Cook chicken, covered with water, in a large stockpot over medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from stockpot with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
Pour elbow noodles into stockpot over medium heat and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. As the noodles are cooking, chop chicken into bite sized pieces. Once noodles are cooked, strain them from chicken stock, reserving the chicken stock for later use.
Add noodles and chicken to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well-combined.
Pour into two 9x13 casserole pans.
Cover with Ritz Crackers on top. (optional)
Bake at 350º degrees for 30 minutes.
Place in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Freezing instructions:
For freezing, prepare with the exception of baking. Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and store in the freezer. The night before ready to serve, place in the refrigerator to allow to thaw before cooking. Then cook as normal. If planning to bake frozen, place in the oven while it is preheating and add about 10-20 minutes to the cooking time to make sure heated throughout.
Preheat oven to 350º.
Mix all ingredients except Ritz Crackers in a large bowl. Pour into a baking dish.