake: Add a sprinkle of additional cheese on top and bake until the cheese is golden and the mixture is bubbling at the edges. Allow this cheesy chicken noodle casserole to cool for at 10-15 minutes before serving, to allow it some time to thicken as it cools.

Serve With:

• Balsamic Roasted Carrots or Roasted Vegetables
• A green salad like our Brussels Sprouts Salad, Apple Pecan Salad or Radicchio Salad,
• Olive Garden breadsticks or Homemade Rolls

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: You can make this old fashioned chicken and noodles casserole up to 24 hours ahead of time. Slightly undercook the egg noodles then assemble, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.

To Freeze: Only boil noodles for 4 minutes then assemble and bake according to directions, and allow to cool. Cover really well with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, bake from frozen for 1 ½ hours (still covered with foil.) Then uncover and bake for another 20-40 minutes or so, or until it’s hot and bubbly.

Print

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Comforting and easy Chicken Noodle Casserole recipe with a simple homemade white sauce, cheese, chicken, and egg noodles. My entire family enjoys every bite of this meal!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 431kcal

Author Lauren Allen

Ingredients

• 12 ounces egg noodles , cooked al dente
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 24 ounces cottage cheese , small curd
• 1 large egg , beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese , divided
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , divided
• 4 cups cooked chicken , chopped
• fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Cook egg noodles in a large pot of boiling water, just until al dente, or even 1-2 minutes less. (The noodles will continue to cook later, when baked). Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Melt butter in an extra large saucepan over medium to medium high heat. Add flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
• Slowly whisk in chicken broth, about a cup at a time, until mixture is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together cottage cheese, egg, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup parmesan cheese.
• Add chicken, noodles and cheese mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt, pepper or dried basil, if needed.
• Pour mixture into a 9×13’’ baking dish (or you can bake it right in an oven-safe saucepan it is in). Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until golden on top and bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: You can make this recipe up to 24 hours ahead of time. Slightly undercook the egg noodles. Assemble, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate. Bake as directed (you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time).

Freezing Instructions: Only boil noodles for 4 minutes. Assemble and bake according to directions, and allow to cool. Cover really well with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, bake from frozen for 1 ½ hours (still covered with foil.) Then uncover and bake for another 20-40 minutes or so, or until it’s hot and bubbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 730mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 223mg | Iron: 2mg

I originally shared this recipe December 2017. Updated March 2020 and November 2023

Original Recipe inspired from Betty Crocker.