Egg noodles combine with chicken in a creamy, cheesy, Ranch infused sauce in this home-style casserole topped with butter cracker crumbs.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’ve been craving some old-fashioned comfort food, you’ve got to try this Cheesy Ranch Chicken Noodle Bake. It’s a crowd pleasing casserole the whole family will love.
This casserole starts with egg noodles and shredded chicken, tossed in a homemade cheese sauce that’s seasoned with Ranch dressing mix. Then everything is topped with crushed, buttery oyster crackers and baked until golden and bubbly.
I often find myself craving dishes like my mom used to make. You know, those easy to throw together casseroles that can easily and inexpensively feed a big family. And this cheesy noodle chicken dish is one of those recipes.
This is the kind of hearty, satisfying food you’ll find at church potlucks and family reunions. It’s loved by kids and adults alike, and I never get any complaints when I serve this dish for dinner.
It also makes a great freezer meal if you want something to stash away for a busy week night, or want to bring dinner in to a friend or neighbor.
I prefer wide egg noodles in this dish, but you could make it with almost any kind of pasta you have on hand. And feel free to switch out the Colby jack cheese for whatever you’ve got in the refrigerator.
I love that there are endless possibilities for adapting this dish. You could add vegetables (broccoli and peas are two of my favorite additions), omit the chicken, substitute smoked sausage……it’s a great way to use whatever you’ve go on hand.
Don’t have oyster crackers? Go ahead and use any kind of butter cracker, like Club crackers or Ritz. Or top of your casserole with a handful of breadcrumbs, or some extra cheese.
And if you have picky eaters, you can just stick with the recipe as written–almost everyone loves noodles in a creamy, cheesy sauce.
This Cheesy Ranch Chicken Noodle Bake is a go-to dinner at my house. It’s easy to make, I always have the ingredients handy, and the whole family loves it. Which makes it a winner in my book!
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Egg noodles
- Butter
- Produce: onions, garlic, fresh parsley
- Flour
- Ranch seasoning mix
- Chicken broth
- Half-and-half
- Cream cheese
- Chicken
- Colby jack cheese
- Oyster crackers
- Parmesan cheese
Cheesy Ranch Chicken Noodle Bake
Ingredients
For the topping
- 2 cups crushed oyster crackers
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For the casserole
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1 oz. package Ranch seasoning mix
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened and cubed
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the ingredients for the topping; set aside.
- For the casserole, cook noodles in boiling, salted water for 1-2 minutes. rinse with cold water and drain.
- In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Stir in flour and ranch seasoning and cook a few minutes longer.
- Whisk in broth and half and half. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Reduce heat and stir in cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted.
- Stir in noodles, chicken, shredded cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer noodle mixture to the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle topping over casserole. Bake, uncovered, until golden and bubbly, 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition
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2 comments
Kandi
Made this for dinner last night; magically delicious!!! We have two family members with hypertension so I omitted the salt. Still delicious. My husband is not a big fan of ranch dressing if any kind but he actually said this was very good and that I can add to the list to make again!
Jan
This is absolutely fantastic! I shared the recipe on FB if you don’t mind! Told all my friends how delicious it is! Will make over and over again great comfy food!