So, a very fun thing happened last night. I kind of screwed up a recipe and it turned into something delicious! I tried to take a slow cooker recipe and make it in the oven. However, I kind of forgot to cut the liquid in half and ended up with really saucy chicken. What was I to do? Well, I am a firm believer in adding carbs to meals. So I tossed in some noodles and cheese and saved this dish! In fact, I think I created something even more delicious than the initial recipe called for.

What you’ll need:

• 5 Chicken Thighs (this recipe can also be made with 3 chicken breasts, if that’s your thing)
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 4 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons basil
• 4 cups egg noodles
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (provolone would also work 🙂 )
• Red Pepper Flakes to taste (optional)

Now what do you do:

1. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil.
3. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken thighs in flour mixture and place in skillet. Brown chicken on each side for 2-3 minutes and place in casserole dish.
4. Add chicken broth, sun dried tomatoes, and basil to chicken, cover.
5. Cook chicken for 30-45 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Cook egg noodles and set aside (I added a little butter to the noodles so they didn’t start to stick).
7. When chicken is cooked, pull thighs out of casserole dish and pull the chicken off the bone.
8. Add cooked noodles, heavy cream, and cheese to the sauce in casserole dish.
9. Stir until cheese is melted and combined (or in my case, feverishly mix and spill everywhere because you are trying to get dinner ready for your screaming toddler)
10. Stir in chicken and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving, so the sauce thickens.

I call this my happy accident because when my daughter ate it, for the first time ever, she said “WOW!” Any home cooked dinner approved by a toddler is worth more than gold. So Mamas, try this one out if you have a picky eater!

Every day as a mom of 2 under 2 is a new adventure and being able to cook for my family gives me great pleasure most nights. Other nights end in me giving my daughter 4 Hawaiian rolls, oranges, and cheese because she has decided to only eat things that are orange 🙂

Here is another really fancy picture of me finally enjoying this meal at work the next day!