French Onion Chicken Casserole

Are you looking for a nutritious dinner recipe the entire family will enjoy? This French Onion Chicken Casserole is a nice change from the usual baked casserole meals. Ziti pasta is slathered with a creamy cheese sauce then filled with chicken and caramelized onions.

I am proud to be partnering with Thrive® Algae Oil to bring you this tasty recipe! As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Who doesn’t love a good baked pasta casserole recipe? I’m a total 80’s kid, ya know, the generation of microwave dinners and casseroles. This French Onion Chicken Casserole is a far cry from the tuna casserole that I ate as a kid. Don’t get me wrong, tuna casserole is fine and all. We just ate it A LOT. I get it. It was cheap, easy and nutritious. But I ate tuna casserole so much as a kid that I have never considered making it as an adult. Aparently 25 years is too soon.

French Onion Chicken Casserole as a kid friendly meal may seem a little far fetched. But believe you me, this is a hit at my house! My daughter hates onions. She did pick out a few of the larger onions but ate the rest. All that ooey-gooey cheese helps to seal the deal.

This meal is all about the onions. I use Thrive® Algae Oil to get the onions perfectly golden and caramelized.

The health benefits of Thrive® Algae Oil are perfect for this nutritious family meal. It has the highest level of monounsaturated fat {the good fat} and the lowest level of saturated fat {the bad fat} with 75% less saturated fat than olive oil.

Thrive® Algae Oil has a light, neutral taste. It is great for caramelizing onions because it has a crazy high smoke point of 485°! And, Thrive® Algae Oil is sustainable. Their mission is to create an oil that is better for people and the planet.

I’ve used Thrive® Algae Oil to make Crispy Roasted Chickpeas, Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes, Cheesy Zucchini Tots, Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Lime Slaw, Sweet Chili Sauce and Butternut Squash Pasta Salad.

Learn More & Get Cookin’ the Heathy Way. . .

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So this casserole. It is sort of like a baked mac and cheese with chicken and onions. You can prepare the onions ahead to save some time. Then you just need to cook the chicken, pasta and white cheese sauce. Mix it all up, top with cheese and bake.

Now you are ready to serve your family a unique casserole that is made with real ingredients. No boxes. No cans. No weird unpronounceable ingredients. Just a good old fashioned homemade casserole.

Some things from the 80’s should come back into style.

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French Onion Chicken Casserole

Onions:

2 Lbs. Sweet Onions – sliced into strips
2 Tablespoons Thrive Algae Oil
Salt/Pepper

Chicken:

1 Lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast – cut into bite-sized chunks
2 Tablespoons Thrive Algae Oil
Salt/Pepper

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Whole Milk
Salt/Pepper
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Casserole:

16 ounces Ziti Pasta – cooked according to package instructions
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Onions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine onions, oil, salt and pepper. Cook and stir frequently for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.

Chicken:

Add more oil to pan and increase heat to high. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper then add to pan. Brown chicken pieces and heat until almost cooked through. Do not over cook chicken because it will be baking in the casserole as well. Set aside.

Sauce:

Decrease heat to medium/high. Melt butter then stir in flour. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add milk, cream, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until sauce is bubbling and thickened (about 5 minutes). Remove pan from heat and stir in mozzarella until melted.

Casserole:

Preheat oven to 375°F
Toss cooked pasta with sauce until evenly coated. Add chicken and onions, stir.
Transfer mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with additional mozzarella.
Bake for 15 minutes. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes to brown top.

Serve.