Chicken Casserole
Step-by-step, recipe for making our delicious Chicken Casserole with egg noodles, Chicken and Mushroom Soup, and topped with buttery crackers.
Chicken Casserole recipe.
If you’re looking for a really easy Chicken Casserole recipe, I believe you’ve found it.
This is one of my newest favorite dishes, having tried it for the first time at my nieces house last Easter.
She had invited all the family to her house on that Easter Sunday for dinner and had prepared a ham, this chicken casserole, and several other dishes.
I couldn’t stay out of this casserole once I tried it, and may have gone back for thirds before we all got up from the table. Smile.
Sonia is my older brothers daughter, and a great cook, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. It’s always a treat to have a meal at her house with the family.
It didn’t take long for me to ask for the recipe. It did however take me over a year before I made it to post here on Taste of Southern. I hope you’ll try it and enjoy it as much as I did and still do.
I purchased a package of fresh chicken breasts and cooked them all at one time. I only used three in the recipe below and froze the others to make chicken salad with later.
You could easily use the meat from one of those pre-cooked rotisserie chickens if you’d like. Just remove the skin and bones and you’ll be ready to go.
I like the all white meat of using the chicken breasts, and once you boil them, you use the same broth to cook the egg noodles in. Sonia uses a can of Cream of Chicken Soup and a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, but you can also find a combination of the two in one can if you look for it.
Ritz crackers, coated in melted butter, are spread over the top of the casserole before you bake it.
This could be made a day or two ahead of time by preparing the dish up to the point of adding the topping. Save that part until just before you bake it.
Casseroles are great for serving at home, taking to potluck dinners at church, or anytime you need a great dish to carry and share with family and friends.
Ready to give our Chicken Casserole a try?
Alright then, let’s head to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Easy Chicken Casserole Recipe, you’ll need these ingredients.
I’m using fresh chicken breasts in this recipe. You could easily use one of those pre-cooked rottessire chickens if you prefer. And, while I’m showing a large package of chicken breasts here, I will only be using three of them in this recipe. I’ll freeze the others for later.
You’ll need a large sauce pot, probably the one you would generally use to cook pasta in.
Place the chicken breasts in the pot and fill it about 3/4ths full with water.
Add the chicken seasoning.
Sonia’s recipe called for a packet of Knorr Chicken Seasoning, but they didn’t have it at the store I was shopping in. I bought a bottle of the chicken granules instead and used two Tablespoons based on the large amount of water I was using.
Place the pot over Medium heat on your stove top. Bring to a low boil and let the chicken cook until done. This took me 45 minutes from the time I placed the pot on the burner until I removed it. Your cooking time might vary, but this will give you a close idea of the time needed.
I suggest you check the internal temperature of the chicken with a digital thermometer to be sure it’s done. It should be at least at 165F degrees inside.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the broth and let it cool.
Again, I’m showing 5 cooked chicken breasts here, but I will only be using the smaller three. I’m going to freeze the others for use later. I just wanted to go ahead and cook them all at one time.
Remove and reserve one cup of the broth from the pot you cooked the chicken in. Set this aside for later.
Place the egg noodles in the remaining broth and let them cook according to the directions on the package. This took about 8-10 minutes for me.
While the egg noodles are cooking, place a sleeve of the crackers in a ziplock type plastic bag.
Use one of your soup cans and crush the crackers.
You will need two cups of crushed Ritz crackers. I crushed one full sleeve, then about 12 more crackers from another sleeve. Set these aside for now.
Butter your baking dish.
You’ll need a large dish, about 9×13 inches in size. Rub the bottom and the inside of the dish with a thin coat of butter.
Use your hands to shred the chicken breasts. It may still be pretty hot so be careful.
You could also use a knife to dice or cube the chicken if you prefer.
When the noodles are done, empty them into a colander to drain off the broth.
You’ll need a very large mixing bowl for the rest of these steps.
Place the shredded chicken in the bowl, then add the can of Cream of Chicken Soup.
Add the can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Add the Sour Cream.
My niece says she only adds about 3/4ths of the container of sour cream as she’s not a big fan of the stuff. I added the full container.
Add the cup of reserved broth to the mixture.
Mix everything together with a large spoon until it’s all combined.
Add about half of the egg noodles and stir it well. Then add the remaining noodles, and stir it all together until it’s fully combined.
You’ll have a big bowl of this mixture by the time you’re finished. Smile.
Add the mixture to the baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Place the crushed crackers in your mixing bowl, the pour the melted butter over the top.
I just placed the crackers in the same bowl I had mixed everything together in, then melted the butter in the microwave.
Stir the butter and the crackers together until fully moistened.
Spread the cracker crumbs over the chicken mixture.
Place the casserole in the oven which you’ve preheated to 350F degrees.
Let this bake for about 35-45 minutes until the dish is bubbly hot and the top is lightly browned.
Remove the dish from the oven when done. Set it on folded towels to slightly cool.
You’ll want to serve this while it’s warm, so time it accordingly.
Enjoy!
