Ingredients:

  • 12 oz Wide Egg Noodles
  • 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
  • 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups buttery crackers, crushed
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish generously with butter or cooking spray.
  2. Par boil the noodles. Drop the egg noodles into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook for exactly 5 minutes. They should still have a firm bite as they will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
  3. Sauté the aromatics. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in your skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sliced celery, cooking for about 5 to 6 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
  4. Create the roux. Sprinkle the flour over the buttery vegetables. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Note: This cooks out the raw flour taste and turns the mixture a light golden color.
  5. Build the sauce. Gradually pour in the chicken broth and milk while whisking. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  6. Add the cheese. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
  7. Combine the fillings. Gently fold the shredded chicken, the par boiled noodles, and the thawed peas and carrots into the cheese sauce.
  8. Transfer to the dish. Pour the entire mixture into your prepared 9x13 inch dish, smoothing the top with a spatula.
  9. Prepare the topping. In a small bowl, toss the crushed crackers with 4 tablespoons of melted butter until they look like wet sand. Sprinkle this evenly over the casserole.
  10. Bake until golden. Place in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. The edges should be bubbling and the top should be mahogany gold. Garnish with parsley and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.