Fridge Forage Friday: Chicken Noodle Casserole
Hello, and welcome to another edition of Fridge Forage Fridays!
When I was going through the fridge this week, I noticed we didn’t really have a lot of options, so I started digging in the freezer. I saw chicken thighs, mixed vegetables, and some spaetzle egg noodles that Zach and I had made a couple of months ago. So, today we are utilizing what we have in the freezer and going to talk about a recipe that is newer to the Bouska homestead, but it is absolutely delicious and perfect on a cold winter day.
I found this recipe on Pinterest (sorry, I forgot the blogger) after looking at pot pie recipes. I love pot pie, but don’t love making it. Don’t get me wrong, pie crust can be fun to use, but not when I want an easy meal during the week.
This casserole or hot dish combines our love of pot pie with chicken noodle soup and it just simply divine. Plus, it makes a lot, and the leftovers are even better the next day.
Also, please bear with me. Some ingredients will have measurements, but for the majority of my cooking, I never measure -nor will I. That is what I find beautiful about cooking, no two things will ever be the same. Even if I wrote down all the measurements for spices, ours will always turn out different, and that’s the beauty of cooking with love. Anyways, moving on. :)
First, I placed four chicken thighs into a small crockpot with a little water until cooked (around 1 to 2 hours). If you are in a bind or haven’t thawed any meat for dinner, this is my quick trick- you can add it in frozen!
Next, saute onions and garlic in a pan with some butter. Once soft, add 1/4 cup of flour and whisk. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add 1 cup of milk and spices (salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano -or whatever spices your heart desires), and whisk until thick. Turn off the heat, taste for seasoning, and set the sauce to the side.
While the sauce is cooking -if you are a multitasker like me- bring a pot of water to a boil. If you are using regular egg noodles, cook them until al dente (still has a bite) and during the last minute of boiling, add a couple of cups of mixed vegetables.
The spaetzle noodles were already cooked, so I just blanched the vegetables to take the frost off.
Combine the shredded chicken, noodles, vegetables, and sauce in a giant bowl and mix. Place into a baking dish and top with ritz crackers, or cornflakes and parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes until bubbly and browned.
I keep the leftovers in the same pan, top it with foil and throw the entire dish in the fridge. To reheat, bake, covered, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour.
There you have it, chicken noodle casserole! So simple and so delicious.
Cheers,
