Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole with luscious creamy sauce and veggies makes for a belly-filling inviting meal!
If you love chicken noodle soup or casseroles, you, my friend, are in the right place!
This straight-forward comforting Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole combines the familiar deliciousness of chicken soup in casserole form.
We’ve got lean protein, we’re going big on carbs, we’re adding vegetables for flavor, texture, and vitamins.
This is the exact type of meal I eat three times a day, every day in the sense that I’m always looking for protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber in each and every meal.
I make this creamy chicken noodle casserole dairy-free and gluten-free, but don’t worry…I’ve included instructions for adding dairy and you can always use regular noodles!
A note about dairy: While I do eat cheese occasionally, I don’t eat it all the time and I’m fairly selective about when I consume it. Because this casserole is so flavorful and creamy on its own, I didn’t think it was necessary to add cheese.
If, however, you don’t mind adding the dairy or believe a casserole is not a casserole without cheese, feel free to add it! Simply sprinkle on 1 to 2 cups of your favorites cheese before putting the casserole in the oven.
I also use full-fat canned coconut milk to make the sauce creamy (more on that below) rather than using dairy. Again, if you’re fine with dairy, feel free to make the swap!
For those of you who are dairy-free but don’t love the taste of coconut milk, I promise you can’t taste it. There are so many other flavors going on that the coconut milk is undetectable. Plus, we don’t use all that much!
Ingredients for Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole:
Gluten-Free Spiral Noodles: Choose your favorite noodle here! I go with gluten-free spiral noodles, but basically anything will work!
Chicken Breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts get chopped up and added to a rice, creamy, vegetable-loaded sauce to make this casserole extra filling and tasty!
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, carrot, celery, mushrooms, peas. This combination gives that iconic creamy chicken soup feel. You can add or omit any vegetables you like!
Liquids: Chicken broth and full-fat canned coconut milk make up the sauce in this recipe, which gets absorbed into the noodles as the casserole bakes. The combination of chicken broth and coconut milk gives a creamy sauce that when absorbed into the noodles tastes just like creamy chicken noodle soup.
You can’t taste the coconut milk, I promise! It is there just to add some creaminess and some fat. If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to use half & half or heavy cream instead of the coconut milk.
Seasonings: Italian seasoning, sea salt, rice vinegar. These simple seasonings level up the flavor of the casserole to make it a well-rounded flavorful experience.
Optional: Grated cheese! I make this casserole without cheese, but you can stir in 2 cups of your favorite cheese. Grated mozzarella, cheddar, gruyere or gouda are great options!
How to Make Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. I typically cook noodles 2 minutes less than recommended so that they turn out al dente.
Add the avocado oil to a large skillet and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the chopped chicken breasts and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken has browned.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Bring to a full boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the cooked noodles to a large (13” x 9”) casserole dish, along with the sauce.
Note: if you’re adding cheese, you can either stir it in with everything or sprinkle it on top. Stir everything together and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until much of the sauce has been absorbed by the noodles.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Adaptations:
- Omit the mushrooms or peas if you don’t like them.
- Add in any of your favorite veggies. Broccoli or cauliflower work great.
- Use any shape or type of noodle. The gluten-free noodles I use are made with brown rice (sometimes I go with cassava flour), but pick whichever ones you love!
- Swap the coconut milk for half & half or heavy cream if you do dairy.
- Add 1 to 2 cups of grated cheese. Cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, or grueyere are my top recommendations! You can either sprinkle the cheese on top or mix it into the casserole or go for both!
- Add 1 cup of corn kernels if you’d like!
More Delicious Healthy Casserole Recipes:
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole
- Wild Rice Chicken Casserole
- Mushroom Bolognese Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Creamy Brussel Sprout Casserole
Chicken noodle soup casserole for life!
Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 12 oz gluten-free noodles
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth I use low-sodium
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 2 tbsp gluten free flour or tapioca flour
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or lemon juice
- ¾ tsp sea salt to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped
- Optional: 2 cups grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain into a colander and set aside.
- Add the avocado oil to a large skillet and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the chopped chicken breasts and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken has browned.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Bring to a full boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked noodles to a large (13” x 9”) casserole dish, along with the sauce. Note: if you’re adding cheese, you can either stir it in with everything or sprinkle it on top.
- Stir everything together and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until much of the sauce has been absorbed by the noodles.
Nutrition
What can I use in place of the coconut milk? I’d love to make this recipe but I’m allergic to coconuts and I can’t do dairy. I’m very lactose intolerant. I always keep extra creamy oatmilk in my fridge but I’m guessing that might not be good enough. I haven’t found a non dairy heavy cream alternative that doesn’t have coconut oil in it. At least in my area. I’d love any suggestions.
Hi Kaila! Your extra creamy oat milk may work just fine. If it were me, I would try using a little less than a cup of the oat milk and 2 additional tablespoons of avocado oil (or any cooking oil you like). I haven’t tested this myself so I can’t attest to how it would turn out, but I think it might be lovely. Let me know how it turns out!
My husband doesn’t like the coconut flavor, do you think plain almond milk would work out?
Hi Brittany! The coconut milk is important here because it includes decent fat content, which is what makes the dish taste rich and creamy. Any other non-dairy milk won’t have as creamy of a consistency and will be lacking in flavor. The best alternative to the full-fat coconut milk is half and half if your husband can do dairy 🙂
Can this be made ahead & frozen?
Hi Chris! I think the recipe would turn out well as a freezer meal! I haven’t done it myself but because it’s saucy and contains a decent amount of fat, it should freeze and reheat well.
I made the casserole with just carrots, mushrooms and peas. I used GF noodles and dairy free cheese and milk.
My husband enjoyed it.
I agree that it could use more milk!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jane! I’ll have to re-test the recipe using more coconut milk and see how it goes! 🙂
I found this VERY tasty even though I didn’t have any italian seasoning on hand. I used a vegetable seasoning instead with extra oregano and basil. The taste was reminiscent of turkey pot pie! My recommendations would be to toss everything together first, then add it to the casserole dish. This recipe doesn’t create very much sauce, or perhaps i just cooked the liquid too long. A bit labour intensive overall but very tasty with all the veggies. I used regular noodles and went dairy-free.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the casserole! I think a bit more coconut milk will help with the sauce and make it even better! Thanks so much for the feedback! xo
This was very good! My husband even loved it! We used dairy(heavy cream and cheese) but I think it would be fine without. Thank you for a great recipe to add to the rotation!
I love that! So happy to hear you and your husband enjoy it and that it was great with the heavy cream and cheese. I appreciate you reporting back!! xoxo