Main Dish: Chicken Divan & Egg Noodle Casserole

I have to tell you that since my little guy is 11 months old now, he is sooo OVER baby food! He only has 6 teeth though, so there are a lot of things he still can't eat. Lately I have been making a LOT of casserole dishes since they can contain almost every food group & are easy for my little turtle to eat. The left overs are perfect for freezing and then pulling out on the nights we have a "grown up" dish! So I saw a recipe by Rachel Ray and I KNEW we would love it! I of course had to put my own spin on things and we all LOVED this dish. Both of my boys had seconds tonight and I would have...but these days I am running out of room!!!! :) I hope you make this for your family & friends. This is DEFINITELY company worthy!!! Eat well!

Chicken Divan & Egg Noodle Casserole
Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients
For the cream sauce:
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 turn of the pan
4 tablespoons butter, plus additional to coat dish
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons flour
2 cup chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 (15oz can) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup dry white wine

Casserole
1 pound broccoli florets
1 pound extra wide egg noodles
3 chicken breasts, cooked & diced
2 1/4 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/4 cups fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
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Yields: 8-10 servings
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Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the broccoli and egg noodles. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To make the mushroom sauce, heat a medium-size sauce pot over medium heat. Add EVOO and the butter. When butter melts, add in sliced shallots and cook 3 minutes, until just tender. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock & white wine, bring up to a bubble, then stir in the cream. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer. Season sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper. (Be sure to taste the sauce and add the seasoning to your liking!!!)

Drop the egg noodles into boiling salted water in a separate pot and cook to al dente (usually 8 minutes) according to package directions. When there are 5 minutes left until the noodles are finished, Cook broccoli florets in the same water as the noodles. Drain the noodles and the broccoli, then return them to the hot pot. Add the creamy mushroom sauce, 2 cups of the mozzarella, 1 cup of the Parmesan, and the chicken to the pot and toss the noodles & broccoli to coat in the sauce mixing well.

To prepare the casserole, lightly coat a 9x13 casserole dish with butter then transfer the cream-of-mushroom noodles to the dish and top with the reserved shredded cheeses. Bake for about 15 minute or until bubbly, then turn your broiler on and make the cheese golden! ENJOY!