Today I’m feeling a little blah so I wasn’t feeling like anything sounded very good for dinner, but the family has to eat so…
I have some leftover rotisserie chicken, but my brain is just not coming up with anything. So I do what I always do when I can’t seem to think of anything good…ask Carole! She says:
“Noodles or rice, white sauce (made from scratch), chicken, peas and crunched up potato chips on top and bake for 20.” Sounds yum! Of course I’ve never made a white sauce from scratch so Auntie Carole comes to the rescue again…
“White sauce – melt 4 T butter add 4 T flour and stir for a few minutes to get rid of flour taste. Slowly add 2 cups milk and stir until thickened. This is basic white sauce, or béchamel sauce as chefs call it – cheap and easy. Add a little salt, pepper, garlic, etc. to spice it up.”
So I make this basic white sauce and add some garlic and sharp cheddar cheese! Oh my yumminess! Next…no peas of course, but I have broccoli so that will have to do. Next, no potato chips. Hmmmmm…French fried onions sound like they will be delish! Oh, look bacon!
Finished meal was a family hit that should be shared, now to come up with a name…Easy Chicken Noodle Bake works. Not as imaginative as “Silly Summer Spaghetti,” but I am feeling blah today!
So, with Carole’s guidance, I’ve created a one dish meal that only took about 40 minutes start to finish and semi healthy too!!
This is a good recipe that relies on pre-cooked chicken. You can poach chicken ahead of time (see Poached Chicken Breast Tenders) or use a purchased rotisserie chicken. Quick and delicious!
Here’s the recipe:
PrintEasy Frosty Weather Chicken Noodle Bake
What to make when you haven’t planned anything? A white sauce, some pre-cooked chicken, pasta and vegetables all rolled up into a casserole.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Poultry
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups of milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
- 4 cups penne pasta, cooked per package instructions and drained
- 8 ounces frozen broccoli, cooked per package instructions
- 2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into chunks or shredded
- 12 ounces of French Fried onion rings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º.
- If not already made ahead of time, cook pasta according to package instructions and drain.
- Also, cook broccoli in the microwave per package directions and drain.
- And, cook bacon in microwave and crumble.
- Make white sauce (béchamel): in large pot, melt butter.
- Add flour all at once and stir constantly until it makes a thick paste (don’t let this brown), about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add milk and continue stirring until sauce is thick and no lumps remain. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until melted and combined.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add cooked pasta, broccoli, bacon and chicken to the white sauce in the pot and stir to combine.
- Pour into 9” x 13” baking pan.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake in oven for 20 minutes; add French Fried onions, return to oven and bake for 5 minutes more.
Easy Chicken Noodle Bake out of the oven and ready to serve!
Easy Chicken Noodle Bake – a plateful of cheesy, chicken goodness!
This recipe is featured on All Free Casserole Recipes’ site! Check it out: Easy Chicken Noodle Bake.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other casserole recipes)
I’m so impressed with all the substitutions and that it ended up tasting delish. I’ll have to share with my girl so she can make it for her babies too. 🙂
I was pleasantly surprised! A lot of times when I try so many different substitutions it’s not a success. This one was great!!
This look yummy! I am going to try it!
Hi, Kathy! Thanks for visiting our site and thanks, too, for the comment! We appreciate your support and hope you’ll continue to visit us on a regular basis! See you in October!