re: Let’s talk about casseroles

This is a particularly comfort food type casserole. It is one the few dishes in which I will use Jiffy cornbread, but it actually works wonderfully in this dish from flavor and texture profiles.

CHICKEN AND CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

2 small fryers (or a comparable amount of boneless skinless breasts (4 is usually enough unless they are small) and/or thighs)- I remove the skin before making cooking the chicken, but most often, I use boneless skinless breasts and/or thighs-it’s easier)
2 t salt
1 t pepper
1 bay leaf (I use 2 usually, at least)
1 rib celery, chopped (I use more.)
1/2 c chopped onion (I use more.)
6 T margarine (I use butter)
1/3 c flour
2 cups chicken broth ( you may need more than this to cover the chicken)
1 cup evaporated milk
Tabasco and Lea and Perrin to taste
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix, mixed per directions on box.

Boil chicken, salt, pepper, bay leaf, celery and onion in chicken broth until chicken is just tender. Drain, but save the stock. Debone and chop chicken.

Melt margarine; blend in the flour, but do not brown. Add 2 cups of the reserved stock slowly, including a good bit of the chopped veggies. Stir while adding the stock and continue while adding the evap. milk. Stir until smooth and thickened. Add the chicken and check the seasoning, adding the Tabasco and Lea & Perrin.

Pour hot creamed chicken into a 3 quart casserole dish and cover evenly with the cornbread batter. Bake for about 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and cornbread is cooked through.

*****Personally, I like a lot of sauce and I will make 1 ½ to 2 times the sauce to the chicken.

*****If you make the creamed chicken early or the day before, then you should warm it in the microwave or cover it with some foil and start heating the casserole in the oven until it’s hot (this is what I do) before pouring the batter over it. Otherwise, the cornbread will cook before the chicken mixture is fully warmed.

*****I like to cook this in individual dishes like a pot pie, but if you do this, remember to spread the cornbread mixture thin. It thickens and gets heavy as it cooks, causing some of the cream mixture to overflow. Make sure to sit the dishes on a baking sheet, which I usually cover with foil for easy clean up.