Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole with Crispy Breadcrumbs
A real béchamel stands in for the can of soup, baked under a butter-toasted breadcrumb crust until it browns.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Written
Method
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until just shy of al dente, a minute or two less than the package says. Drain and set aside.
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Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
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Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it coats the vegetables and no dry patches remain, about 1 minute.
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Whisk in the broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the chicken, peas, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, then fold in the drained noodles. Transfer everything to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
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Melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter and toss it with the panko and parmesan. Scatter the mixture evenly over the casserole.
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Bake at 375°F until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the topping is deep golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Notes
The béchamel is the whole point — it does everything the canned soup would, but it tastes like broth and butter instead of tin. Undercooking the noodles before baking matters more than it looks like it would: they keep absorbing liquid in the oven, and noodles cooked fully on the stovetop turn to mush by the time the topping browns.
Rotisserie chicken is the fast path here, or use leftovers from a roast. Assemble the whole casserole up to a day ahead, breadcrumbs and all, and refrigerate uncovered; bake straight from the fridge, adding about 10 minutes to the covered portion of the bake.