Saturday Share: Cheesy Chicken Oven Dinner

One thing I do that helps me put dinner on the table quickly is to cook a bag--the whole bag--of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in advance.

I put the chicken in a big Dutch oven with enough water to cover it. I also add a couple of stalks of celery, a couple of carrots, a large onion, a little thyme, and salt and pepper to flavor the broth.

When the chicken is done, I shred the chicken and store it in freezer bags. I usually put the equivalent of 3-4 chicken breasts in each bag.

I freeze the broth in 1 cup amounts in smaller freezer bags. When I need to cook quickly, I just grab a bag of the frozen cooked chicken and a couple of cups of broth if needed, and I have the ingredients for a meal like the recipe below. This easy and delicious casserole serves 6 to 8.

Cheesy Chicken Oven Dinner

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cooked drained noodles of your choice
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup canned water chestnuts, drained & rinsed, optional
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 12 - 14 ounces of cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup canned sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter a 2 quart casserole or spray it with Pam or a similar product.
• In a saucepan, saute the celery and onion in the butter until tender and translucent.
• Stir in the sour cream, milk, chicken, mushrooms, peas, and noodles.
• Pour into 2-quart casserole and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Takeaway Truth

Have a wonderful weekend!