The ultimate chicken casserole says it all in the name. This hearty meal can be made gluten free and has a cook time of only 35 minutes. It’s a simple casserole that is easy to customize to suit your taste and is perfect for both a weeknight dinner and meal prep.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hearty: The ultimate chicken casserole is a nice hearty meal that will fill you up and satisfy the whole family.
- Customizable: This recipe is an easy one to add a few extra veggies of your own choosing to make it what you want. Red onions, chopped broccoli, or even chopped celery work wonders!
- Easy: This casserole uses one bowl and a casserole dish to keep cleanup easy and is a great one to make earlier in the day to just toss into the oven.
- Quick: The ultimate chicken casserole has a total cook time of about 30-35 minutes. About a half hour to a hearty, family friendly, meal.
- Great Meal Prep: Since it reheats so well and works with a. variety of sides, this dish makes for a perfect meal prep option for the week ahead.
Ingredients to Make the Casserole
In order to make the ultimate chicken casserole you will need three cups of pappardelle, fettuccine or egg noodles (about 8-10 ounces of noodles) that have been cooked to al dente with a half cup of the pasta water saved before straining and a cup of French fried onions. You will need one 12 ounce can of evaporated milk, two 10 ounce cans of cream of chicken soup, and three cups of cooked and diced chicken.
Last on the list, you will require a tablespoon of ranch seasoning mix, a tablespoon of minced garlic, a cup and a half of mixed peas and carrots, three chopped green onions, a cup of cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
- If you would prefer a less creamy chicken casserole you can opt to use milk instead of the evaporated milk.
- You can add more ranch seasoning mix if you want more of that flavor. Add slowly and don’t overdo it!
Optional Ingredients
If you would like to make a cheesier version of this ultimate chicken casserole, you can add up to an extra cup of cheese. Stick with the cheddar or mix it up with pepper jack or a taco cheese mix or use something else you like and think would fit.
Adding 6-8 slices or so of cooked and chopped bacon is also perfect for this recipe. Another good option is to dice and seed a couple of jalapeño peppers to add a little kick or a diced tomato or bell pepper.
Gluten Free Chicken Casserole Ingredients
To make this recipe gluten free you will simple ensure that the egg noodles you are using are a gluten free variety, try Double Yolk or Gefen, and cook them to al dente according to package instructions. You will also want to make sure the French fried onions you are using are gluten free if you haven’t made your own. Simply Nature and Natural Earth are good gluten free options for French fried onions.
How to Make an Ultimate Chicken Casserole
The first step to making this recipe is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and to lightly coat a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray or oil. Have your egg noodles cooked to al dente and your chicken cooked and diced. If you chose to add bacon, you will also want to make sure it has been cooked and chopped.
Add the 1/2 cup of pasta water you reserved from cooking the noodles to a large bowl and combine this with the cream of chicken soup, milk, garlic, and ranch seasoning. Stir until it is thoroughly mixed.
Next, add in the noodles, chicken, all of the veggies (except for the French fried onions), and the cheese, reserving any cheese you will want to sprinkle on the top of the casserole later. Mix this all together until the ingredients are well coated and mixed. Add in any salt, pepper, or extra ranch mix to taste and stir that in, as well.
Transfer this mixture into the casserole dish and gently flatten into an even layer. Sprinkle on any of the cheese you may have reserved and then top this off with the French fried onions.
Cover the casserole dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the sides of the casserole dish are bubbling. Once the sides are bubbling, remove the casserole from the oven, garnish, and serve!
How to Make Gluten Free Ultimate Chicken Casserole
To convert this casserole to a gluten free recipe, you will just want to make sure the French fried onions you are using are gluten free (try Natural Earth or Simply Nature) and use a gluten free variety of egg noodles such as Gefen or Double Yolk. You will make the recipe the same as normal with these substitutions.
Note: Typically you will want to use a rice or corn blend for the gluten free pasta in this recipe. They tend to hold up well going from being boiled to baked. You can use your favorite type but be aware that the consistency may differ slightly.
Serving Instructions
Garnishing this ultimate chicken casserole is as simple as topping it off with chopped green onions or parsley. You can also garnish with a little of the leftover French fried onions or cheese, if you like.
Serve this casserole with a side of roasted veggies, or a potato side. My favorites are air fryer roasted sweet potatoes, Brabant potatoes, or air fryer crispy potatoes since they’re quick and easy. If you’re looking to make an extra hearty and filling meal, serving the casserole on top of mashed potatoes is a tasty option, as well!
Storing Instructions
Save the rest of your ultimate chicken casserole by letting it cool to room temperature, place it into an airtight container, and refrigerate. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days well.
Meal prep with this recipe is as easy as letting it cool to room temperature and portioning it out into individual meal prep containers and refrigerating. This casserole reheats well as leftovers. Personally, when using this dish for meal prep, I like to make rice to store in the meal prep containers with the casserole since it reheats quickly in the microwave and tastes great.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are French fried onions gluten free?
French fried onions are made with wheat flour in a lot of cases so they are not always gluten free. You can easily fine gluten free French fried onions as they are readily available nowadays.
Are egg noodles gluten free?
Egg noodles can be made gluten free but are not always made the way. It depends on the type of flour used to make them so be sure to read the ingredients.
It is better to use frozen or canned veggies for this recipe?
You can use either canned or frozen for the ultimate chicken casserole. I prefer to use frozen for this recipe but use whichever you prefer or have on hand.
Can I make dairy free ultimate chicken casserole?
You can try to use a coconut cream instead of the evaporated milk to make this casserole dairy free but I, personally, have not tried it and can’t guarantee the flavor profile will remain the same. Or, you can use a dairy-free milk option such as almond milk and thicken with a bit of gluten-free flour.
Can I use pulled chicken for this recipe instead of diced?
You can definitely use a pulled or shredded chicken for this recipe if you prefer. If you have extra rotisserie chicken or the like around and want to shred it for this casserole it will work just fine.
Other Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Jalapeno Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Crispy Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Alfredo Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Mozzarella Bake
- Garlic Chicken Gnocchi
- Dutch Oven Chicken Breasts and Vegetables
Ultimate Chicken Casserole
The ultimate chicken casserole says it all in the name. This hearty meal can be made gluten free and has a cook time of only 35 minutes. It’s a simple casserole that is easy to customize to suit your taste and is perfect for both a weeknight dinner and meal prep.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: chicken
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 cups fettuccine, pappardelle or egg noodles cooked just to al dente, ½ cup pasta water reserved
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 2 (10-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix (see notes for homemade option)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 1.5 cups mixed peas and carrots (frozen or canned)
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup French fried onions
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly coat a 9×13 casserole dish with a cooking oil spray
- Add the reserved pasta water, canned cream of chicken, milk, ranch seasoning and garlic to a large bowl and stir until combined
- Add in the pasta, chicken, peas and carrots, green onions and cheese and stir until everything is evenly coated and mixed together. Add salt and pepper to taste
- Transfer the chicken mixture into the greased casserole dish. Gently flatten into an even layer. Add a sprinkle of cheese to the top if you want extra, and then top with the fried onions
- Cover the casserole and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until sides are bubbling
Notes
- Milk of choice can be used in place of evaporated milk, but it won’t be as creamy
- You can add up to another 1 cup cheese if you’d like it cheesier
- 6 slices cooked and chopped bacon can be added in during step 3
- To make your own ranch seasoning: Combine 1 and 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper
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Jenny says
Ohhh this was so tasty! Everyone loved it. Thank you!