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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.
This recipe was a no for me. I love so many of the HBH recipes but this one was so off. I followed the instructions to a tee except used whole wheat pasta. It was so dry and sadly flavorless. All I could taste was cayenne and there was no creamy/cheesy aspect because it was so dry. I should have read the reviews prior but c’mon. Frustrating to spend time and money on a recipe and have it fail.
Hi Erin,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xx
I really wish I read the comments before making this! The flavors were great but there wasn’t enough liquid to make it creamy and saucy like it’s pictured. I will definitely add more liquid next time. Otherwise this is a great dish.
Hi Audrey,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, sorry to hear you felt there wasn’t enough liquid. You may have had your heat too high which would have caused the liquid to cook down faster. I hope this helps for next time! xx
Delicious and a hit with the kids! I added an extra cup of water as my noodles weren’t covered. I would say add the noodles first, stir them in, then add the broccoli to ensure the noodles are in the liquid. I didn’t have cheddar either and used mozzarella and Colby Jack. Great weeknight meal!
Hey Maggie,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner! xTieghan
As a Minnesota gal now living on the westcoast, my fiance and I were craving some fall weather comfort food. This nailed it! The cayanne pepper added the perfect touch of “zip” and we both devoured it. Thank you, Tieghan for being such a recipe go-to in our house! Everything we make of yours is *gold*!
Hey Gretchen,
Fantastic! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) xx
i want to make this but im
gluten free. everything is an easy swap but the pasta. GF pasta is so tricky, i usually use jovial and severely undercook it when i’m mixing it into anything in a pan or otherwise. hoping it turns out OK – any thoughts?!
I have Celiac and over the years have tried every GF pasta I could find. A random Amazon purchase turned out to be our fave! It’s worth the price and cooks perfectly in every HBH recipe I’ve tried!
Here’s a link to this brand with a shape very similar to what you see in the recipe above. I’m don’t know if the hyperlink will work, but copy and paste will do the trick.
Le Veneziane Gluten Free Pasta Noodles ~ Pipe Rigate Noodles ~ Corn Pasta ~ 2 Count (8.8 Oz.) Bonus Measuring Spoon Included https://a.co/d/gL8k9wr
Good luck!
oh my! thank you so much, i’ll have to give it a try. pasta is always worth the price when you can’t have the real thing, you want the next best thing!
Hi Liz,
I think the gluten free pasta should work well for you here! I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out! xx
it came out great! used jovial elbows. was scared by some of the reviews about it being dry but liquid totally worked for me, just stirred constantly for 8 minutes or so. i did have a bit of a cayenne incident (shame on me for pulling the shaking holes off all my spices) but that’s user error!
Hi Liz,
Happy Monday!! I truly appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! Oh no, sorry about the cayenne! xx
For two and a half years I’ve told any one who would listen about your blog, Instagram whatever. I told them that for 2 and 1/2 years I’ve never made a recipe of yours that wasn’t ?delicious and so flavorful, which was absolutely true, until this recipe. The directions were all over the place. Garlic powder before salt and pepper? Directions were different. Where is the Parmesan suppose to go? The creaminess and flavor was a total bomb, I’m sorry. I don’t know if you’ve gone on to merching too many thing or just being a very expensive fashionista, but I hope you get back to what your extremely good at, COOKING. I tried to find a private venue to post this but couldn’t find one. You are such a good cook, please don’t get distracted! ❤️
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for making the recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Happy Sunday! xx
Just perfect! I watched the liquid after reading the comments. I added a little more broth. I didn’t expect the flavors!! So delicious!
Also, I used rotini! It turned out great.
Awesome!!
Hey Ashlee,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Good comfort food and easy to make. I followed the others’ advice and added more chicken broth/water so the noodles would be almost covered. I only used 3/4 of an onion and it was still too much onion for me, but my husband and toddler loved it!
Hey Dominique,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
My whole family enjoyed and my toddler had 3 servings including all the veggies. I did end up using more broth as I think my burners run hot and and wanted to make sure there was enough fluid to sink in. Thank you for a delicious family friendly recipe.
Hey Christine,
Amazing!! I am so glad to hear that your family enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Could you cook the pasta beforehand or would it be too liquidy? The past few times I’ve added the pasta in uncooked to cook in the broth, it hasn’t cooked all the way.
Thanks!
Hi Cole,
You could, you would want to reduce the liquids though! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hi!
I’m looking forward to trying this! I am prepping for baby’s arrival and was curious if this would work as a freezer recipe. If so, how do you recommend preparing it for freezer & cooking it out of the freezer?
Thank you!
Hey Ashly,
Totally, I would just freeze before the baking point! I hope you love this recipe, best of luck with your newest addition! xx
This was really good! I ended up using an entire 32 ounce container of chicken broth because the recommended liquid amount cooked down before the pasta finished cooking. This might be because I used small shell pasta, though; since the pasta is so small, there might have been too much in the container for this recipe. Next time I’ll try a bigger pasta shape like cavatappi. The flavor was so good, though! Definitely a keeper recipe for me.
Hi Lindsey,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx
Delicious flavor! I do think I should have added more liquid. It was a bit on the dry side, not creamy like yours!
Hi Marcie,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Try turning the heat down just a touch when the pasta is cooking, that should help! xT
Shocked this recipe has 5 stars because it was pretty bland. It’s stuck in between healthy and comfort food.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Hi! What would you recommend one substitute the whole milk with that is dairy free?
Hi Hannah,
Any other milk that you enjoy will work:) I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Easy comfort food type of dish. I made mine with ground beef & pork because I too many other chicken dishes on the menu last week. Really yummy! I froze the leftovers thinking it will be an easy dish to pull out and reheat this winter.
Hey Noell,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making this dish, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So good!! A few tweaks that made it amazing, started in a Dutch oven, I added a bit more liquid, only used 3/4 of the box of pasta, added the broccoli right before throwing in the oven to keep it from getting mushy and added a tablespoon of Hidden Valley ranch seasoning!
Hey Samantha,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan