Chicken Pot Pie Pasta Recipe

Chicken pot pie is a favorite comfort dish of many, but if you want to make it from scratch as opposed to heating up a frozen one, it's kind of a pain. If your idea of comfort involves less prep work, you may enjoy this pasta dish. Recipe developer Hayley MacLean describes it as "creamy and comforting ... [with] all the flavors of chicken pot pie," but you don't have to fool around making a crust and the whole thing will be ready in just over half an hour.

While the dish, as-is, is very mild, it does get some aromatic goodness from the onion and garlic it contains. If you want something that packs bit more punch, though, you could stir in some red pepper flakes or cayenne powder at the same time you're adding the thyme. MacLean speculates that doing so "would add a nice level of heat that carries throughout the dish."

MacLean uses egg noodles as the pasta for this casserole. You'll also need chicken breasts (pre-cooked), some butter, an onion, some garlic, and frozen mixed vegetables, while for the sauce you'll use flour, cream, and chicken broth. As far as seasonings go, MacLean keeps it simple with nothing more than dried thyme as well as salt and pepper.

There are a few ingredient swaps you could make, if you so desire. In place of the heavy cream, you could use half & half, something MacLean says would "lighten this dish up a bit," as would using whole milk. You can also use chicken thighs in place of the breasts — any kind of cooked chicken meat, really, as long as you have a sufficient amount.

You'll be cooking the egg noodles according to the package directions, which may vary from brand to brand. Once the noodles have reached the al dente stage, drain them. Set the pasta aside to cool down for a few moments.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, then add the onions, garlic, and vegetables. Stir in the thyme and add salt and pepper to taste — MacLean uses ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Once the vegetables are seasoned, sauté them until the onions are soft, which should take about five minutes.

Add the flour to the vegetables, stirring so they are all coated with the stuff. Pour the cream and stock into the pan and cook until the sauce is simmering. Keep cooking, stirring every now and then, for about five minutes, or however long it takes for the sauce to thicken.

As a final step, stir the noodles and the chicken into the vegetables. If you'd like, you can pretty up the dish with some fresh parsley. MacLean suggests a green salad as a side dish, and she also likes her casserole with extra veggies (green ones, for preference).

MacLean says, "While this can be made ahead of time, I recommend serving it fresh to get the best textures!" She does tell us, though, that you can keep leftovers in the fridge for five days, but says you may need to mix in a little more liquid when you're reheating the noodles.