What’s so special about Chicken Crunch Casserole? Diced chicken and soft egg noodles are combined with water chestnuts, almonds and celery to create a delicious meal. Topped with crushed potato chips, this chicken water chestnut casserole is a perfect option to serve the whole family.

What's so special about Chicken Crunch Casserole? Diced chicken and soft egg noodles are combined with water chestnuts, almonds and celery. Topped with crushed potato chips, this chicken water chestnut casserole is a perfect option to serve the whole family.

This easy chicken casserole is all about the crunch, and it comes in multiple forms. For starters, it includes a combination of water chestnuts, celery, and slivered almonds mixed in with the chicken and noodles. And then, the icing on cake is the layer of crushed potato chips that adorn the top.

Table of Contents

Chicken Crunch Casserole Recipe

I love how this chicken crunch casserole combines two of my favorite things – casseroles topped with potato chips and casseroles with a whole lot of crunch and texture. My love for casseroles topped with potato chips started with my Mom’s Tuna Noodle Casserole. I went so far as to convert it to chicken form with this Easy Chicken Casserole recipe.

More recently, I discovered how amazing crunchy casseroles are when I found this Cashew Chicken Casserole. The soft texture of wide egg noodles mixed with crunchy ingredients like nuts and celery is a home run.

This easy chicken casserole is all about the crunch, and it comes in multiple forms. For starters, it includes a combination of water chestnuts, celery, and slivered almonds mixed in with the chicken and noodles. And then, the icing on cake is the layer of crushed potato chips that adorn the top.

Chicken Casserole with Water Chestnuts and Potato Chips

This is a super easy dinner recipe for the family.

My kids can get behind a casserole with shredded chicken and potato chips on top. The cool thing is that the almonds, celery and water chestnuts are cut small so they give a crunchy texture, yet they are kinda hidden too.

The secret ingredient in this crunchy chicken casserole is the lemon juice. It gives a bright flavor that I really love. Feel free to use fresh lemon juice or lemon juice from the container in your fridge.

How do I make a casserole dish?

My favorite thing about casseroles is the versatility. I can think of a half of a dozen easy substitutions that you can make based on what’s already in the refrigerator or pantry.

For example:

Use shredded chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken or drained canned chicken instead of diced.
Instead of wide egg noodles, try elbow macaroni or old fashioned egg noodles.
If you’re out of cream of chicken soup, try cream of celery or cream of mushroom instead.
Seasoned croutons, crushed butter crackers or buttered bread crumbs would be a perfect topping as opposed to crushed potato chips.
Replace slivered almonds with chopped cashews.
Swap mayonnaise for Miracle Whip and bottled lemon juice for fresh if needed.

Ingredient List for Chicken Water Chestnut Casserole

Celery, diced
Onions, minced
Miracle Whip
Lemon Juice
Cream of Chicken Soup
Salt
Black Pepper
Cooked chicken
Slivered Almonds
Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped
Egg Noodles, par-cooked
Potato Chips, crushed

How to Make Crunchy Chicken Casserole

Step by Step Instructions

In a small bowl, combine celery, onions, Miracle Whip, lemon juice, cream of chicken soup, salt and pepper.
Stir together cooked chicken, almonds, water chestnuts, and cooked noodles in a separate large bowl.
Gently combine the two mixtures.
Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

For the full instructions and recipe amounts for Chicken Casserole with Water Chestnuts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

Cook the egg noodles a minute or two less than the cooking instructions on the bag since they will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the noodles well before adding to the chicken casserole with potato chips.
Most packages of wide egg noodles come in 1 pound packages. Eyeball about half a package for this chicken casserole with egg noodles.
You have the option to leave the water chestnuts as they come in the jar or to chop them into smaller pieces before adding to the casserole. I diced mine into smaller pieces to make sure they would appeal to my small children.
For a whole list of easy substitutions, see the blog post above.
Our Amazon Store has lists of our favorite pantry essentials and kitchen gadgets.

Bake this Chicken Crunch Casserole in a large glass casserole dish.

Recipe Variations

For the chicken, use store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breasts.
Add your favorite vegetables such as broccoli, corn, peas, etc.
Mayonnaise can be swapped for Miracle Whip.
Instead of potato chips, use cracker crumbs such as Ritz crackers.

More Easy Casserole Recipes

Spanish Chicken and Rice

Chicken Tetrazzini (without cream soup)

Our version of homemade Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole is without canned soup, sour cream and cream. Instead, the cheesy sauce is made from milk, chicken broth, and shredded Parmesan. I guess you could say this is just like Grandma would make back in her day.

Mom’s Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole

Savory Sausage and Rice Casserole

Savory Sausage Rice Casserole is a simple recipe from the past. With kid-friendly ingredients including pork sausage and white rice, you'll have a meal the whole family will enjoy.

How do you add flavor to bland casserole?

Dried or fresh herbs are an easy way to add flavor to bland casserole. Pick your favorite such as basil, oregano, parsley, etc., or try adding cumin or paprika. If herbs aren’t your thing, fresh lemon juice will also add a fresh flavor.

Is casserole a main dish?

If your casserole has a protein such as chicken or ground beef, then yes, serve it as a main dish along with a side salad, fruit or some dinner rolls. Other types of casseroles contain vegetables but no meat. For these casseroles, serve them as a side dish.

Print Recipe