Chicken noodle Casserole

Ok, so I said I was making something with chicken, and I did.

I started with some chicken tenders, the frozen ones.  I keep these in my house as one of my main staples, I enjoy them so much.  I put them in my big pot, the one with the strainer insert, using the strainer insert, and set to boil them.  I added some chicken soup base, which is another one of my kitchen staples, and I buy it in bulk.  It ups the chicken flavor in anything, and it makes for a really quick chicken noodle soup if you don't have time to make your own stock.  I also added some sliced garlic, which is freeze dried.

 While this is coming to a boil and cooking, I chopped half an onion.  I put it in my big red bowl, and added 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.  To that I added a cup of mayo, 2 cans of chicken noodle soup, 1 tsp of salt, 6-10 grinds of fresh ground pepper, and a tablespoon of poultry seasoning.

I stirred this all up, and set it to the side until the chicken and noodles were done.  I took the chicken out of the boiling water, and shredded it.  I added a 24oz package of large shells(I used these only because they were all I had, you can use any kind of noodle you like.  Most of the time I use egg noodles, extra wide.), and when they were about half way done, tossed back in the shredded chicken.  (I used 10 chicken tenders, btw.)  Then once the noodles were al dente, I tossed them into the big red bowl, and added three cups of the water they had boiled in.  I mixed the whole thing together, and poured it into a casserole dish.  I then topped it with buttered breadcrumbs, and a sprinkling of bacon.  (Oh, I forgot, I didn't think it was cheesy enough when I was mixing it, so I added another really good sized handful.)  I baked this at 350 for about half an hour, until it started bubbling on top.

 

I forgot to take any pictures once it was done, even though I made sure to use the nice dishes.  I got so caught up in feeding the kids, and getting drinks, that I just plumb forgot.  It was good, and if served with green beans, or broccoli, makes a wonderful dinner.  I always try to serve something this white with a brightly colored fruit or vegetable.

Hope you enjoy.  This is so basic, and can be added to in any way you like.