Zippy Chicken & Noodles Casserole

Not your ordinary chicken & noodles, an unexpected ingredient really perks up this dish. What could that secret ingredient be? It happens to be one of my favorite things to sneak into a dish. FRESH LEMON JUICE! You've got to try this one. The lemon juice isn't overpowering; it just brings everything together with a snappy taste that you will love. Yes, it's just as tasty with leftover turkey! And don't worry if this makes too much for dinner. My kids always ask if there's enough left for them to take it in their lunches the next day. Some dishes just don't taste as good when you reheat them, but this one is great!

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (10 3/4ounce) can  condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise (regular or light)
• 3  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2  cups  diced  cooked chicken
• 1  small onion, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup green peppers or 1⁄2 cup  red pepper, finely chopped (or combination)
• 1⁄2 cup  shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 12  ounces  egg noodles or 12  ounces  your favorite pasta, cooked & drained
•  potato chips, crushed or   buttered bread crumb

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until well mixed.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except for the crumbs, and GENTLY stir until combined.
3. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish, then top with potato chips or buttered crumbs.
4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, about 30 minutes or until hot throughout, and golden brown on top.
5. If you like, you can make it in your microwave oven, rather than bake it in the oven.
6. Here are the changes: Since I'm not going to be baking it, which would soften the veggies a bit, I microwave the onion and peppers in a glass measuring cup for just a couple minutes to make sure they're going to be tender enough in this dish.
7. (Alternately, you could saute them on top of the stove) Then I combine as above, and put it in a microwaveable dish with a cover.
8. I heat it on 70% for about 10 minutes, to get it hot and bubbly.
9. Of course, this may take longer or shorter in your microwave, depending on starting temperature of ingredients, and the wattage of your oven.
10. The last time I made this was for a church potluck dinner.
11. I doubled it.
12. The only thing large enough to hold it was my 5 quart crockpot, so I took out the removeable stoneware crock, greased it& filled it up.
13. Mine has a glass lid, so I covered it with that and stuck the crock in the microwave oven.
14. (Micro-cooking in a slow-cooker crock, stand back so you don't get sucked into the time warp!) If yours has a plastic lid, I take no responsibility if you melt it in the microwave.
15. After it was good and hot, I plopped it into the electric jacket-thingy part of the crockpot cooker.
16. I'm sure there's a technical name for it, but I don't know it.
17. I had plugged it in and set it on low, so it was nice and warm already.
18. I use a couple heavy rubber bands stretched across the handles to secure the lid.
19. This whole thing I slid into a box I keep on hand for just this purpose, and cover with a towel, tucked around it.
20. The crockpot fits snugly and no worries about it tipping over in the car.
21. A friend once spilled an entire crockpot of french onion soup all over the floor of her minivan.
22. I try to learn from OTHER people's mistakes!