10/15/21

French Onion Chicken Casserole

An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

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I’m laughing at myself and kicking myself all at the same time over this one.

After making my Chicken & Noodles last week, I was thinking about how good it is to be such a simple and easy recipe. I spent some time thinking of other recipes I could make with the same ingredients and maybe even change it up a bit. Lean toward another flavor or make it a casserole or something.

Then I thought of condensed French Onion soup and wondered why nobody uses it like Cream of Something soups in pasta casseroles and such. I use it in my Pork Chop & Rice Casserole and LOVE it but it’s used to actually cook the rice in so I wasn’t sure how using it for a sauce would go.

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

So then I came up with this amazing idea (really, so, SO clever!) to make a French Onion casserole with egg noodles and chicken. I mean, that’s brilliant right?! 

I made it – really just adding ingredients until everything tasted great and I liked the consistency – and it was delicious! Like, surprisingly delicious!!

OH MY BLOG!! I’m so good at this! I should do this for a living!! Wait, I already do, but still, this is great and I invented it and I am so special and talented!!

I sat down to write up the recipe and wondered what to call it. So I started googling name ideas to make sure I didn’t pick a name that already went with something else and…

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

This is already a thing. 

[heavy sigh]

I am not special.

Or clever.

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

So, evidently, there’s already a casserole similar to this. I can’t track it down to the origin because it looks like a bunch of sites just copied the same recipe over and over. Mine’s not exactly the same but clearly I’m not the first one to think of this concept. Boo.

Here are the major differences in my casserole and the ones I’m seeing online:

  • I use chicken broth to cook the chicken then cook the noodles in the same flavor-packed broth after the chicken is done (OK, that’s pretty clever, right?).
  • This one has condensed French Onion Soup (which I think gives the dish an actual “french onion” taste and breaks up the monotony of the Cream of Chicken a bit).
  • I add thyme and garlic (which again, is more traditional to the classic French Onion soup).

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.
  • I use a half cup of sour cream and the other recipes use two cups of French Onion Dip.
  • I use a combo of buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions for the topping. One reason is my FAVORITE casserole is topped with the buttered bread cubes and it is insanely good but also to mimic the bread on top of a bowl of traditional French Onion soup.
  • I mixed the onions in with the bread too because, hello? the theme is French Onion and the company is called French’s so… (OK, actually, that doesn’t make any sense but they’re good and I knew it would taste great).
  • This one doesn’t have any cheese and most others do. I thought about it (because, again, hello? French Onion Soup) but everything was looking so very rich and creamy, I didn’t want to add even more of the same. If I ever do, I'd add a layer of thin sliced gruyere or swiss before the bread/onion topping. 

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

So, anyway, here’s my stupid casserole.

That’s not unique.

Whatever. 

JK, I’m still super excited about how good it was, and I will 1000% be adding this to our regular supper rotation! 

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

Love the flavors of French Onion soup?? Check out these recipes too!

  • French Onion Soup Casserole - An easy side dish recipe with toasted, crusty bread dipped in a thick French Onion Soup base topped with gooey, buttery melted cheese.
  • French Onion Potatoes - A super easy 5-ingredient casserole recipe with tender potato pieces cooked in a savory, buttery onion soup base topped with cheese.

Recipe for French Onion Chicken Casserole

French Onion Chicken Casserole! An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty buttered bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

French Onion Chicken Casserole

French Onion Chicken Casserole
Yield: 8 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
An easy, creamy chicken noodle casserole with French onion soup, topped with toasty butter bread cubes and crispy fried onions.

Ingredients

  • 3 large chicken breasts
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 12-oz bag egg noodles
  • 2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
  • 1 can French Onion soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 4 cups bread cubes
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 6-oz carton crispy fried onions

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Add chicken and chicken broth to a medium-sized saucepan then heat until broth just starts to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low then simmer chicken for 30-35 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken from broth to cool. Replace lid on pan and leave broth on the stove (we’ll cook the noodles in the broth in just a bit).
  4. Cut bread into small cubes then toss with melted butter in a medium bowl. Add crispy fried onions then toss to combine; set aside.
  5. Combine soups (do not prepare first), sour cream and spices in a large mixing bowl then whisk together until smooth.
  6. Heat reserved broth until boiling then add noodles. Cook noodles, covered, 1-2 minutes less than package directions (we want them to be a tad undercooked).
  7. Drain noodles well then add to bowl with soup mixture.
  8. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces then gently fold chicken and noodles into soup mixture. Once combined, spread into a greased 13x9 baking dish.
  9. Spread bread cubes and onions evenly over dish then bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until heated through, covering loosely with tented aluminum foil about halfway through (once bread cubes are starting to get toasty and browned).

Notes

The noodles should cook fine in the reserved broth even though they won't be submerged. Just stir occasionally and leave the lid on to trap in steam.

french onion, chicken, noodles, egg noodles, french onion soup, cream of chicken, bread cubes, fried onions, best, how to, recipe
dinner, supper
american
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13 comments:

  1. Girl, it seems like there is no unique idea anymore! I swear, you can come up with Double Cheeseburger Snickers Butterfinger Pie with Brownie Crust and Caramel Topping, and someone somewhere has already done it on Pinterest. No matter. Your recipes are tried, true, and so good! This looks awesome, can't wait to try it.

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  2. don't stop sending your ideas. this sounds wonderful. anytime you need a person to taste test, count me in

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  3. I'm ONLY goin' to say OMG!! OMGGGG!!! because although I've found many times when I use a receipe that's looked so luscious and mouth-watering on the site when I get it done it doesn't look the same and probably doesn't taste the same buttttt, low and behold this one HERE!!!! Yessss, it's as good as it looks AND you can make it to look the same wayyyy (no joke). I did it, I did it and I'm glad about it and I'm NOT even really a "french onion" type of girl but OMGGGG!!!

    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe; totally thrilled.

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  4. This sounds great! I can't wait to try this dish. It looks so delicious and all my favorite ingredients. Thanks for all the great recipes, and keep sending them to me. I'm making my 2 sons a recipe box full of great but easy recipes, for a Christmas gift.

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  5. Mandy - good looking recipe. If I came across it in the wild, I would look at it, think it was interesting, then keep scrolling. Since it's on YOUR blog, I'll try it - again, looks good.

    I DID want to mention that I don't remember any "story before the recipe" literally making me laugh out loud. TOO funny! It might not be a completely new recipe, but it's your recommend that's making me try it!

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  6. With the condensed soups, you mention "do not prepare first." When making a casserole, I generally do 1/4 can milk and 1/4 can heavy cream. You're going straight at it? Love the dialog in this blog! I don't know how many times I've "invented" in the kitchen only to find a similar recipe later. LOL (first was when I was 15 years old and I'll be 65 in less than a month!).

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    Replies
    1. Yep, going straight at it! Well, we must be decent cooks if the stuff we "invent" is already successful 😘

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  7. Wonder if this would be good if I subbed a can of cream of onion soup for one of the chicken soups...hmmmm.....

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  8. what kind of bread did u cube.

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    Replies
    1. I've made it twice now, once with hot dog buns (pictured here) and once with regular sliced sandwich bread.

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  9. AWE_SOME_ INSPIRING!!!! I LOVE your blog- your humor and esp your RECIPES..You are sassy and engaging and such DELICIOUSNESS could only come from a tried & True Southern Girls Kitchen..Im getting the ingredients & cooking it for my lil granddaughter-age 2 & her Momma & Dad..She is sassy like you and my son and Oh so funny & Joy of my life..What better way to spend the weekend than Cooking & Goin straight for it!! TY Mandy- Im an Italian Nana who loves Southern Cookin!

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy