Cheesy Bow Tie Chicken — The Casserole That Opens the Book

One week. ONE WEEK until 'Dinner at 1800' publishes. The countdown is louder than any whiteboard ever was. Hazel is six weeks old and has started smiling. Not the gas smiles — the real ones, the ones that light up her whole face and make her brown eyes (Donna's eyes, my eyes) crinkle at the corners. She smiled at Caleb first, which offended me slightly but which Caleb took as proof that he is her favorite person on earth. The final pre-publication week is a blur of logistics: last-minute social media posts, coordinating with Clara on launch-day timing, confirming the virtual tour events, making sure the RecipeSpinoff feature is ready. All while nursing a six-week-old and managing a three-year-old and cooking dinner at 1800 because the tradition DOES NOT STOP FOR BOOK LAUNCHES. Mom called every night this week with the same question: 'Is the book ready?' 'It's been printed for months, Mom. It's ready.' 'But is it READY ready?' 'What does that mean?' 'Is it... perfect?' She wants it to be perfect. She wants the book about her kitchen to be perfect the way she wants the Thanksgiving turkey to be perfect: golden, complete, worthy. 'It's perfect, Mom. It's been perfect since you gave me the recipe binder.' Dad called separately. 'I'm proud of you, Rachel. The book.' A pause. 'I've pre-ordered three copies. One for me, one for the VA waiting room, one for the library in Norfolk.' Three copies. For the VA and the library. Kevin Abernathy is distributing his daughter's book to veterans and the public. This man. I made Mom's chicken and rice casserole tonight. The recipe that started it all. The first recipe in the binder. The first meal in every kitchen. The recipe that opens the book — literally, Chapter One begins with the casserole. One week. The casserole is warm. The book is ready. Ready ready.

Mom’s chicken and rice casserole is Chapter One — it’s in the book, it’s in my bones — but on a week this big, with a six-week-old in the carrier and a launch countdown ticking, I needed something that carried the same spirit without sending me to the store for seventeen ingredients. Cheesy Bow Tie Chicken is what I reach for when I need the warmth of a casserole but the mercy of a weeknight. It’s not Mom’s exact recipe, but it’s the same idea: chicken, something starchy, cheese holding it all together — the kind of dinner that says we are okay, we are fed, we are home. On the last Friday before “Dinner at 1800” goes out into the world, that was exactly enough.

Cheesy Bow Tie Chicken

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 oz bow tie (farfalle) pasta
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook bow tie pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Season and cook the chicken. Season chicken pieces with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. Make the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan, whisk together cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and sour cream until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese until melted and combined.
4. Combine everything. Add the cooked pasta and chicken back into the pan. Add frozen peas if using. Stir gently to coat everything evenly in the sauce. Cook for 2–3 minutes until heated through.
5. Add the cheesy top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat for 2 minutes until the cheese melts.
6. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm, straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 490 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg