CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
I cook a lot of kid friendly meals because, well, most often when I cook I’m feeding kids. This is one of the most kid friendly recipes in my repertoire, hands down. This casserole is nice because you have your chicken, veggies, and pasta all served in one cheesy saucy package so there’s no worry about picky eaters eating the meat and having to beg/bribe/force them to eat the veggies. I have made many adaptations of this recipe, including adding a panko crust or making the sauce from scratch without using the cream of whatever soups, and this version is by far the best one. I always come back to it. It’s simple and delicious. I recently made this when we had company over and every single person was a member of the clean plate club, adult and child alike. My dog was pretty disappointed, haha! This dish can be eaten for a week and a girlfriend of mine freezes the leftovers for an emergency dinner when life gets crazy. Alright, let’s get to it.
First you’ll cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, debone and shred your rotisserie chicken with your hands (this is what I use, you can use any sort of cooked chicken) into bite size chunks.
Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Next you’ll melt your butter in a medium size skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until softened and translucent. Add the peas, carrots, and corn. Defrost the veggies by sautéing for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Dump the veggie mixture into the mixing bowl with the chicken. Add the soups, milk, mayo, seasonings to chicken veggie mixture and stir to blend. 
Add the pasta and stir to coat pasta with soup/chicken/veggie mixture. Add 1.5 cups of the cheddar and stir to mix through.
Dump this yummy chicken pasta concoction in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top with remaining cheddar. 
Bake at 375 until top is golden and sides are bubbly, about 45-60 minutes. **Note if the cheese is golden brown and the sides are not yet bubbly, cover the dish with foil so the top doesn’t burn. I usually have to do this! You want the sides to bubble to ensure it’s heated through. Allow to rest for a few minutes when done. Serve warm. 
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded into bite size chunks (about one rotisserie)
- 5 cups uncooked egg noodles
- One small yellow onion, diced
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 15 oz package frozen peas and carrots
- 1 15 oz package frozen sweet white corn
- 2 10.5 oz cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp each: salt, Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp each: sage, oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta cooks, shred chicken and put in a large bowl.
- In a medium to large skillet melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until softened and translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add peas and carrots and corn. Stir to mix. Saute while stirring frequently to defrost the veggies for about 3 minutes.
- Dump onion veggie mixture into bowl with chicken. Add soups, milk, mayo salt, Italian seasoning, sage, pepper, oregano. Stir to blend. Add drained pasta. Stir to coat pasta with chicken soup mixture. Add 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese and stir to mix through.
- Add the chicken pasta soup mixture to a large (9×13) casserole dish that is coated with nonstick spray. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar.
- Bake until top is golden brown and sides are bubbly, about 45-60 minutes. **Note if the cheese is golden brown and the sides are not yet bubbly, cover the dish with foil so the top doesn’t burn. I usually have to do this! You want the sides to bubble to ensure it’s heated through.
