ZIPPY CHICKEN & NOODLES CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until well mixed.
• Add the remaining ingredients except for the crumbs, and GENTLY stir until combined.
• Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish, then top with potato chips or buttered crumbs.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, about 30 minutes or until hot throughout, and golden brown on top.
• If you like, you can make it in your microwave oven, rather than bake it in the oven.
• Here are the changes: Since I'm not going to be baking it, which would soften the veggies a bit, I microwave the onion and peppers in a glass measuring cup for just a couple minutes to make sure they're going to be tender enough in this dish.
• (Alternately, you could saute them on top of the stove) Then I combine as above, and put it in a microwaveable dish with a cover.
• I heat it on 70% for about 10 minutes, to get it hot and bubbly.
• Of course, this may take longer or shorter in your microwave, depending on starting temperature of ingredients, and the wattage of your oven.
• The last time I made this was for a church potluck dinner.
• I doubled it.
• The only thing large enough to hold it was my 5 quart crockpot, so I took out the removeable stoneware crock, greased it& filled it up.
• Mine has a glass lid, so I covered it with that and stuck the crock in the microwave oven.
• (Micro-cooking in a slow-cooker crock, stand back so you don't get sucked into the time warp!) If yours has a plastic lid, I take no responsibility if you melt it in the microwave.
• After it was good and hot, I plopped it into the electric jacket-thingy part of the crockpot cooker.
• I'm sure there's a technical name for it, but I don't know it.
• I had plugged it in and set it on low, so it was nice and warm already.
• I use a couple heavy rubber bands stretched across the handles to secure the lid.
• This whole thing I slid into a box I keep on hand for just this purpose, and cover with a towel, tucked around it.
• The crockpot fits snugly and no worries about it tipping over in the car.
• A friend once spilled an entire crockpot of french onion soup all over the floor of her minivan.
• I try to learn from OTHER people's mistakes!