Chicken Macaroni Casserole

The YouTube filming starts next month. Sister Aisha and I have been meeting on Tuesday evenings after Bernice's Table to plan—she has a notebook with episodes and recipes and what she calls "segment structure" which I have been listening to with the polite interest of someone who does not entirely understand what a segment is but who trusts the young person explaining it. What I understand is this: we are going to film me cooking in the church kitchen and talking about food, about Bernice, about Marcus, about the things that make this cooking what it is rather than simply what it produces. The cooking will be visible. The reason for the cooking will also be visible. Both at the same time. This is what I write about in the blog. This will be what I cook about in the videos. Same story, different delivery. Same pot, different fire.

Destiny came for dinner on Thursday—just us, she was in the neighborhood for a work meeting and stopped by—and we sat at the kitchen table after dinner the way we sit, the two of us, with tea, not hurrying, the conversation going wherever it goes. She told me about a case at work—vague, as always, the details protected, but the emotional core of it visible: a child she had been able to help, a family she had been able to stabilize, the particular satisfaction of doing the work that you were made for and having it work the way it's supposed to work, at least this once, at least for this child. She glowed when she talked about it. I said, "You are Marcus's going on, baby. This right here. Everything you just told me." She looked at me for a moment and she said, "I know, Mama." And she did. She already knew. She has always known.

Destiny didn’t call ahead — she rarely does, and I’m glad for it, because a call ahead means I might fuss, and fussing is not what Thursday evenings are for. What I had was a chicken macaroni casserole I’d put together earlier in the afternoon, the kind of dish that holds in a warm oven and is still good when someone you love walks through the door unannounced. It is the right food for a night like that one — warm, unhurried, filling enough that after, you can sit with your tea and talk about Marcus and Destiny and what it means to be somebody’s going on, without anybody needing anything else from the kitchen.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Cook the macaroni. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook macaroni until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
Mix the base. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and chicken broth until smooth and combined.
Build the filling. Add the shredded chicken, diced onion, celery, frozen peas, garlic powder, black pepper, and 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar to the bowl. Stir to combine, then fold in the drained macaroni until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust salt.
Fill the dish. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
Add the topping. Combine the breadcrumbs with the melted butter in a small bowl and toss until the crumbs are coated. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar evenly over the casserole, then top with the buttered breadcrumbs.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling at the edges and the topping is golden brown.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before scooping and serving. It holds well in a low oven if dinner gets delayed.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Macaroni Casserole — The Table That’s Always Set