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It’s hard to beat this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Noodle Casserole. Think broccoli cheddar soup meets cozy weeknight casserole. It’s made entirely in one pot and comes together in less than an hour. Made with chicken, short-cut pasta, herbs, and lots of broccoli. Cook everything together in a big skillet, add cheese, and finish this off in the oven. Simple, but so delicious. The perfect weeknight casserole!
Like clockwork, September hits, and I’m back to sharing more casseroles. For me, September is all about transitioning into a more cozy lifestyle. With school starting and the days getting shorter, it means crisp fall crisp days are just ahead.
Even though our summer was short and I didn’t want it to end. There’s probably not a month I love more than September. Our weather is perfect, there’s so much excitement for the season ahead, and I can finally share the recipes I really love most. The cozy recipes.
And to me, casseroles are cozy family dinners that everyone loves.
My broccoli cheddar casserole was inspired by an oldie but goodie recipe. I shared a little different version of this recipe a few years back. It was also inspired by the Panera broccoli cheddar soup I grew up eating every single fall back in Cleveland.
I love a casserole-style dinner served up on a Sunday or Monday night. They’re cozy and usually pretty easy to throw together.
Today’s recipe is made entirely in one pot and in under an hour’s time.
Here are all the details
As mentioned, this all starts and ends in one pot. Or two pots if you decide you want to bake this in a casserole dish for a “real deal” midwest style casserole situation.
Start with the basics. Cook your onion, add the chicken, and give the chicken some time to sear. Then add a touch of butter, garlic, fresh thyme, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne.
At this point, pour in broth and milk, add your favorite shortcut noodle, and then add the broccoli. Simmer until the noodles are just about al dente.
Once the noodles have cooked, stir in a handful of cheese until creamy.
Now, this is when you can transfer everything to a casserole dish if needed/desired.
Top with cheddar cheese and bake until the cheese is melty and the broccoli on the top has a little char. Then, I always finish with fresh herbs, usually basil or thyme.
The corners of the dish will form an insanely delicious cheesy crust. While the top is crispy, the middle is extra creamy and delicious. It’s a wonderful combination.
If you prefer to go the vegetarian route, simply omit the chicken from the dish. It’s truly just as delicious without or without, so do what works best for you and your family.
This dish brings back so many memories. Any kind of casserole does. It reminds me of nights eating my mom’s chicken noodle casserole with my brothers.
Only this is better and much healthier. We all love it. Though, it could be fun to give chicken noodle casserole a refresh in my kitchen. Maybe a little healthier version, what do you think?
Looking for other easy back-to-school recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake
Lastly, if you make this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Noodle Casserole
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 423 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3/4 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 3 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Add the butter, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne, and cook until golden and toasted, 2-3 minutes. 3. Add the broth and milk. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the pasta and broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Stir frequently until the pasta is al dente and the broth has been absorbed, about 8-10 minutes. 4. Stir in 1 cup of cheese. If needed, transfer everything to an oven-safe casserole dish. Scatter the remaining cheese over top of the casserole. 4. Bake 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve warm with additional thyme and fresh basil.
Definitely wished I read the comments before. Luckily I did while in the middle of making this. There wasn’t nearly enough liquid to come close to covering the pasta once I dropped it in to boil, especially once adding the broccoli. I had to add inconsistent splashes of milk and broth.
THEN, I read the comments. I decided to double the butter. I added 1/3 C sour cream. I wish I knew how much more liquids I added… and I wish I read comment suggestions on taking the chicken out before the pasta. When it came to the cheese, I just guessed and winged it, combined both, before adding 1 C of the mixture into the casserole. There wasn’t enough left to cover the top. I am surprised as to why, despite how much the lack of Parmesan in the instructions has been addressed, that the instructions haven’t actually been altered?
I made more of the cheese mixture and added panko and crispy fried onions on top. Thank god I added butter, sour cream, and random splashes of milk and broth. It still could have been way creamier, and the chicken was still dry, but thankfully it came out edible. Needless to say, I’m glad I caught this one halfway through. I love almost all of the recipes but they seem lazy, loosely tied, and not back-checked lately.
Hi Ki,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear you had some issues. I haven’t ever needed to add more liquid than what the recipe calls for. Did you stir frequently? That is really key with these one pot meals. So, when step 4 calls for 1 cup of cheese, that is from the parmesan and cheddar combined, then in step 5 it’s the remaining combo of cheese. There should be enough for a light layer of cheese on the top. I hope this helps! xx
I can’t wait for this dish to go into the oven! I won’t lie, I didn’t think the pasta would cook, but I was wrong. Before I put it in the oven, I have a question about the cheeses. I don’t see anywhere in the instructions what to do with the parmesan.
Thanks so much for trying this recipe Cathy!! It’s going in with the cheddar cheese:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
had to add some extra broth and used a little heavy cream as well, as well as shredded extra cheese to put on top, but this was SO easy and yummy. will definitely put this on the menu rotation!
Hi Bell,
Love to hear that this recipe was delish! Thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great weekend!🍁🍃
I made this I added a smidge more broth and cooked the pasta with a lid. I used 14oz noodles instead of a 1Lb I added the parm when I added the pasta and added the one cup before it was done. Then the rest of the cheddar before going into the oven. Mine was plenty creamy. I also used a whole milk. If an alt milk or less fat milk I’d assume it wouldn’t cook the same. I wouldn’t say the recipe needs tweaking just maybe cook to personal reference. Turned out great for me. I made it in my large Dutch oven.
Hey Jessica,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
This is a major no for me. It takes WAY longer for the noodles to cook. You need WAY more liquid, the chicken gets severely over cooked, and the broccoli got mushy from having to cook so long with the pasta. And where does the Parmesan cheese go?
Hey Catherine! I’m so sorry about that! Thank you so so much for letting me know! xT
I just made this recipe and wished I’d given the comments a read because it didn’t come out creamy like her video but it still is tasty. Thankfully I’d gone off recipe and added more broth before putting it in the oven. I’d try this again with changes and try to get it creamy like hers.
Hey Nicole! Thank you for your input, I appreciate it! xT
Other comments had me a little worried about this recipe but tried it anyways and it turned out fabulous. Super tasty and creamy. Such a great dish for the whole family.
Hi! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
After reading comments I added 1 chopped fresh garlic clove to onion carrot sauté , and increased the broth to 3 cups and all the cheese you said to use inside the casserole mixture and then shredded more for the top.
Covered for 10 mins and uncovered for 15 more minutes. It was delicious.
Will definitely make again
Thank you June! xT
Terrible recipe. Halfway into making it I had to switch gears, realizing it would be dry, pasty & all pasta. Wasted pasta & had to make a cheese sauce to make this edible.
This recipe was ok but needs less pasta or more liquid. I ended up covering the casserole with foil in the oven which was probably a good idea because it wasn’t quite as bone dry as some of the other comments had mentioned. Could be a really tasty recipe but needs some tweaking for sure. Might add in sour cream or a touch of cream of chicken tomorrow to try and make it creamier. Still a big fan though of HBH!
Thank you so much for letting me know Kim! xT
Wasn’t good at all. So dry! Sadly it’ll end up going into the trash and it’s such a waste of food. Followed the recipe exactly, but I’m seeing comments now that people had the same problem, with it being dry.
Wish I read the other comments first. This didn’t come out creamy at all. The chicken was so dry and the noodles seemed to absorb all the moisture. I definitely recommend using less pasta or more milk and broth. Also, take the chicken out after it’s cooked in step 2. The chicken essentially gets sautéed, boiled, and then baked in this recipe. Which is too much for small chicken cubes. I didn’t have fresh thyme, so I used 1tsp dried thyme leaves. Also cut back the cayenne pepper to 1/4 tsp. Glad I did because the kids were still saying it was spicy. And lastly, it doesn’t need near 20 minutes to bake. I did 15 minutes and even then I think 10 probably would’ve been enough. I like the flavors all in all, but the recipe is problematic so I wouldn’t risk make it again.
Hey there! I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out for you! Thank you for letting me know! xT
This recipe had so much promise but needs some edits! I followed everything exactly and used macaroni noodles as my short cut pasta. This may have been my mistake, but it didn’t specify which type of noodles besides short cut. The dish tasted amazing but was not creamy whatsoever. I’m going to try again with about 3/4 of a pound of pasta!
Thank you for the feedback Laura! xT
Hi, does the parmesan cheese get mixed in or go on top? Thank you!!
Made this recipe today. I never write a review for recipes but this one was very easy to make and flavourful. I followed the recipe and it came out amazing, the pasta was not soupy or anything. I would cook the broccoli separately and add before baking it just to it wouldn’t overcook, but really good recipe.
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂 xT
I make this dish like clockwork and it is still one of my very favorites!! Everything about it is phenomenal and perfect for a quick and easy dinner. I use it for leftovers as well and it’s just as yummy the next day! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂 xT