Chicken or Turkey Veggie Casserole

Today, I picked clean two each of turkey wings and drumsticks for making this casserole.  I'm making turkey stock with what couldn't be used here.

In a large bowl, combine and stir until smooth:

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 and 1/2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup lite mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix in:

4 cups bite-sized cooked chicken  (OR left-over turkey works, too)
1 and 1/2 cups UNcooked macaroni noodles
1 and 1/4 cup milk
2 cups celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 of 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained

Chow Mein noodles OR crushed potato chips (dried bread crumbs might work, also).


Put mixture in a 3-quart OR 9x13-inch baking dish that's been sprayed with something like non-stick Pam.  I bake this uncovered.  Top with a layer of crumbled potato chips OR chow mein noodles after it has baked for about 45 minutes.   Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes OR until you know the celery and macaroni is cooked through.  (The water chestnuts will STAY crunchy!)

For lower fat version, I used reduced calorie and reduced sodium soup in addition to the reduced fat (lite) variety of mayonnaise.