Dot’s Chicken Noodle Casserole
A classic comfort dish... but made even better.
Most of us have had Chicken Noodle Casserole a time or two in our lives. And most of us have had it the way our moms used to make it — with a can of condensed soup stirred into some other ingredients and hastily tucked into the oven. But not all Chicken Noodle Casserole is like that. Dot’s sure isn’t. This version is made with a little more care — with a from-scratch sauce that produces the creamiest, most comforting version I’ve ever had. (No cans of soup here! But it’s still easy, I promise.)
What Ingredients Do You Need for Dot’s Chicken Noodle Casserole?
You don’t need any canned soup here. But you will need:
- Chicken. Already cooked and then chopped or shredded.
- Wide egg noodles.
- Butter.
- Onion and garlic.
- Flour.
- Milk and chicken broth.
- Cream cheese. (I said it was creamy!)
- Peas and carrots. (A frozen bag is fine.)
- Cheddar cheese.
- Panko breadcrumbs.
How Do You Make Dot’s Chicken Noodle Casserole?
If you have made a mornay sauce for macaroni and cheese, this process is pretty similar. The firs step will be to get your egg noodles boiling and while that happens:
Melt some butter in a saucepan and cook down the onion and garlic until soft. Then, stir in the flour and let it cook just for a minute or so. You don’t need to put color on it but just want to cook the raw taste out.
Stir in the milk and chicken broth and let it come to a bubble and thicken. If you stir frequently you shouldn’t have any lumps. Then it’s time to make this really creamy!
Stir in the cream cheese until it’s melted. (It helps if you cube it first.) Then, season to taste, mix that with the noodles, chicken, cheese, and your frozen veg and get the whole mixture into a baking dish.
Toss those breadcrumbs with some more melted butter, sprinkle them over the top and get it into the oven until it’s hot and bubbly and the top is crispy. The end result is a casserole that’s not just convenient and comforting… it’s crave-worthy!
Dot's Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 oz uncooked wide egg noodles
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Add 2 more tablespoons butter to the skillet. Once melted, stir in flour and cook 1 minute more, stirring or whisking constantly.
- Pour in milk and chicken broth while continuously stirring, and cook until mixture begins to bubble and thicken.
- Stir in cream cheese until melted, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
- In the same pot, or in a large bowl if needed, stir in the noodles, chicken, cheese, and frozen vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning once more.
- Transfer to baking dish.
- Melt the remaining butter, then stir into the panko crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole and bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Seasoned Mom.