Grandma's Chicken Noodle Casserole

A vintage comfort-food casserole: pasta and chicken in a creamy sauce of cream of chicken soup, milk and melted cheese, topped with buttery Ritz cracker crumbs and baked 30 minutes.

No added sugarFreezer-friendly

Contains: milk, wheat. Based on the ingredients as written; check package labels, which can change.

Recipe and video by Alyson Hurley of Baking with Aly on YouTube.

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Casserole by Alyson Hurley of Baking with Aly

Watch the video

Watch on YouTube | More from Baking with Aly

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 40 min
  • Total 1 hr
  • Yield 1 casserole

Updated

Jump to: Ingredients | Instructions | Tips | Print recipe

This casserole is Alyson Hurley's loose adaptation of her grandma's tuna casserole, made with chicken instead, and she shows the handwritten family recipe card at the start of the video. It is pure comfort food: pasta folded into a creamy sauce of cream of chicken soup, milk and melted cheese with chunks of chicken, under a crunchy, buttery Ritz cracker topping.

It comes together in one pot and one baking dish, and bakes in half an hour.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pasta
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 big can of chicken
  • 1/4 pound cheese (Alyson used American and cheddar)
  • 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for the dish
  • Seasoning to your liking

Instructions

  1. Get ready. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a baking dish. Cook the pasta according to the package and drain it.
  2. Make the topping. Melt the butter and crush the Ritz crackers into it.
    Crushing Ritz crackers into melted butter for the topping
  3. Make the sauce. In a saucepan, heat the cream of chicken soup with the milk. Add the cheese and stir until it melts, then stir in the chicken and season to your liking.
    Adding the chicken to the creamy cheese sauce
  4. Combine. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta and spread it in the baking dish. Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the top.
  5. Bake. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F, until bubbling and golden on top.
    Serving the baked casserole

No added sugar

Tips

  • To freeze: cool it quickly, pack it in airtight containers or freezer bags, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat to 165°F.
  • Small pasta shapes such as elbows or shells hold the sauce best.
  • Canned tuna makes it the original family tuna casserole.

Having trouble? See why chicken turns out dry in our kitchen troubleshooting guide.

Printable: safe cooking temperatures chart (PDF).

Serve it with

Build the whole dinner: sides, sauce and dessert ›

Pairs with: Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Wine pairing guide

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