(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.
🥣 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)
👩🍳 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.
3. Skillet with Butter
Put the chopped onions and red bell peppers in a skillet together with 2 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
🍽 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.
📝 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!
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.
❤️ 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.
Chicken and Noodle Casserole (With Red Peppers)
🫕 Equipment
- Saucepan 4 quart (for cooking noodles)
- Baking dish (9×13 inch)
🧂 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.
A wife, a mother to a son and a daughter, and a grandmother to three granddaughters. Flo loves sharing recipes passed down from her own mother, her mother-in-law, and her grandmother as well as new recipes created with her daughter, Tamara Ray.
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