This classic comfort food is easy to make and packed with flavor.
- 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.
Egg noodles anchor this dish, absorbing moisture efficiently during the bake without losing their structural integrity. Boiling the pasta in the liquid left behind from poaching the poultry infuses the starch with savory depth right from the start. Utilizing a heavy-bottomed two-quart glass or ceramic baking dish ensures heat distributes evenly, preventing scorched edges while the center reaches the required internal temperature. Sour cream combined with condensed soups creates a stable emulsion that resists breaking down when subjected to prolonged oven heat. Scaling this formula down requires careful attention to pan size; dividing ingredients into a smaller loaf pan yields equivalent browning results without overcrowding compact oven cavities. Freezing unbaked assemblies works well if wrapped tightly in layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to two months. Thaw frozen portions completely in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours before baking, as placing a freezing dish directly into a preheated 350 degree F oven risks thermal shock and glass breakage. Reheating individual leftovers in a microwave at medium power prevents the poultry proteins from toughening while restoring the creamy texture of the sauce. Crushed buttery crackers tossed in melted dairy form a crisp crust that protects the underlying noodles from drying out during extended baking times. Pull the baking dish from the heat source once the edges bubble vigorously and the top turns deep golden brown, usually around the thirty-minute mark.
