Creamy Smothered Chicken Casserole
Author: Nancy
I’ve tried this recipe with all the listed pastas, and my favorite is the penne pasta. That’s the great thing about this chicken casserole, it works with just about any style pasta you want to use.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 ounces uncooked penne, spaghetti, or fettuccini pasta
- 1 can (10 ¾ oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 ¼ cups half-and-half
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt for sauce mix
- ½ teaspoon pepper for sauce mix
- 2 cups frozen chopped broccoli
- 3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled - optional
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese - optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2 ½ - quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and black pepper and add to hot oil. Cook chicken for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and turn. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until juices run clear and thickest part of thighs reads 165°F on a meat thermometer. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Do not cool pasta.* While pasta is cooking, mix together in large bowl until well blended, soup, half-and-half, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Reserve ¾ cup of sauce mixture and set aside. Add hot pasta and frozen broccoli to sauce and mix well.
- Pour pasta mixture into prepared casserole dish and top with chicken thighs. Spread reserved sauce over chicken and top with bacon and parmesan cheese.
- Cover casserole dish with fitted lid or aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover casserole and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned.
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