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–+ servings
Rock Hudson's chicken casserole in a white serving bowl.

Rock Hudson's Favorite Chicken Casserole Recipe

Tender chicken and noodles in a creamy sauce, topped with a golden, crispy breadcrumb crust will make this quick and easy chicken casserole recipe a guaranteed star on your dinner menu!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 384 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 large skillet
  • 1 medium skillet
  • 1 9 x 13 casserole dish greased
  • 1 rubber spatula or wooden spoon

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1-½ tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup mushroom caps sautéed
  • 2-½ cups cooked chicken diced
  • 10 oz. frozen peas
  • 8 oz. curly egg noodles cooked
  • 1 tablespoon cooking sherry
  • ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole and set aside.
  • Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms, then gently wash them under cold water and dry with a paper towel. Slice the mushroom caps.
  • Melt butter in a medium skillet, then sauté the mushrooms in butter until the liquid they dispel cooks off -- approximately 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
  • Melt butter in a deep, non-stick frying pan over low heat. When butter is melted, sprinkle in flour and stir until fully combined.
  • Slowly stir in chicken broth, milk, paprika, salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened, approximately 10 minutes.
  • Add chicken, mushrooms, peas, noodles, and sherry to the sauce and mix well.
  • Pour into the greased casserole dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over casserole. Dot with butter. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve!

Notes

Recommendations:
    1. Use all the white meat from a rotisserie chicken -- it's easy, has great flavor, and no need to measure, you can just use it all up.
    2. Cut the amount of peas in half, to roughly ¾ cup -- we felt the original version was a little too heavy on the peas.
    3. Add the frozen peas directly to the skillet without cooking them first. Rock's instructions say to lightly cook them, but after being mixed in the skillet then baked in the oven, the peas were plenty cooked, so you can eliminate this step.
    4. Increase the amount of breadcrumbs to ½ cup and the unsalted butter to 2 tbs. -- a little extra crunchy topping never hurts.
Storage Instructions
Cool casserole to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in the oven at 350 degrees F until heated through, approximately 45 minutes.
You can also freeze chicken casserole for up to six months. After the casserole comes to room temperature, place it in an airtight container or bag designed specifically for the freezer. Make sure it is sealed tightly. To thaw, place in refrigerator overnight, then reheat at 350 degrees until internal temperature gets to 165°F. 

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 19gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 794mgPotassium: 584mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1144IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 127mgIron: 2mg
Keyword 1950's casseroles, celebrity recipes,
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