Chicken Noodle Casserole

4.72 from 7 votes

This updated version of the classic dish is by America's Test Kitchen. It has a creamy, savory cheesy base and is topped with a layer of buttery Ritz Crackers.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, noodles

Servings: people

Calories: 567kcal

Author: America's Test Kitchen

Equipment

Dutch oven

Ingredients

12 ounces wide egg noodles
1 ½ teaspoon table salt plus salt for cooking pasta
3 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1 onion chopped fine
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups half-and-half
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed and halved lengthwise
4 ounces deli American cheese chopped coarse
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded (1 cup)
1 ½ cups frozen peas
1 ¼ teaspoon pepper
25 Ritz Crackers crushed coarse

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until just al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water until cool, about 3 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water until cool, about 2 minutes. Drain again and set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in now-empty pot over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl set aside. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in again-empty pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half-and-half and broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Off heat, transfer chicken to plate. Let chicken cool slightly, then shred with 2 forks into bite-size pieces. Whisk cheese into sauce until smooth. Stir peas, pepper, salt, noodles, bell pepper mixture, and shredded chicken into cheese sauce.
Transfer mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish (or similar size casserole dish) and top with crackers. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let casserole cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

To make ahead Do not add peas or top casserole with crushed crackers. Casserole can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. To serve, cover casserole dish tightly with greased aluminum foil and bake in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, 45 minutes. Uncover, stir in peas and top with crushed crackers; bake until topping is crisp and golden, 10 minutes.

Recipe reprinted with permission from America's Test Kitchen The Kitchen Bible: Say Goodbye To Boring Chicken With 500 Recipes For Easy Dinners, Braises, Wings, Stir-Fries, And So Much More, copyright 2021.

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