Marsala Chicken Noodle Casserole

This Marsala Chicken Noodle Casserole is the best combination of two of the most comforting dinners!

If you need more chicken pasta recipes, look no further. This combination of my Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe and my Chicken Noodle Casserole is sure to win over the hearts of even your most picky eaters!

Thank you so much, Lisa! This recipe is AMAZING!! We could not stop shoveling this meal into our faces!!!! It will definitely be a dinner in my rotation!

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe

How to Make Chicken Marsala Noodle Casserole From Scratch

Here is a brief overview of how this recipe for chicken marsala casserole comes together. For the full recipe including all ingredients and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Cook the noodles. Cooking them in chicken stock deepens the flavor of the whole dish. Remove some of the liquid and drain the noodles before they are fully cooked. See more on this below.
Sauté the vegetables. Melt the butter and cook the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the pan until they are soft and tender.
Make a roux. Add the flour to the pan, mixing it in to make a paste. Very slowly add the reserved cooking stock. Then add the heavy cream and wine.
Put it all together. Stir in the chicken, cooked noodles, and some of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake until the cheese is melted and your desired amount of browning has occurred.

Making a Roux

One of the things that makes the sauce in this marsala chicken casserole with noodles so perfect and creamy is making a roux. A roux is a combination of fat and flour and is a great thickening agent for sauces. Here we use the butter we sauté the mushrooms in and some all-purpose flour.

Making a roux can feel intimidating, but it’s pretty simple. The key is being patient. Once you add your flour in, really slowly start adding the liquid. I literally go about a tablespoon at a time, waiting for the liquid to be incorporated before adding more.

It is important to let the butter and flour cook for about thirty seconds once it is fully combined. This eliminates the taste of flour. Then slowly whisk in chicken stock and the marsala wine. Some think this is a little over the top, but that little bit of extra time feels totally worth it in the end when I have this delicious perfect creamy sauce.

Cooking With Wine

In this recipe, we use a dry Marsala cooking wine. Its flavor is crucial in this recipe because a lot of the flavor of Chicken Marsala does come from the fortified wine. The recipe calls for one cup, which is a minimal amount for four servings. Additionally, some of the alcohol will cook off. That said, if you want to skip the wine, you could replace it with chicken or beef stock.

overhead view of baking dish full of chicken pasta recipe - 2

Cooking Pasta For this Recipe

Cooking pasta may seem like the easiest step of a recipe, but these tips will make it perfect for this marsala chicken recipe. Any medium sized pasta would work well such as shells or penne. You can also use egg noodles.

Cook your noodles while you are prepping everything else. It’s the perfect time to chop your veggies and make sure that you have all your other ingredients measured out. Because you are making your roux with the cooking liquid from the noodles, you kind of need the noodles to be finished before you continue.
Use chicken stock when cooking your noodles. This deepens the flavor of the whole dish. If you are on a budget, consider buying chicken stock base. It makes cooking noodles in chicken stock much more affordable. Follow the directions on the box of the pasta.
Follow the directions on the box. Two minutes before the suggested cooking time on the package, remove 1 1/2 cups of the liquid and drain the pasta. Since we are baking this recipe, the noodles will finish cooking in the oven.

I like to keep chicken stock base in my cupboard and make chicken stock by boiling water and stirring it in. It’s less expensive and makes me feel better about cooking my noodles in chicken stock.

close up view of cheesy chicken noodle casserole recipe with parsley topping the dish - 3

Using Cooked Chicken

Part of what makes this recipe come together so quickly is using chicken that is already cooked. There are a few ways you can do this

Use cooked chicken that has been frozen. This is a great way to save time for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken. Follow my steps for how to freeze cooked chicken.
Using a rotisserie chicken . eliminates the step of cooking the chicken.
Boil it. Otherwise, you can just boil it for 15 to 20 minutes and shred it.

Freezing Cooked Chicken

Tips and Tricks

There are a few little tricks that make this recipe over the top amazing. It ends up just being the ultimate in delicious comfort food.

Shred your cheese from a block. I highly recommend doing this for any recipe that has cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is covered in preservatives that make it difficult to melt. Take the extra five minutes and shred the cheese yourself, it will taste so much better.
Taste the sauce. Before you mix in the chicken and the noodles, give the sauce a little taste. You can add a little salt and pepper at that point if you think it needs it.
Swap the wine. If you want to make this recipe without wine, you can replace it with chicken stock, but I will say that it adds a significant amount of flavor to this recipe. If you want to make this recipe without wine you might like our traditional Chicken Noodle Casserole more instead.

Cheese Grater

cheesy chicken noodle casserole being pulled out of casserole dish - 4

Making Ahead

If you would like to make this casserole the night before, follow all the steps up until adding the second half of the cheese. Cover and put in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 35 minutes.

Freezing Noodle Casseroles

This recipe works great for freezing! You can even make a double batch and freeze the one for another time. Stop at step 6, wrap the casserole dish three times in aluminum foil, and freeze for up to three months.

I would suggest freezing the casserole before baking. While it definitely can be frozen after baking, it just won’t be quite as delicious as when you ate it right from the oven.

Freeze it in a disposable baking dish to prevent it from shattering when put in the oven. If you are going right from the freezer to the oven, add 15 minutes of baking time.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store leftovers of this marsala chicken noodle casserole recipe in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

What to Serve With Chicken Marsala Casserole

Arugula Salad
Roasted Green Beans
Dinner Roll Recipe

Overhead photo of the Chicken Noodle Casserole with parsley topping the dish - 5

Other Great Chicken and Noodle Recipes

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Southwestern Alfredo One Pot Pasta
Spinach Artichoke One Pot Pasta
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Ingredients

6 cups chicken stock (see note)
16 ounces rigatoni noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces mushrooms sliced
1 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups reserved cooking liquid (from the noodles)
1 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
3 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

Cook the pasta in chicken stock. Two minutes before the suggested cooking time on the package, remove 1 1/2 cups of the liquid and drain the pasta.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Melt the butter over medium low heat in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft and tender.
Add the flour to the pan, mixing it in to make a paste. Very slowly add the reserved cooking stock. Approximately a tablespoon of stock at a time, waiting until the last bit of stock was completely combined before adding the next bit.
Now slowly add the heavy cream and marsala wine.
Once all the marsala and heavy cream are mixed in, season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken, cooked noodles, and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with the remaining 2 cups of cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until your desired level of cheese browning.

Notes

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