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This is an easy and fast chicken and noodle casserole recipe to make. Shredded chicken breast is mixed together with pasta noodles, onions, red bell peppers, cream of chicken soup, and cheddar cheese and then baked.

(Last Updated On: October 17, 2022)

We love this fast and easy chicken and noodle casserole recipe. It has shredded chicken from a can in a creamy chicken soup with onions and red bell peppers added that surround a bed of elbow macaroni and topped with cheddar cheese, then baked in the oven for only 20 minutes. It’s super easy to make, it’s delicious, and it’s also a great dinner to make for your family or take to a potluck luncheon or dinner.

Chicken and noodle casserole on a plate and on a fork above the plate.

🥣 Key Ingredients

  • 16 ounces of elbow macaroni
  • 1 medium onion – chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper – chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 can of cream of chicken soup
  • 30 ounces of chunk chicken breast in water (three 10-ounce cans)
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (sharp)
Ingredients for chicken casserole with noodles.
Ingredients for a chicken casserole with noodles.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Chicken and Noodle Casserole (Step-by-Step Instructions with Detailed Phots)

Before we begin to prepare the chicken casserole, we need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Preparing the Elbow Macaroni for the Chicken Noodle Casserole

The first step is to prepare the elbow macaroni. Cook your elbow macaroni according to the instructions on the back of the packaging. We boiled our elbow macaroni in water for about 9 minutes, then drained it in a colander over the sink to remove the water but did not run cold water over it. After that is done, set it aside for now.

2. Chop Onion and Red Bell Pepper

Then, chop one medium onion and one medium red pepper. The onions and red bell peppers taste terrific in this chicken casserole, so you can use a large onion and two red bell peppers if you prefer.

One diced red pepper and one diced onion on a plate for chicken & noodle casserole.
Diced onion and diced red pepper.

3. Skillet with Butter

Put the chopped onions and red bell peppers in a skillet together with 2 tablespoons of butter.

One diced red pepper, one diced onion and two tablespoons of butter in a skillet.
Diced onion and diced red pepper in a frying pan with two tablespoons of butter.

4. Sauté the Onions and Red Peppers

Turn the burner on medium-high heat. Sauté the onions and red bell peppers until tender, about 5 minutes while tossing and turning them in the skillet.

Note: Sautéing is cooking the onions and red bell peppers on high heat with little oil, fat, or butter for just a few minutes until tender, so we set the burner on medium-high heat which worked great and did the job.

Sauté the onion and red pepper with the two tablespoons of butter in a skillet.
Sauté the onion and red pepper.

5. Add Shredded Chicken

We used 30 ounces of chunk chicken breast in water, which is three 10-ounce cans. Drain the water out of each can, then shred the chicken breast into pieces. Add the shredded chicken to the skillet together with the chopped onions and peppers. Keep cooking on medium-high heat and continue to stir the ingredients.

Rotisserie chicken or baked chicken breasts could also be used instead of canned chicken if you prefer. Just shred up the chicken and add it in the frying pan the same way.

Add the shredded chicken to the onion and red pepper in the frying pan.
Add the shredded chicken to the frying pan with the onion and red pepper.

6. Add Cream of Chicken Soup

Add one can of cream of chicken soup together with the shredded chicken, onions, and red peppers. Stir ingredients and mix thoroughly together, keeping the heat on medium-high. Cook for a few minutes then turn the burner off.

Rotisserie chicken could also be used instead of canned chicken if you prefer. Just shred up a rotisserie chicken and add it in the frying pan the same way.

The cream of chicken soup is added to the frying pan with the chicken, onions and red peppers.
Add the cream of chicken soup to the frying pan.

7. Add Elbow Macaroni and Half of the Cheese

The next step is to spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Put all of the ingredients from the skillet into the baking dish and then mix in the elbow macaroni and half of the cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Elbow macaroni and half of the cheddar cheese added to the baking dish with the chicken ingredients.
Elbow macaroni and half of the cheddar cheese are added to the baking dish.

8. Top with Sharp Cheddar Cheese – then Oven Ready

The last step in preparing the chicken noodle casserole is to sprinkle the rest of the sharp cheddar cheese on top of the chicken and noodle mixture. Then, put the chicken casserole into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, just enough time to get it nice and hot and the cheese melted.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, then ready for the oven.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, then ready for the oven.

🍽 Hot Out of the Oven Baked Chicken & Noodle Casserole

Straight out of the oven and ready for the table in less than 45 minutes. A quick and nutritious dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Baked chicken & noodle casserole in a baking dish.
Baked chicken casserole with noodles in a baking dish.

📝 Final Thoughts for Chicken and Noodle Casserole

When you are looking to make something fast for dinner on a busy weeknight, this easy chicken noodle casserole will be your go-to meal!

Chicken Casserole with Noodles on a plate.

This is really an easy recipe to put together. Make this chicken casserole with noodles a complete dinner with a side salad or veggies, and garlic bread or buttered rolls. Still hungry? Try our delicious ranger cookies recipe for dessert.

Chicken and Casserole with Noodles on a plate.

❤️ More Chicken Recipes You Will Love

  • Chicken Broccoli Lasagna – This chicken and broccoli lasagna recipe is packed with flavor and super simple to make. It is layered in a homemade creamy alfredo sauce and uses a rotisserie chicken to add flavor between the lasagna noodles and mozzarella cheese.
  • Chicken and Rice Instant Pot – Delicious and easy to make chicken and rice casserole cooked in the instant pot with brown rice and lots of veggies.
  • Easy Chicken Alfredo Linguine – A creamy white sauce made with butter, minced garlic, cream cheese, whole milk, and parmesan cheese, then mixed with shredded chicken and linguine pasta.
Easy Chicken Casserole with Noodles

Chicken and Noodle Casserole (With Red Peppers)

Flo
This is an easy and fast chicken and noodle casserole recipe to make. Shredded chicken breast is mixed together with pasta noodles, onions, red bell peppers, cream of chicken soup, and cheddar cheese and then baked.
4.92 from 12 votes
Cost $12
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 39 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings 8

🫕 Equipment

🧂 Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz elbow macaroni (uncooked)
  • 1 onion (medium)
  • 1-2 red bell peppers (your preference)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 cans chunk chicken breast in water (10 ounces each)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)

👩‍🍳 Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare elbow macaroni – follow the instructions on the back of the package, then set it aside.
  • Chop the onion and the red bell pepper.
  • Put the butter, onions, and red bell peppers in a skillet.
  • Sauté the onions and red bell peppers on medium-high heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Drain the water from the cans of chicken breast. Shred the chicken breast into pieces.
  • Add the shredded chicken to the skillet with the onions and red bell peppers.
  • Add the can of cream of chicken soup to the skillet. Cook for a couple more minutes on medium-high heat, then turn the burner off.
  • Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Transfer the ingredients from the skillet to the baking dish.
  • Add the cooked elbow macaroni and half of the cheddar cheese. Mix well.
  • Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese over the top of the ingredients.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

*️⃣ Recipe Notes

  • You can substitute a variety of different pasta noodles for this recipe.
  • Make this chicken casserole with noodles a complete meal with Ceasar salad or veggies and garlic bread as side dishes.
  • A great dish to take to a potluck.
  • A rotisserie chicken from Costco can be substituted for the canned chicken.
Keyword casserole, chicken, chicken casserole, chicken casserole noodles, noodles, pasta
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