Cheesy Rotini Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound chicken (I used tenderloin, but any cut will work)
1 box rotini
2 T. butter ( for cheese sauce)
2 T. flour
1 C. milk
6 oz. velveeta cheese
1 sleeve saltines, crumbed (kids love to smash things. Great job for them!)
2 T. butter for saltine cracker topping
Cook chicken. (I cooked mine by simmering it in chicken broth. It didn't take long and it was so moist!) Cut chicken into chunks.
Boil Rotini per package directions, but don't overcook or you'll have trouble when it comes to mixing all this together. Noodles - yes! Mush...no!
Make cheese sauce:
Melt 2 T. butter then add 2 T. flour. Whisk well and cook for just a minute on low heat. Add 1 cup of milk all at once, whisking quickly. Add cheese and allow to fully melt.
Not just combine chicken and cheese sauce. Add rotini. Stir carefully and try not to make rotini soup! Mamas, we do want this to look like noodles when we're done!
Spray casserole dish. Add chicken/cheese sauce/rotini mixture to dish.
Melt 2 T. butter and mix with cracker crumbs. Put crackers evenly over top and broil. This will burn easily, so don't turn your back or you will have a burnt toast topping!
If you are making this right at dinner time, then all you'll have to do is broil since the rest of the ingrediants are already hot.
If you are making this ahead, wait to add the crumb topping until after you have heated the dish through. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until hot. Once the dish is hot, add your cracker crumb/butter mixture and broil quickly til lightly browned.
My kids ate this - believe me, there is no better review than that!
