2 TBSP real butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
Whole head of garlic, peeled & crushed [insert rock-n-roll hand sign here]
1 cup broth
1 cup whole milk or half & half or cream
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Heaping 1/2 cup frozen corn
Heaping 1/2 cup frozen peas
2 boneless / skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
8 to 10 ounces wide, egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
LOTS of fresh sage (optional)
- Heat butter in a large saute pan (I used a 5 qt pan) over medium heat, and saute onion until soft and starting to brown
- Add carrots and celery and saute another 5-10 minutes until vegetables are softened & slightly browned
- Add jalapeno and saute 2-5 minutes longer
- Crush garlic into pan and saute for just a minute or 2 longer (stir it a lot at this point because crushed garlic can burn fast if you don’t)
- Add broth, half & half, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil
- Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes
- Add corn, peas, pre-cooked/shredded chicken, and cooked noodles
- Stir in lots of chopped, fresh sage if using (can save some for garnish) and adjust salt/pepper to taste (I kind of smothered mine with pepper!)
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SIDE NOTES:
~ I don’t know about you guys, but to me, anything with those big, wide noodles is comfort food <3 I almost referred to this [in my mind] as a one-pot meal, but when I got up to do the dishes, I was reminded it wasn’t LOL. I do tend to love these casserole type meals where everything is mixed together. But this one does not have the added bonus of 1-pot clean up. Anyway…..
~ I’ve been throwing a jalapeno into EVERYTHING because we have a lot of them in the garden and we like the heat – but it’s in no way integral to the meal. [Though… if you like spicy – it DID add a nice, little kick!]
~ In recent years, any time I see a recipe that calls for 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, I think to myself… Ha ha ha, that’s funny [including my own – I wasn’t always so bold!]. But feel free to tone it down if you’re not a garlic freak like me!
~ If you’d like to try making old-fashioned bone broth, here’s a link to that recipe BONE BROTH. And actually, organic bone broth is now available at grocery stores – which I happily take advantage of when I don’t have any homemade on hand (I like to make BIG batches and freeze). Of course, you can use any type of broth you like, including vegetable broth.
~ If you think of it, let the corn & peas sit out at room temp for an hour or so (take out of freezer before beginning to prep everything else). But if you forget – you can toss them in frozen and just let the casserole simmer a couple extra minutes.
~ You can omit the noodles entirely, or use a gluten-free variety. I’d bet it would also taste great substituting rice. Similarly, you can omit the meat (maybe fry up some tempeh to throw in?) and use veggie broth if that’s how you roll. Make it vegan by omitting the milk. Use your imagination and tailor it to your own preferences!
~ The fresh sage is soooooooooo good in this dish – really pushes the flavor over-the-top, but again, not integral to the meal.
Enjoy! 🙂
