I recently took part in a “freezer meals” swap. I’m not the best at freezing anything other than meat – so this was a challenge to me! I decided to go for this casserole because it was simple and involved handy ingredients. It turned out wonderfully and I was really impressed, can’t wait to make it again! I’m also looking forward to making many more freezer meals in the future, can’t wait until we actually have freezer space to take full advantage of 
Source: Taste of Home’s Fall Freezer Meals
4 c. uncooked egg noodles
4 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen peas and carrots
2 c. milk
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain noodles; add to chicken mixture. Transfer to two greased 8-inch square baking dishes. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake remaining casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.
To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes (assuming it’s not in the foil pan), or until heated through, stirring twice. Or cover and bake casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.
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Curious….how did you cook the chicken before cubing it?
I don’t follow the question, but it’s been a very long day! I cubed the chicken and then cooked it, but you could cook it first and then cube it – either way you will get the same results! Let me know if I need to change the wording in the recipe to be a little more clear
The recipe says, 4 cups of cubed cooked chicken. So I was just wondering if: 1) did you cube it before or after cooking it? Which works better? And 2) To cook the chicken, did you bake it in the oven, cook it on the stove, use stoneware and cook it in the microwave? I don’t think it matters one way or the other, but I’m just curious how you do it.
Sorry I’m bombarding you with questions, but I’m not a good cook (but trying to be) and need lots of help. I want to make this for my friend, so I’ll use a foil pan, but those can’t go in the microwave. When I give it to her, how should I tell her to cook it? Obviously not in the microwave with that kind of pan. Do I give her your directions: “Cover and bake remaining casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.” Thanks girl!
I cooked it on the stove in a pan until it was white, not brown – and cooked all the way through, no pink in the middle. But any of the above methods would work just fine.
Also, here are the instructions for the frozen casserole:
To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes (assuming it’s not in the foil pan), or until heated through, stirring twice. Or cover and bake casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks Von! Can’t wait to make it! And I’m going to make your chili recipe–love how easy it is!
I love the meal swap idea. I should try and set one up with some friends. I just wish I had a bigger freezer.
Hey Girl… sounds delish… How many will this one serve? Just wondering. PS just so you know we had a dinner party last night and mom (Robin) said she can totally see you as the next Julia Childs… just thought that would brighten your day.
This yields 2 casseroles, 5 servings each! That is an AWESOME compliment from Mrs. Collins and it brightened my day for sure! Thanks for passing that along.
OOooo I so need to do these freezer meals. Going to try this one for sure! Thank yvonne! I’m actually using your Hawaiian Haystack Recipe as I type.
This is on my list to make this week- it looks delish! A Perfect winter meal! I’ll let you know how it goes!
My favorite way to do cubed chicken for casseroles is grilling it on my George Foreman grill. You don’t even have to thaw the chicken breast. I grill it until it is cooked through and then cube it. It is way easier for me since I always forget to pull the meat out to thaw!
[...] Dinner – Creamy Chicken Casserole [...]
[...] Creamy Chicken Casserole [...]
Another great way to get you cooked chicken is pick up a rotissori chicken from the grocery store deli. Cheapest deal is the cold chicken they didn’t sell from the day beforehand. The store near me marks them down some and puts them in the cooler with the premade sandwiches. Many things can be whipped up with that poor cold yummy chicken! Saves time! Doesn’t always save pennies so compare to the raw Chicken and decide how fast do you need it cooked?
Ok So I didn’t read the cook the chicken first until after I put it together. Is it okay? Is it contaminated? how long should I cook it when I decide to use it?
Hmm… I’m sure that as long as you cook the casserole long enough to cook the chicken you will be fine. I’m not sure how much time you will need, my suggestion would be to cook it for the recipe recommended time then check the chicken to see if it is no longer pink. If it is still pink then cook it longer if possible (you may need to keep it covered). If it is no longer pink I think you are fine! Hope that helps!
This sounds very YUMMY! I am going to try it with tuna instead of chicken. I have found you can sub. tuna with chicken quit well. Just thought I would share my idea with you
Saw this recipe on pinterest, and we tried it tonight. My fiance and I absolutely loved it!!! We will definitely be making this many times in the future.
This looks good, and I’d like to try it, but with two cans of cream soup in each pan and about five servings per pan, it would be nearly 1,000 mgs of sodium per serving. I have high blood pressure and am trying to limit processed foods. Have you ever made it with half the amount of the canned soups or with low-sodium soups?
You can make your own cream soup from scratch to cut down on the sodium. That’s what I do…not for the sodium, but I try to cut out as much “processed” food as possible for my family, and making my own cream soups is a simple thing to do to eliminate many questionable ingredients.
[...] For recipe and preparation instructions, click here. [...]