Every bite of this creamy, crunchy Chicken Chow Mein Casserole will dazzle your tastebuds as it combines all your favorite Chinese chow mein flavors in an easy casserole!
A DELICIOUS OLD SCHOOL CASSEROLE
This casserole is one of those dishes that was pretty popular in the 80's. I've tweaked it a bit over the years to update some of the flavors but the core ingredients are still there. It combines convenience foods with favorite Chinese takeout flavors to create a very American style casserole! This dish combines flavors like soy sauce and garlic, with plenty of tender chicken, fresh vegetables, and crispy noodles – all in one easy, delicious casserole that's ready in under an hour!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I wouldn't use the regular, full sodium soy sauce because it would make the dish too salty. Trust me, just use the low-sodium soy sauce.
This casserole is perfect just by itself. However, if you want, you can serve this over some white rice or even fried rice to really add some more flavor.
You can also serve this with some steamed veggies like broccoli and snap peas or a side salad.
Everyone always wants stuff done faster, right?! Some stores (like Trader Joe's) sell prepared mire poix which is a diced onion, celery, and carrots combo. That will definitely cut down on prep time. Additionally, you can use jarred garlic instead of getting fresh garlic. And of course, I used a rotisserie chicken here to make it faster to prepare as well.
You can make your own versions of the chicken and rice and cream of chicken soup - although doing so no longer makes this a convenient and easy casserole to make. You can also swap one of them out for cream of mushroom soup to enhance the mushroom flavor. Also, if you're sensitive to sodium, I would purchase the low sodium soups.
To make this casserole even creamier than it already is, try adding ½ cup of sour cream, softened cream cheese or even a touch of mayonnaise to the casserole.
Not a problem! In place of the pimento, you can use one diced red bell pepper. Just add it right to the skillet when you're cooking the rest of the veggies.
If you've never purchased jarred diced pimento before, you can usually find it near the jarred olives and pickles in your grocery store.
You bet. They add a delicious crunch to this dish. If you've never eaten water chestnuts, they really don't have much flavor all by themselves. They take on the flavor of whatever they're cooked in so give them a try!
To really amp up the flavor, add a teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice seasoning to the filling.
After cooling, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. The chow mein noodles will get soften though. We still enjoy it even with the softened noodles. Additionally, you can freeze it, but again, the noodles will soften when thawing, so just be aware.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- salted butter
- celery
- onion
- carrots
- garlic cloves
- diced pimentos
- water chestnuts
- cream of chicken soup
- chicken and rice soup
- milk
- pepper
- low sodium soy sauce
- diced cooked chicken (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)
- chow mein noodles
- sliced green onions
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CHOW MEIN CASSEROLE
Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large (deep) skillet, add the butter over medium heat until melted.
Once melted, add the celery, onion, and carrots and turn the heat up to high. Cook, stirring constantly until the vegetables are starting to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Turn the heat back down to medium. Add the garlic, pimentos and water chestnuts and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant.
Then add in the cream of chicken soup, chicken and rice soup, milk, pepper and soy sauce. Stir to combine. At this point you’ll want to taste for seasoning and make sure it’s how you like it.
Finally, stir in the chicken and one cup of the chow mein noodles.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Evenly spread the last cup of the chow mein noodles evenly on top.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for about 30 minutes (until the casserole is bubbling and warm throughout.)
Allow to cool for several minutes (mixture thickens up as it cools) then serve topped with sliced green onions.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Beef Egg Roll in a Bowl (+Video)
- Crock Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken
- Beef Fried Rice
- Easy General Tso's Chicken
Chicken Chow Mein Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons diced pimentos
- 8 ounce can water chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 ounce can chicken and rice soup
- ½ can milk
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 ½ cups cooked, diced chicken (about one whole rotisserie chicken)
- 2 cups chow mein noodles, divided use
- sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large (deep) skillet, add the butter over medium heat until melted.
- Once melted, add the celery, onion, and carrots and turn the heat up to high. Cook, stirring constantly until the vegetables are starting to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat back down to medium. Add the garlic, pimentos and water chestnuts and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant.
- Then add in the cream of chicken soup, chicken and rice soup, milk, pepper and soy sauce. Stir to combine. At this point you’ll want to taste for seasoning and make sure it’s how you like it.
- Finally stir in the chicken and one cup of the chow mein noodles.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Evenly spread the last cup of the chow mein noodles evenly on top.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake for about 30 minutes (until the casserole is bubbling and warm throughout.)
- Allow to cool for several minutes (mixture thickens up as it cools) then serve topped with sliced green onions.
Notes
- I think low sodium soy sauce is best here or it will taste too salty.
- Shortcut: If you can find already diced mirepoix (celery, onion and carrots) use that to cut down on preparation time.
- Jarred garlic works fine instead of fresh.
- Enjoy mushrooms? Try using cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup and sliced mushrooms.
- Want to make it creamier? Try adding about ½ cup of sour cream, softened cream cheese or even mayonnaise to the mixture.
- Instead of jarred diced pimentos you can use one finely diced red bell pepper and cook it along with the other vegetables in the skillet.
- I like to serve this with a side salad or steamed vegetables (snap peas or broccoli)
- If you’re sensitive to sodium, use all low sodium options where applicable.
- Want to really amp up the flavor? Try adding about a teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice seasoning to this.