Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions, just until al dente.
- Drain the Noodles
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; sauté until soft (about 5-7 minutes).
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and stir until melted.
- Add the flour and whisk until blended.
- Gradually add the milk and the chicken broth, whisking constantly.
- Continue whisking and cooking until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
- Stir in the thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
- Combine the sauce with the cooked noodles, chicken, cheese, and frozen peas. Transfer to the prepared dish.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Combine the melted butter with the butter cracker crumbs. Sprinkle buttered crumbs over the top of the casserole.
- Bake the casserole (uncovered) for about 20-25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
Notes
Cook the noodles just until al dente (tender, but with a firm bite).
There’s no need to thaw the peas before adding them to the dish.
I also add sliced mushrooms to this, sweating them down before I add the rest of the vegetables.
One can use a rotisserie chicken for this as well.