Chicken Noodle Casserole

• Wide Egg Noodles (7 3/4 Cups)12 ounces
• Salt and Pepper
• Unsalted Butter3 tablespoons
• Red Bell Pepper · stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine1
• Small Onion · chopped fine1
• All Purpose Flour3 tablespoons
• Half-and-half2 cups
• Low-sodium Chicken Broth2½ cups
• Boneless · skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and trimmed1 pound
• Deli American Cheese · chopped coarse4 ounces
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese · shredded4 ounces
• Frozen Peas · thawed and patted dry1½ cups
• Ritz Crackers · crushed coarse25

Method

1. 01

   Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a Dutch oven. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until just al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain again and set aside.

2. 02

   Melt 1 tablespoon butter in now-empty pot over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl; set aside. In now-empty pot, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half and half, a little at at time as you whisk to incorporate flour mixture and smooth out lumps. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, 8-10 minutes. (Chicken won’t be cooked all the way through, that’s okay)

3. 03

   Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove pot from heat, transfer chicken to plate, and shred into bite-size pieces once cool enough to handle. Whisk American and cheddar cheeses into sauce until smooth. Stir shredded chicken, noodles, bell pepper mixture, peas, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper into cheese sauce.

4. 04

   Transfer mixture to 13×9 inch baking dish and top with crackers. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes.