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Chicken Casserole Nests

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Disclaimer: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Tyson Foods. The opinions expressed herein are honest and from the author. As a busy Mom, I know how much of a challenge it is to prepare healthy yet easy meals for the family every day.  Since chicken is budget friendly and a real family favorite (the most commonly consumed meat in my household), I am sharing with you today these time-saving, crowd-pleasing Chicken Casserole Nests.
Chicken Casserole Nests This is a baked casserole made from pasta nests (no precooking required) filled with a mixture of two cheeses, peas, and chicken, layered on a pool of tomato sauce. Oh, this was a big-time hit!  The last of our Chicken Casserole Nests had barely been served when my little ones were already asking me to make it again.  I am a happy Mom… After all, it is not every day that such approval comes this quickly. To prepare these Chicken Casserole Nests and other chicken dishes (e.g. Chicken Stroganoff, Grilled Chicken Legs Wrapped in Bacon, Grandma’s Chicken Soup,  and Brazilian Saffron Rice with Chicken, among others), I trust and use Tyson® Fresh Chicken.  Why? Tyson fresh chicken and ingredients for the Chicken Caserole Nests Tyson Fresh Chicken is all natural* — with no added hormones or steroids** — and arrives at local stores fresh because it is delivered within days from leaving the farm. Tyson Fresh Chicken also makes my life easier since its Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins, and Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs are all hand-trimmed. I also enjoy their helpful tools and resources to make meal planning easy for me and my family. For this reason, I browse Tyson Fresh Chicken’s family-friendly recipes HERE.  It is totally handy! As you can see, how could I help but trust Tyson Foods — a company that is wholesome and family-friendly? It’s made up of real people like you and me – moms, dads, wives, husbands, neighbors, and friends. For over 75 years, Tyson has been bringing families together. Every day they strive to make food that they can feel good about serving to their own families.  In this way, consumers can feel good about serving it to theirs. What do you think? Enjoy this ultimate family favorite — Chicken Casserole Nests — and many other chicken dishes of mine and from Tyson!!! Chicken Casserole Nests JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Is chicken the most commonly served meat at your household? What’s your family’s favorite chicken dish? Leave a comment with your answer below and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a fun gift basket with kitchen gadgets and goodies.  

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4.91 from 11 votes

Chicken Casserole Nests

A healthy, easy baked chicken casserole nests made from pasta nests filled with a mixture of cheeses, peas, and chicken, layered on a pool of tomato sauce.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Author Denise Browning

Ingredients

  • For the sauce:
  • 5 cups of your favorite store-bought tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ¼ cup white wine optional
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves or 1-2 teaspoons of dried
  • For the pasta nests:
  • 8 fettuccine nests uncooked (pick the nests that have a wider opening in the center)
  • 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat provolone or mild cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 pound Tyson Trimmed and Ready Chicken Breast Tenderloin 8 ounces
  • 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (about 180 degrees C).
  • Prepare the sauce: In a medium stainless steel saucepan, mix together all ingredients until combined and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Pour into a large Pyrex or casserole dish, and set aside.
  • For the pasta nests: Arrange uncooked pasta nests on top of the hot tomato sauce, keeping each a bit of a distance from the others. Using a spoon, ladle some of the hot tomato sauce over each nest to moisten. In a medium bowl, mix together the cheeses and peas, and set aside.
  • Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and cut into small pieces. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a medium non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the chicken (about 2-3 minutes). Mix into the cheese-pea mixture. Spoon cheese-chicken mixture into the raw pasta nests. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil (If necessary, grease the interior of the sheet with non-stick cooking spray in order to avoid the cheeses sticking to the foil). Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of the pasta nests if desired. Serve chicken casserole nests hot (2 nests per person). A fresh salad or steamed vegetables, if desired, can accompany chicken casserole nests. Enjoy our chicken casserole nests!!!
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Comments

  4. Juliana

    Oh Denise, these chicken nest using pasta are so cute…and they sure look delicious!
    Thanks for the inspiration dear…hope you are having a fabulous week 😀

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Thank you, Liz!!!!
      My children thought these nests were cute too. This was one of my ways to make them eat tomato sauce with pasta — which they usually don’t. Chicken is something that they really enjoy a lot!

      Reply

  6. heather

    5 stars
    My favorite chicken recipe is shake and bake the garlic parm one. I know it’s nothing fancy but it is good and quick.

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Your dish sounds wonderful, Heather!
      As a Mom, I struggle to serve meals to my family. There are those dishes that are part of our table more often… They are quite handy and my family really enjoy them. There are others which are great to make because they help us diversify the menu. This is one of those dishes!!
      My family enjoyed this so much that I already intend to make it again – and maybe again! 🙂
      Thanks a lot for stopping by. Have an awesome day!

      Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Hi, Kathleen! Thank you… I think pasta and chicken are universal and available everywhere. This is a dish that I can prepare quickly (the pasta don’t need to be precooked) because the oven do most of the work. It is something that a busy Mom would cook easily and children would enjoy it a lot.

      Reply

  9. Andrea de Oliveira

    We love chicken as well!! It’s so versatile and usually inexpensive. I will have to try this recipe soon!! Thanks for Sharing 🙂

    Reply

  10. Deb

    An easy to prepare dinner with lots of flavor makes the week so much smoother! The pasta nests are just too adorable and look so much better than a scoop of casserole!

    Reply

  12. Gloria R.

    To be honest, I have many favorite chicken dishes but I guess to narrow it down, I have to pick two. One is Chicken with Fresh Herbs and Creamy Lemon Sauce. The other is A Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple and Peppers. They are different enough to satisfy the hungriest family. 🙂

    Reply

  17. Sugar et al.

    Such an amazing idea with chicken and pasta. Kids will love this. Chicken is the main meat in our family too. I mostly make curries with it but I will be making your dish soon. It sounds so delicious!

    Reply

  18. Francesca

    Chicken is definitely the main meat around here. Sounds pretty un-unique, but its just so cheap + versatile, we see it several times a week here. And pasttttaaa.

    Clever mix here! Looks delicious!

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Hi, Lea Ann! Thanks for stopping by.
      Federal regulations prohibit the use of added hormones or steroids in chicken.
      Thanks for sharing this dish on your board!!! I do appreciate it and I hope you try this at home. 🙂

      Reply

  30. Anne

    Chicken is indeed the most-often served meat in our house. It’s affordable and delicious, with so many different ways to prepare it that it doesn’t get boring. My favorite way to use chicken is to start with a roast, then use the leftovers for meals like shredded-chicken burritos.

    Your Chicken Casserole Nests are cute and clever, and I’ve pinned it for future reference. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      I used to eat a lot of beef down in Brazil but since I got in the US, I have consumed more chicken than beef. As I get older, red meat is not that easy to digest anymore. 🙂
      Thanks a lot for sharing this dish on twitter.
      Have a wonderful weekend!!!

      Reply

  36. Annie Martin

    5 stars
    i was looking for new and easy recipes for the kiddos and knew I would find it here :). Brilliant idea friend! Will be making this tomorrow :).

    Chicken and fish are what we serve most. Chicken stroganoff and chicken empanadas are requested the most

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Annie:
      Thank you! Enjoy this easy and tasty recipe.
      My husband loves chicken stroganoff. Actually, we have one in the blog and it is one of the most popular of all times. We also loves empanadas and have a recipe for baked pizza empanadas and quick fried beef empanadas.
      I imagine how happy your kids are when you make those dishes that you described.
      Have a great weekend!

      Reply

  39. Margot C

    4 stars
    Oh yes, chicken is most definitely the most served meat ingredient in our house. I roast whole chickens, astute chicken breasts and slow cook chicken tenders (my curry is legendary) all of the time.

    Reply

  41. gay smith

    Chicken is the most common meat served in my home because it’s so versatile. My favorite chicken dishes are chicken and dumplings, and chicken pot pie.

    Reply

  48. Sonya Morris

    The Chicken Casserole Nest is a great idea and would be a hit with my kids! I don’t cook a lot of chicken and we usually have a lot of meat free nights since my husband works late. My family’s favorite way for me to cook chicken is roasting a whole chicken in the oven after smothering it with butter, salt pepper, and stuffing it with rosemary and garlic. This doesn’t happen very often at my house but when it does it is amazing!

    Reply

  52. Annette

    Chicken is the most often-served meat in my house. My favorite way to eat it is baked. I use the leftovers to eat with salads and homemade dressing.

    Reply

  54. Betty C

    This is such a cute way to present what could be an ordinary meal. Great idea.
    We enjoy chicken fried rice or stir fry in the summer when we don’t want to heat up the kitchen.

    Reply

  56. Kathy

    This looks delicious! The way your Chicken Cassrole Nests are presented looks kind of romantic, too; a perfect meal for a special occasion.

    Italian is my all-time favorite style of cooking–and chicken is the entree I prepare the most. Though I haven’t tried the fresh Tyson chicken (haven’t seen it in my grocery store, but I will ask about it), I buy their frozen chicken breasts and tenders all the time.

    My favorite chicken dish is Chicken Cacciatore.

    Reply

  57. Sandra Martindale

    Fail. The pasta did not get done in this recipe after 45 minutes. Waste of time and ingredients. I should have trusted my instinct on this one. Looking back at comments, I can’t see where anyone actually made this. Cook the pasta in boiling water first for probably 3 minutes and it might work

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Sandra, have you followed the recipe strictly? The hot sauce poured over the pasta plus the steam of the tightly covered baking pan should be enough to cook the pasta al dente. The size of the baking dish versus the amount of pasta also influece to succeed or fail. I was clear asking to place pasta nests distant from each other to permit steam circulate. Mine succeed. I am sorry yours did not.

      Reply

  58. beejay

    Where do you get your nests? I’ve only found vermicelli-size fideo. Can they be found online?

    Love the idea of this recipe, going into my “to cook”:…(Wat? This time it let me use quotes?!?!?!?) folder. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Denise Browning

      Hi, Beejay! I bought this nest pasta in Walmart. Please, make sure to put enough sauce and also to cover tightly the baking pan so the steam can cook the pasta. Enjoy!

      Reply

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