Chicken Linguini casserole

My inspiration for this casserole came from Ree Drummond's "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". I read the "chicken spaghetti" recipe, and decided to use the leftover braised chicken I'd made for some "white chicken chili" I made this weekend.
So, I began, whole heartedly, to recreate this yummy looking dish. As usual, I didn't have ALL the ingredients necessary, So, I began to substitute. Here's how it went: Original recipe / Charyl's:


1. 1 whole chicken, cut up / 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
2. 3 cups thin spaghetti, broken into 3 inch pieces / 1 pound linguini, broken into thirds (No spaghetti)
3. Spaghetti cooked al dente in chicken broth from whole chicken. / Linguini cooked in Box of chicken stock
4. 1 onion diced / 1 onion diced
5. 1 green bell pepper / 2 cups broccoli, chopped small  (No green bells)
6. 1 jar pimentos / 1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped (No pimentos)
7. 2 cups grated cheddar cheese / 1 cup grated Fontina cheese, 1 cup grated jack cheese/ 2 Tbls light cream cheese, 2 Tbls Mayo. (Not enough cheddar).
8. Cover with whatever cheese you can grate.
9. Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes.

OK, for those of you that want to make this dish of yumminess, here's a better ingredient and prep instruction list:
4 cups chopped cooked chicken. A rotisserie chick would be great. Skinned & off bone.
1 diced onion
1 red bell pepper, diced (can use any color pepper. I like red, orange, & yellow, but not too fond of green)
2 cups broccoli, chopped small & microwaved w/ 1 Tbls H2O, covered w/ plastic wrap, for 2 &1/2 minutes
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 box of chicken stock + 1 cup water
1 pound pasta, broken into thirds
2 cups grated cheese - pretty much any kind will work, but I would stick with softer cheeses, such as cheddar, jack, fontina
2 Tbls mayo (NOT Miracle Whip)
2 Tbls sour cream
salt, pepper, ground sage, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper
How it's done:
1. Boil pasta in chicken stock & water until very al dente. Must be firm to bite, as this will be cooked longer, and you don't want a sticky, gloppy mess.
2. Before draining pasta, scoop out 2 cups hot stock. Set aside.
3. Saute onion & red pepper until just translucent in 1 Tbls butter
4. In a big bowl, combine chicken, cream of mushroom soup, onion, red pepper, drained broccoli,  pasta, cheeses, mayo & sour cream. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a few dashes cayenne. If you like it less spicy, put in just a few red pepper flakes and omit cayenne.
5. Take reserved stock and add it, a little at a time until the mix is nice & creamy, but not soupy.
6. Taste! Adjust seasoning.
7. Spray a casserole dish w/ no stick. Turn mix into dish. Cover the top w/ more grated cheese.
8. Bake @ 350 (F) until warmed through and cheese is melted, about 45 minutes.