Tag's Chicken Noodle Casserole

Although the weather has improved significantly over the past few weeks, you can still feel the cold undertones in the air and wind. While Monday's weather just sucked, each day since has been getting progressively nicer and I hear rumours of 80 degree weather this weekend. So before spring caught up with us, I wanted to make this casserole one last time. The recipe comes from Kris' mom and was some major comfort food back in the day. What I love about it is that it is totally comforting without the guilt of not getting enough veggies. Plus it's covered in cheese. You can't go wrong, I tell you!

Start off by prepping the veggies- peeling and chopping the carrots and chopping the broccoli.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add in the chicken- after about 25 minutes, add in the vegetables. Strain the vegetables and chicken as they finish cooking. The chicken should have clear running juices and the veggies should still be vibrant but with less of a crunch.

Now add a bag of egg noodles to your boiling water and cook until al dente

After you strain the pasta, return it to the pot. Here my veggies are soaking in a bowl of ice water because I was worried about overcooking them. Strain the veggies and add them to the pot of cooked noodles.

Add in a can of Cream of Chicken soup

Mix in the veggies.


And once your chicken has cooled, tear it off the bone and add it to the pot. At this point I also like to add a good handful of shredded cheese before mixing it all up and adding a good layer of shredded cheese on top.

Pop the pot into the oven for about 20 minutes until everything is heated through and the cheese and golden brown.




Tag's Chicken Noodle Casserole

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 smalls head of broccoli or 1 large head, chopped
• 4 chicken thighs, bone in.
• 1 bag of egg noodles
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• salt and pepper
• shredded cheddar cheese
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add in the chicken and cook until the juices run clear, about 30- 40 minutes. Half way through cooking the chicken, add in the chopped vegetables (in bacthes if necessary) making sure to remove them before they loose their vibrant color, about 5 minutes.

Strain all the chicken and vegetables out of the boiling water and leave chicken to cool.

Add the egg noodles to the pot and cook until al dente. Strain and return to pot with 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Add it cooked vegetables and mix. Once the chicken has cooled, tear it off the bones and shred it before adding it to the pot along with one good handful of shredded cheddar cheese. Once everything is combined, top it off with more shredded cheddar and put in the oven for about 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Now that's some good stuff.