OOPS...Chicken Zucchini Casserole

I think that part of cooking is making mistakes, and learning from them. My mistake this time was (hopefully) minor, but we'll see! What I did was add cubed RAW chicken to the casserole, when the recipe calls for COOKED chicken. I'm thinking that if I cook it longer, it will be fine. This is my first time cooking this recipe. I used reduced fat c/o chicken soup, and low fat sour cream. I also only used 1/4 cup of butter and subbed 1/2 cup of water instead. 3/4 cup of butter is just gross...well maybe good, but I'm trying to get smaller, not bigger!

Chicken Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 (6 ounce) package stuffing mix (I used Stove Top)
  
• 3/4 cup butter, melted (again, I only used 1/4 cup, with 1/2 cup water- could try chick broth or milk instead also!)
  
• 3 cups diced zucchini
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (again, my oops, I used raw)
  
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 medium carrot, shredded (I thinly sliced some baby carrots)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine stuffing mix and butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Add the zucchini, chicken, soup, carrot, onion and sour cream to the remaining stuffing mixture. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved stuffing mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

I think the reason I forgot to cook the chicken ahead of time was b/c it doesn't specifically say to do it in the instructions. Obviously it does in the ingredients!

The result:

Sorry that the pic just shows the top of the casserole- it really doesn't show you how colorful it is. We really enjoyed this- even my 3 year old. If you don't like Stove Top, it's probably not for you, but it was really good! To make up for my "mistake" of not cooking the chicken, I cooked it at 350 for 1/2 hour covered, 1/2 hour uncovered, and then 15 mins at 400. That seemed to do the trick. I really don't think I'll bother to cook the chicken ahead of time next time either- unless I use canned chicken (the ultimate time saver for casseroles). There was nothing that I didn't like about this casserole. I'll definitely be making it again.

The BEST and EASIEST Chicken Noodle Casserole

1 large can chicken breast chunks (I think it's 12 oz)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use the reduced fat)
1 small can of mushrooms
2 cups milk
2 cups UNCOOKED elbow or spiral pasta
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
pepper to taste

2/3 cup durkee onions or broken up Ritz for topping

Mix all ingredients (except topping) together in the 9x13 pan you plan to bake it in. Cover and put in fridge for 2-24 hours before you plan to cook it. I THINK you could go ahead and bake it straight away, but this will ensure that your noodles are softened (I've given it 2 hours, and also 24, that's why I gave that range).

Bake, covered with foil, for 1 hour at 325. Remove foil, increase heat to 400, stir casserole, and add topping. Bake until brown on top (about 15 mins). ENJOY!

I think you could easily substitute different cream soups in the recipe, or use peas instead of mushrooms to get some veggies in there. And, you could always use canned tuna instead of chicken, or use fresh chicken breasts, cut up....but that takes some of the simplicity out of it. I just had to share b/c this is SO easy...one dish, and that's it!