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Did you eat a lot of casseroles growing up?
Cause I sure ate A LOT of chicken noodle casserole when I was a kid, and honestly, it was never my favorite. My brothers LOVE my mom’s recipe for chicken noodle casserole and it’s crazy easy to make, so when we were kids, dad would make it probably every other week. It was pretty much a hit with every kid that walked through our house, but I was just never crazy about it because of all the pre-packaged ingredients.
I know I have explained this before, but I was the oddest child. I actually did not like junk food and in general, I really wanted to eat healthy foods. So chicken noodle casserole just was not my thing.
For years and years, I tried to make healthier versions and failed miserably. My brothers where utterly annoyed with me and I felt pretty defeated…and then…I just gave up for a while. I went back to making mom’s recipe to make everyone happy.
Ugh.
The people pleaser in me never stops wanting to please.
So yes, I gave up for a while, but then last week, I had a thought. What about adding zucchini and swapping a few things in for this and that and adding some other things and yada, yada, yada.
My brain. it’s just a mess.
And guys, one try and I knew I had a winner, like a real winner, this casserole is so good. It passed the mom test (not the brother test because oddly non of them are around at the moment) and that sealed the deal for me. Seriously, this recipe = family casserole perfection.
Perfection I tell ya! YES.
Best part is that it’s also the easiest dinner to make, and I really mean that! AND no one ever needs to know about those 3 cups of grated zucchini. It can be our little secret!
Speaking of secrets, the key to this recipe is the grated onion, it’s what adds all the flavor. Even if you are not an onion fan, which NO ONE in my family is, I highly recommend adding the onion. Mom, who despises any and all onions had not a clue they were in here. She is going to read this and be in shock. Muahahaha…I told you onions are not all bad!
Ok and also important, the gouda cheese. Mom’s casserole recipe does not call for cheese. BUT, I took out a few canned goods that really added a lot of flavor, so the cheese just replaces those flavors with better (non-processed) flavors…cause cheese rules…
I know what you are thinking, didn’t she say this was healthy??? Well, I said healthier, and to me, it is. This casserole is like 100% healthier than mom’s version, so I am pretty happy with it, but yes, there is some butter, bread and cheese.
Don’t hate…just love (cause you know you love those ingredients, and hey, new research says they may even be good for you).
Plus, that full cup of greek yogurt and three cups of zucchini make up for anything in here that could possibly be considered, well, slightly indulgent.
Got to love my logic, right?!? 🙂
In all seriousness, this healthier chicken and zucchini noodle casserole is a great, quick, and easy family meal. You literally add all the ingredients to a baking dish, mix them together and bake. Prep time is maybe fifteen to twenty minutes and bake time is forty-five, so dinner in an hour with forty-five minutes of leisure time.
Yes, I’ll take that!
And if you want, you can prepare the casserole in advance and then just pop it in the oven before dinner. Perfect for busy nights or get togethers!
Loving it more and more!!
Healthier Chicken and Zucchini Noodle Casserole.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 509 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups grated zucchini about 3 medium zucchini's
- salt
- 6-8 slices thick whole grain bread*
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless, chicken tenders, diced
- 1/2 of a small onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 carrot grated
- 1/2 pound dry egg noodles * about 4-6 ounces, optional
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt + pepper taste
- 1 cup gouda cheese shredded
- 2-3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or more chicken broth
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes. Can sub potato chips Ritz Crackers or even use a mix of all three
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and spread the grated zucchini out in a single layer. Sprinkle the zucchini with a little salt and then cover the zucchini with another clean towel. Let sit at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- To the bottom of the baking dish, add the cubed bread, making sure the bread mostly covers the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken, grated onion, garlic, carrot, dried noodles, thyme, parsley, cayenne and a pinch of salt + pepper. Sprinkle the gouda cheese on top and add the zucchini. Add in the chicken broth (starting with 2 cups), wine, greek yogurt, butter and eggs.
- Using clean hands (I prefer using my hands) or a spatula, mix all the ingredients up until the bread is well moistened and everything is evenly distributed. If the mixture seems dry, add more broth until well moistened. Sprinkle the corn flakes over top the dish, cover with foil and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and the casserole is no longer jiggly. Remove and let sit 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with fresh herbs if desired. YUM!
Notes
*You can use whatever bread you have on hand, but just make sure the bread covers the bottom of your baking dish. I have used beer, brioche and crusty whole grain breads with success! **If you have leftover cooked chicken on hand, you may sub 1/2 cup shredded or diced chicken for the raw chicken. ***Personally, I love the noodles in the dish, but if you want to keep this a bit lighter you can leave them out. I used egg fettuccine noodles. ****Traditionally, my grandma used to top with with crushed potato chips, but I prefer mixing my chips with half cornflakes OR I also love using half Ritz cracks and half cornflakes!
And yes, that crunchy topping? It.Is.The.BESTEST! Dang good!
I want to buy a box of Ritz just for this recipe. Do you know it would work with Soda crackers broken up with spices? Thanks
Hi Betty,
Sure, I don’t see why not:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Do you think this could be made several hrs in advance?
Hey Alexis,
Yes, just make through step 4 and then bake when you are ready to serve. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious! I topped mine with Ritz crackers, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. The temperatures and times were perfect. Great family friendly dish without being incredibly heavy. If you love onion/garlic, I’d add a little extra!
Hey Torri,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan
Love! I use all Ritz crackers and monterrey jack cheese instead of gouda.
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Not a fan. Shared it with a friend and she enjoyed it. I probably won’t make this again but if I did, I would definitely alter it. I think tossing the chicken, veggies, cheese and sauce together before dumping it into the pan would be a better option. It just tasted like a soggy mess and the flavors weren’t well-dispersed. It was a lot of prep for a “meh” final product.
Hey there,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Do you add the chicken in Raw?
Hey Torre,
Correct. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I added chopped up cauliflower instead of noodles for gluten sake. I also grated one sweet potato to go with the one zucchini I had. I also used goat cheese as I didn’t have gouda. It was delicious. Thank you
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Will! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I love your food. Sadly I am allergic to onions. Is there an alternative that might work?
Hi Karen! You can either omit the onions completely or use shallots. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made a large rustic bread yesterday, and had all other veggies and boiled chicken with it’s stock, so I made two casseroles this morning following your recipe. It smells SO good..one casserole will be shared with a family needing encouragement, the other my dinner tonight?
Thank you so much Karen!
Made it and loved it!I have so much zucchini right now that I’d love to make a couple of these up to have in the freezer… Do you think that they would freeze well? I’m not sure with this type of casserole.
Thanks!
HI! I think this would freeze great! Just freeze before baking, then to bake, thaw and bake! Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan