Monday, January 24, 2011

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

As I look at this picture I can't really get over how unappetizing it looks to me.  I mean...it just looks gloppy and...gross.  They say that people eat with their eyes (and that often times, your eyes are bigger than your stomach!) so I'm just going to put this out there and hope that you've got some beer goggles on and can see beyond the ugly photo to the tasty beauty that I know is inside.  Because it would truly be a sad thing for you to miss out on this new twist on a classic chicken noodle casserole recipe.

I personally would have LOVED to put the blue cheese crumbles in and on top of this casserole but Chris simply would not allow for that.  Hence, I substituted shredded cheddar.   If you can, I'd definitely do the blue as I can only imagine it'd make this taste heavenly.  Yum.  Blue cheese.

One Year Ago: Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Yields: 8 servings
Active Time:

Total Time:

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles (or whatever type of small shaped noodles you have on hand)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced
  • 3 medium stalks celery, sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 4 cups low-fat milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup hot sauce, preferably Frank’s Red Hot
  • 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounces)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until barely tender, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
  3. Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Whisk cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl; add to the pot along with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in hot sauce.
  5. Spread the noodles in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish. Top with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with blue cheese.
  6. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Source: Eating Well September/October 2010 as seen on Cook, Pray, Love

Nutritional Information
Per serving: 441 calories; 12 g fat (5 g sat, 5 g mono); 79 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 37 g protein; 5 g fiber; 671 mg sodium; 619 mg potassium.

2 comments:

Brenda Fuentes said...

How spicy is this - say, on a scale of 0-10? We're not spicy people but this sounds yummy. For instance, I make a Szechuan Pork & Green Bean recipe that calls for 1 tsp crushed red pepper, and I only add 1/4 - 1/3 tsp. What can I say...we're wimps.

Christine @ Christine's Kitchen Chronicles said...

Um I'd have to say I'm not going to be a good indicator of spiciness. Often times I'll put a small dash of red pepper flakes in my spaghetti sauce and my mother-in-law will say her tongue is burning but I can't even taste it lol!

I guess I'd ask you whether you find Red Hot to be spicy or not? Again, I personally don't and had to add hot sauce! You do need to have enough in the casserole to get the buffalo flavor, though. Maybe start with a little and then taste. If you need more kick, add it on the back end :).