Cracked Out Chicken Noodle Casserole

So I am 8 weeks pregnant tomorrow. And as such, my stomach despises me right now. Because my stomach despises me, nothing sounds good to eat. Because nothing sounds good to eat I so do NOT want to cook when I get home in the evenings. What does all of this amount to? A lot of take out and Papa John's over the past three weeks is what. At least 2 - 3 times a week I've either brought dinner home or ordered something recently and that is VERY unusual for us. We really don't eat bought food all that often - I much prefer to cook myself (as you have probably guessed) and typically love being in the kitchen, testing out new recipes, and occasionally remaking a family favorite. I know this to shall pass, but I'm in the adjustment phase of pregnancy right now and so pizza and cheese-steaks it is. And this casserole dish.

I think it was last Wednesday or Thursday, I came home dead tired as is my norm right now and of course the "what are we having for dinner" question started circulating. Kenneth had pulled out ground beef and chicken breasts to thaw. Chicken cordon bleu sounded yummy to me, but I didn't want to pound chicken and roll it, bread it, and then bake it - and still have to make something on the side. I needed something all-inclusive, quick, painless, and easy. So I turned to my trusty Chicken Board on Pinterest.

This one definitely caught my eye and I figured I could handle cooking up some noodles, chicken, and mixing it all together in a casserole dish. And thankfully I managed, and there was much rejoicing!! My son adored this dish - he ate almost 1/3 of the pan by himself for dinner that night. The leftovers were finished off quickly over the next couple days. Me? I was too tired to eat by the time it was ready, and I went to bed shortly after my 19 month old that evening. I did have a bite of it later though, and it was cheesy, creamy, and had a nice Ranch tang to it. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! :)

Cracked Out Chicken Noodle Casserole adapted from Plain Chicken

Ingredients
1 lb chicken, diced into small bite-sized chunks
1 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cans cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
16-oz sour cream
1 (1-oz) packet Ranch dressing mix
1/3 cup chopped bacon pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 oz uncooked egg noodles
1 cup crushed Doritos

Directions

1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions, drain. Meanwhile, heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium to medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet, and cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle (about 5 - 10 minutes); season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
3. Combine cooked chicken, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, Ranch dressing mix, bacon and cheese along with egg noodles in the prepared pan and stir gently until evenly combined. Top with crushed Doritos.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.