Macaroni & Cheesy Chicken Baked Casserole

YUM!  I have made this recipe twice and realized today that I never blogged it.  It is so great!  It's not difficult to make (a little bit of effort required so I will not classify it as easy-peasy).  You will love it, I guarantee.  I skipped the veggies found in the original recipe because my family would prefer them on the side but you could easily add any kind of frozen vegetables you love to this casserole.

Let me know how it turns out for you!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used mini penne)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound uncooked chicken, finely chopped (I make bite sized pieces)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt (I found I didn't have any and used 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt instead and it turned out fine)
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (12 oz) (you can use whatever flavor cheese you have or prefer -  mexican quesadilla was extra yummy and gave the casserole a little extra kick)
• 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup (or better yet, use the homemade recipe here)
• 1 1/2 cups panko crispy bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• (frozen veggies if desired)

Directions:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package
• Place macaroni in 13x9 inch glass baking dish
• In 10 inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken 
• Add bite size chicken to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and no longer pink in center
• Sprinkle cooked chicken over top of cooked macaroni in dish
• (add veggies to top of chicken if desired)
• In same skillet where you cooked the chicken, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, scraping any browned bits from bottom of skillet into butter with whisk
• Stir in flour with whisk until paste forms
• Gradually stir in milk, beating with whisk
• Stir in onion salt, 2 cups of cheese, and soup until mixture is smooth and well combined
• Pour cheese mixture over chicken
• Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over top
• In small bowl, place bread crumbs
• Pour melted butter over crumbs
• Add garlic salt and pepper to crumbs
• Stir until crumbs are well coated and sprinkle over top of casserole
• Bake 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and bread crumbs are browned

Check out the original recipe here.