Ultimate Chicken Casserole
Ultra creamy, easy to make, and loaded with bacon, cheese, corn, chicken, and egg noodles…there’s no doubt why this is called the ULTIMATE chicken casserole! Super family friendly, savory, and satisfying, this casserole also reheats well. It’s just delicious!
⭐️ What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Ultimate chicken casserole is irresistibly delicious! Bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese, corn, chicken, tender egg noodles, all coated in a creamy sauce. Each bite is full of satisfying and savory flavor! Even the pickiest of eaters will love this comforting and delicious casserole.
- This casserole is super quick and easy to make. It’s ready in under an hour, which is perfect for busy weeknights or weekends.
- Looking for a make-ahead option? You can do that, too. Just prepare the recipe as it’s written, up until the step where you top it with fried onions. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap, then refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake it (within 24 hours of prep). When it’s time, let the casserole come to room temperature while you preheat the oven. Add the fried onions on top and bake as instructed!
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- For a less-sharp onion flavor, sauté the chopped onions in 1 tablespoon of melted butter for 5 minutes or so, just until they’re softened and translucent. After that, make your ultimate chicken casserole as directed! Cooking them down lessens their intensity, which is nice if you’re not a big fan of onion-y flavored things.
- This casserole makes great leftovers, and reheating is super easy. Just pop the leftover casserole back into a pan and reheat it in a 350° Fahrenheit oven until it’s warmed through. Easy peasy!
🥘 More Budget-Friendly Recipes We Love
- Creamy Veg-All Casserole with a Buttery Cracker Topping
- Baked Ziti Pasta
- Turnip Green Soup
- Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
- Potato Crusted Cod
- Chickarina Soup
- Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
- Chili with Rice
- Firebirds’ Chicken Pasta Copycat Recipe
- Stuffed Ziti Fritta
- Tofu Pasta
- Eggplant Lasagna
- Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Instant Pot Chicken and Noodles
- Walking Taco Casserole
Ultimate Chicken Casserole
This creamy casserole is super easy to make. Loaded with bacon, cheese, corn, chicken, and noodles – it's sure to become a go-to!
- 9×13 casserole dish
- cooking spray
- large mixing bowl
- silicone spatula
- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (or cooked and diced)
- 2 cups cooked egg noodles
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 10.5-ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 medium yellow onion (or white onion; finely chopped, approximately 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional, see Notes)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels (or canned corn kernels, drained)
- 1 cup milk of choice (whole, 2%, etc.)
- ½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1 ½ cups french fried onions
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease bottom and sides of casserole dish with cooking spray. Set dish aside.
Add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 cups cooked and shredded chicken” uid=”0″], [wprm-ingredient text=”2 cups cooked egg noodles” uid=”1″], [wprm-ingredient text=”2 cups shredded cheddar cheese” uid=”2″], [wprm-ingredient text=”2 10.5-ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup” uid=”3″], [wprm-ingredient text=”1 medium yellow onion” uid=”4″] (see Notes), [wprm-ingredient text=”1 cup frozen corn kernels” uid=”6″], [wprm-ingredient text=”1 cup milk of choice” uid=”7″], [wprm-ingredient text=”½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon” uid=”9″], [wprm-ingredient text=”1 teaspoon salt” uid=”10″], and [wprm-ingredient text=”½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper” uid=”11″] to large mixing bowl.
Stir all ingredients together until well incorporated, then transfer mixture to prepared casserole dish. Spread mixture out into one even layer, covering bottom of casserole dish completely.
Top mixture with [wprm-ingredient text=”1 ½ cups french fried onions” uid=”8″], spreading fried onions out evenly to cover top of chicken mixture.
Place casserole dish in preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly, and fried onions are browned and crisp.
When casserole is ready, carefully remove dish from oven and set aside. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes, then portion casserole onto serving plates and serve warm.
- Butter: For more-subtle, less-sharp onion flavor, sauté the chopped onion in melted butter 5 minutes or until just softened, then begin the recipe as written.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers in airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350° Fahrenheit for 10-20 minutes or until heated through.
