Cheesy Chicken Casserole is the perfect easy casserole when you’re short on time (or ingredients)!
Pasta is tossed with chicken, peppers, onions, and mixed into shortcut cheesy sauce. Finally, this chicken casserole recipe is topped with even more cheese and baked until melty and bubbly.
Serve it alongside a fresh salad and some Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits for the perfect meal.
Why I Love This Chicken Casserole
If you’re looking for a weeknight dinner, cheesy chicken casserole is your answer. It’s super quick to make.
You can use leftovers or rotisserie chicken or make poached chicken breasts (it’s great with baked chicken breasts too)!
Swap out the cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom or celery in this dish.
This cheesy chicken casserole can be prepped ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it meaning you can make it tonight and cook it tomorrow!
Tips & Variations
This easy chicken casserole can be adapted to use whatever you might have in your fridge:
Chicken casseroles are a staple basically everywhere, usually topped with cheese.
Vegetables: Cook and/or drain your veggies before adding to this casserole. Mushrooms, diced tomatoes (drained if using canned), leftover Grilled Zucchini or roasted veggies all work well.
Pasta: Any medium pasta will work in this recipe. Be sure to cook it al dente (so it’s still a bit firm), it’ll cook more in the oven.
Chicken: swap it for turkey or ham if it’s all you have on hand.
Sauce: use cream of whatever-you-have-in-your-pantry (or make a homemade condensed mushroom soup). Of course any kind of cheese goes here!
Topping: Chicken casseroles are a staple basically everywhere, usually topped with cheese.
It’s also great with a bread crumb topping. Combine 3 tablespoons panko crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter (add a bit of garlic powder, salt & pepper too). Sprinkle overtop and bake as directed.
How To Make a Chicken Casserole
The steps to make this chicken casserole are pretty simple:
- Boil pasta al dente.
- Soften onion and peppers in butter.
- Mix the sauce ingredients and cheese. Stir in chicken and pasta.
- Top with cheese and bake until bubbly.
Serve it with your favorite sides and enjoy!
How To Reheat
To reheat it, just pop it back in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes! If the sauce is a creamy sauce like a mac and cheese, I usually add a dash of milk and cover before heating.
If you are using the microwave to reheat the cheesy chicken casserole, add a splash of milk to the dish and stir it half way through cooking to keep it from drying out.
Serve With
This chicken casserole recipe is simple and doesn’t need much for sides. A fresh tomato or kale salad and some crusty bread or 30 Minute Dinner Rolls make the perfect meal!
Favorite Chicken Casseroles
- Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole – Easy!
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole (from Scratch)
- Chicken Spinach Artichoke Casserole – So creamy!
- Baked Chinese Chicken and Rice
- 4 Ingredient Chicken Rice Casserole
- Easy Broccoli Rice Casserole with Turkey (or Chicken)
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice – Reader favorite!
Did you enjoy this Cheesy Chicken Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Cheesy Chicken Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups shell noodles uncooked
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 onion finely diced
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 10 ¾ ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 ⅓ cups milk
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces canned mild green chiles
- 3 cups cooked chopped chicken
Instructions
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Heat oven to 375°F.
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Cook shells al dente according to package directions.
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Cook onion and red bell pepper in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and chili powder.
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In a large bowl combine soup, onion mixture, milk and 2 cups cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. Mix well. Stir in chicken, pasta and green chiles.
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Spread into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
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Bake 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course
Cuisine American
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Where do the mild chiles come in? It does not seem to be outlined in the recipe instructions.
Hi Flavia, the mild greens are stirred into the casserole in step 4.