Chicken Noodle Yumminess

This recipe came about like many do, it appeared out of necessity. Hey they say it's the mother of invention. I may be the mother of many but invention isn't one of their names. This meal turned out so good that my kids asked if they could have it the next night for dinner too. You know it's gotta be good if the kids want it even WITH vegetables. I like this because I can make two large pans and it feeds an army. I prepare it ahead of time and refridgerate it. So lets get the show on the road.

Chicken Noodle Yumminess

Lets start with the chicken.
1 large whole chicken cut up. 3-4 LBS.
1 onion quartered.
1-2 TBS onion flakes.
2 stalk celery cut up
3 carrots cut up.
2 TBS poultry seasoning.
2 TBS parsley.
1 TBS garlic powder.
6-8 Quarts of water.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Yep you guessed it we are making a stock. I have found that often if you simply boil chicken in plain water that it comes out tasting like cardboard. I have, over the years developed a habit of working once for the benefit of two or more meals. What I mean to say is simply this. Make a stock today for a soup tomorrow. So today we are cooking our chicken in a savory stock so that we can make soup tomorrow. It makes a wonderful stock that has tons of uses. So all you have to do is add the water to the pot with all the rest of the team sans the chicken. The chicken goes in when the stock is boiling. Boil chicken for 2 hours. Yes I know it seems like a long time but it goes by fast. If you dont have the time to do a stock from scratch a store bought stock will do fine. Just get a good quality brand and do NOT get broth. Broth and Stock are different. Once the chicken is cooked strain the stock. Discard vegetables, they are spent. Store stock in fridge or freezer for later use. Let the chicken cool and then pick the chicken from the bones. Set aside.

Moving onto the rest of the yumminess.

2lb elbow noodles or your favorite short pasta. (cooked al dente , this is important because it will cook further in the oven)
2 lb bag of frozen chinese stir fry vegetables. ( I know it sounds wierd)
1 lb bag of frozen peas
1C mayo
2C milk
3TBS butter ( I use the real deal baby)
16 oz sour cream. ( FULL FAT)
2 cans cream of chicken soup.
Half a brick of velveeta ( I use the store brand not velveeta)
1 1/2 lb cheddar cheese.
1C mozzarella cheese.
1C parmesean cheese.
Whole chicken picked clean and cut in bite size pieces.

It should be noted this recipe makes 2 9x13 pans , or 1 9x13 and 1 11x15 pans. This recipe can easily be cut in half for smaller families.
The first thing to do is to put the cream of chicken soup, milk and velveeta in a saucepan and cook it until melted. This can easily be done in the microwave. I wish I had thought of that yesterday. sigh.
Mix mayo, sour cream.
Melt butter and pour over noodles. We like butter.

Now onto assembly. I don't have one gigantic mixing bowl so I use two. I do the following for each bowl:
half of the noodles.
1 bag chinese veggies.
1/2 bag peas.
Half of the sour cream mixture.
Half of chicken soup mixture.
Half of the chicken.
Half of the cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 350.
Spread the mixture into two greased pans. ( cooking spray works well) Top each pan with half of the mozzarella and then the parmesean. Bake for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let cook for 5-10 minutes before serving. It really tastes better if its not piping hot.

We love this one and the kids have decided this is one of their favorites. I hope you enjoy.
More from the Flabby table later.
Mrs.F

( chicken noodle soup coming soon)