Some people like their Chicken Noodle Casserole with a breaded topping and maybe some do not. I’m going to be showing you that both ways are equally delicious. For this recipe, I’ll be using Panko for the topping but I’ll let you know at what point I stop short of that last step in the recipe.

Below is the picture of my Chicken Noodle Casserole with no Panko bread crumb topping.

Below are the pictures of when I used the Panko bread crumbs for the topping.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: Chicken 45 minutes
Cook Time: Casserole 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Equipment: 9 x 13 casserole (baking) dish, chef’s knife, large mixing bowl, rubber spatula, 1 (6-quart) pot, long tongs, microwave-safe small mixing bowl, 2 forks, meat-safe cutting board, 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, small sauté pan

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried rosemary
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

2 (10-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup of whipped cream cheese, substitute sour cream
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 ribs of celery with leaves, finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of dried parsley
2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package of shredded Cheddar Jack cheese, reserve half
1 (8-ounce) package of shredded Mozzarella cheese, reserve half
1 (12-ounce) package of thawed frozen peas and carrots
1 pound of Fettuccine
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, unsalted and melted

Directions For Roasting Chicken:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Place two chicken breasts (2 breasts on each sheet pan) onto a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on dried rosemary, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Transfer the pans to the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165-degrees F. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate allowing to cool before removing the skins and bones for shredding.

In the meantime, dice the onion, celery, and mince the garlic. In a preheated sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, diced onion, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Stirring ocassionally, cook until onions are translucent, and celery is tender, around 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat to let the mixture cool down slightly.

In a large mixing bowl add the cream of chicken, thawed peas and carrots, cream cheese, half of both shredded cheeses, milk, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Next, add the cooked celery and onion mixture. Using a large spoon, gently incorperate the celery and onion mixture into the bowl.

Moving forward, add water to the pot for cooking the fettuccine. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Using two forks shred the chicken. Add all the shredded chicken to the bowl, mix to combine. To the pot of boiling salted water, add the fettuccine. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or just until al dente. Remember the pasta will continue to cook while in the oven. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the fettuccine to the bowl with the other ingredients. Toss to combine.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Spray the casserole dish with butter-flavored non-stick cooking spary. Using a rubber spatula, pour the chicken noodle mixture into the casserole dish. Add the remaining shredded cheese over the top. This is the point where you would place the casserole into the oven if you weren’t going to use a Panko bread crumb topping. Bake for 35 minutes until bubbly and the top is golden brown. Add the dries parsley flakes to the top for color.

Melt 1 stick of butter. Sprinkle the Panko bread crumbs evenly over the top of the cheese. Drizzle the melted butter over the Panko and bake for 35 minutes until bubbly and the breading is a light golden brown. Add the dried parsley flakes to the top for color.

Notes:
1). Feel free to use rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken you have on hand.
2). You could also substitue cream of mushroom or cream of celery for the cream of chicken.
3). Regular bread crumbs, or crushed crackers could be substitued for the Panko bread crumbs.