Chicken Noodle Casserole
My chicken noodle casserole is loaded with flavor and easy to make, it's the perfect comfort food for a cold night!
My chicken noodle casserole is loaded with flavor and easy to make, it's the perfect comfort food for a cold night!
- Carbohydrate 21.4516067810865 g
- Cholesterol 121.323599465301 mg
- Fat 21.0280371814401 g
- Fiber 0.939950915448561 g
- Protein 23.1862924718794 g
- Saturated Fat 12.4590260534436 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (156g)
- Sodium 759.211566666467 mg
- Sugar 20.5116558656379 g
- Trans Fat 1.70331293957246 g
- Calories 370 calories
Step-by-step
- Poach chicken in a large pot of simmering water. Cook until no longer pink in center, about 12 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Bring chicken cooking water to a boil and cook pasta in it. Drain. Cut chicken into small pieces, and mix with noodles.
- In a separate bowl, mix together mushroom soup, chicken soup, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir together cream soup mixture with the chicken mixture. Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan, and remove from heat. Stir in crumbled crackers. Top casserole with the buttery crackers.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.
Operating within a strict thirty-minute active preparation window requires utilizing cooking water efficiently. Reusing the poaching liquid to boil the egg noodles infuses the pasta with savory chicken flavor while dirtying only one pot. Poaching boneless, skinless chicken breast halves in simmering water for precisely twelve minutes prevents the meat from drying out before it gets diced and folded into the bake.
Baked casseroles relying on canned condensed soups emerged as staples of mid-century American home cooking, valued for their ability to bind starches and proteins into a cohesive, homogenous sauce without requiring the preparation of a traditional bechamel. Combining condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups with sour cream creates an acidic balance that cuts through the richness of the dairy.
Achieving structural contrast depends entirely on the topping. Crumbled buttery round crackers tossed in melted butter provide a crisp surface layer that protects the soft noodles underneath during the thirty-minute baking cycle at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch for the edges to bubble vigorously and the top to turn golden brown before removing the dish from the oven.
