Chicken Casserole

I have been looking for opportunities to help the folks in my community, but my time and resources always seem so limited. This blog has encouraged me to be creative and keep searching for ways to share what I DO have instead of focusing on what I don't have. During the past week, I had a couple of opportunities to do just that! :)

There was a request at church for people to prepare meals to take to a gentleman in the congregation who lives alone, and had just come home from knee replacement surgery. It occurred to me that that would be something I could participate in, so I signed up for Wednesday!

On Monday, I found myself a little anxious. "What does this man like to eat? What doesn't he like? How much do I send? How do I package it? Do I need to send instructions and labels?" (Geez ... the mind of a worrier is so ridiculous sometimes!)

I decided to prepare a chicken casserole that my family had enjoyed recently, and thought that I would make a large enough batch that I could serve my family too.

On Tuesday, I was up early, simmering chicken breast, cooling it, and cutting it up. I prepared the cheese sauce and cooked the pasta. I was excited, and the kitchen had that 'granny's house' smell that I love.

I ended up with SUCH a large batch of this casserole, that I had more than enough to send and to save, so I thought about who else might enjoy a meal. A friend of mine who lives in Elkton popped into mind immediately. It was a great excuse to go see him ... and we had such a WONDERFUL visit!!!!

I decided to write a little note to the man from church. It had my name and phone number, in case he had any questions. (Since Clara's bout with food allergies, I think about stuff like that.) I introduced our family, and explained that we had been visiting the church and that we're hoping that he's healing quickly from his surgery. (I didn't deliver the food to him, but someone from church took it for us, so I didn't get to meet him yet ... but am looking forward to it some day.)


Here's the recipe. It's easy, it's fast, it's not expensive, it packs and reheats well, and it's kid friendly. Sometimes I add steamed carrots, peas, or broccoli to the dish. The quantities are not accurate, or important for that matter. Feel free to alter it in any way that you like. (The amounts I listed here are for a family of 5 .. go figure. lol!)

- 3 cups of Cooked chicken cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups of dry pasta. Cook it according to directions on box, drain, but do not rinse. (I used Garden Rotini .. it's colorful and holds the sauce well .. and if you buy the right kind, it also counts as a serving of veggies!)
- Cheese sauce (I put a few tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan and heat til melted. Then add a couple spoons of flour and stir it into the butter. Pour in 2 cups of milk, and heat over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Add (lots - at least 2 cups) of shredded cheddar cheese and stir constantly til it's all melted and gooey. (You could look up a recipe for white sauce online if you need exact measurements)
- 1/2 of a Sweet onion, minced (optional. but we love it!)

Stir everything together to make what Benny calls a "glop", then bake (350 degrees) in an oven proof dish until it's bubbly and hot all the way through.

Soon I had 3 dishes packed full. I told my mother what I was up to, and she volunteered to send containers of fresh fruit, so in addition to the chicken dish, there were pretty containers full of watermelon and grapes to deliver too!