Super Yummy Chicken Casserole

While my SWEET husband is off to pick up our dinner from Mellow Mushroom - yes I have the best hubby in the world! - I thought I'd use the time to post another recipe.  I have my mother-in-law to thank for this recipe.  After I had my daughter, my mother-in-law and father-in-law came to visit.  But they didn't come alone.  They came packin' food!  And God bless them for it because I certainly didn't feel like cookin'!  :)  One of the recipes that my mother-in-law wanted to make was a tuna casserole, but knowing how I hate tuna, she changed it up and threw in shredded chicken.  Who knew it would become one of our FAVORITE recipes.  Seriously!  My hubby loves it.  I love it.  My daughter loves it.  I probably make it about once a month. 
Because there are lots of veggies in the recipe, there is a bit of prep involved.  Don't let that scare you though.  I love to make this on Saturday - so we have something to eat on Saturday and Sunday.  I often cut up all the veggies the day before and throw them in a ziploc bag.  I also bake or boil the chicken & shred it the day before & throw it in a ziploc.  That way on Saturday all I have to do is boil the pasta and saute the veggies and then mix everything together.  This casserole also freezes well.  Then you can defrost in the fridge and bake. Voila! 
Again let me say THIS THING IS YUMMY!!!  SUPER YUMMY - hence the recipe title.  :)   Its also very adaptable.  You could change the type of pasta or the veggies or the type of cream soup you use. You could even use tuna - as the recipe originally calls for - but I wouldn't recommend it because I hate tuna.  Anyway, on to the recipe.



Super Yummy Chicken Casserole
1 (12oz) box rotini (corkscrew) pasta (I like to use the tricolor rotini.  Its pretty. And I like pretty.)
1 Tbs vegetable or olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 carrots, julienned  (If you don't have a mandoline & don't wanna take the time, just dice them.)
1 zucchini, julienned (If you don't have a mandoline & don't wanna take the time, just dice them.)
2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or 1 (12oz) can of tuna)
1 (6oz) can French's Fried Onions

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
3.) Boil pasta according to directions and then drain.  (Because you are then going to bake the pasta in the oven, I usually boil for the least amount of time.  For instance, if the directions say to boil for 8 to 10 minutes, I usually just do 8 minutes.)
4.) While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over Medium Heat.  Lightly fry garlic, bell peppers, carrots and zucchini for 3 to 5 minutes.
5.)  In a large mixing bowl, combine soups, shredded chicken (or tuna), veggie mixture and drained pasta.  Mix to combine well.
6.) Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
7.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle with fried onions and return to oven to bake for 5 more minutes.

Isn't it pretty?  Oh.  This is making me hungry.  I hope the hubby gets home with the food soon!

One more pic to show you the yummy goodness.  :)