Crazy Good Chicken Casserole

Casserole recipes are fairly simple: grain or pasta + meat + sauce + cheese = delicious dinner. I don�t have a name for this latest creation. Maybe I should just call this �Crazy Good Casserole� � It has chicken, bacon, cheese, creamy saucy goodness� It�s crazy good.

I threw this together one busy weeknight. I had a different casserole in mind, but I found I did not have all the ingredients. So I changed it up a bit and came out with a winner. This Cheesy Bacon Chicken Casserole is one of our favorites!

Crazy Good Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 strips of quality bacon � cooked and crumbled
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1 box (16 ounces) dried spiral pasta
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook and crumble bacon. While bacon is cooking, cut chicken into bite-sized chunks.
2. Set cooked bacon aside for later use.
3. In the same pan, cook chicken in bacon drippings.
4. Add garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
5. While chicken is cooking, prepare pasta according to directions.
6. Spray a 9�13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Drain pasta, return to pot.
8. Add chicken, both cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese � stir to mix well.
9. Pour into prepared baking dish.
10. Top with crumbled bacon.
11. Top with remaining cup of Monterrey Jack cheese.
12. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, just until cheese is melted and beginning to brown on top.