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.

Trying this immediately! Looks right up my alley. I am always looking for recipes using wild rice.

I'll have to find the recipe my wife uses, but she makes a chicken cordon bleu casserole with rotisserie chicken, ham, and stovetop stuffing that is pretty good and easy. I know it calls for chicken, ham, cream of chicken/mushroom soup, stovetop stuffing in a box, Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard. We add broccoli as well

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Let’s talk about casseroles
Trying to think of some new recipes to try. Preferably casserole type recipes for weeknight family meals.

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as a side note, i just tried a few different casserole recipes, but none really came out that good.

then someone clued me in that not all ovens cook the same, especially the new ones, so i had to up my recipe temps from 350 to 400 and then they all came out great.

so if the casseroles come out watery or anything like that, try raising the cooking temps.

i like this one done with either crawfish or shrimp, both ways taste great. but the original recipe called for 350 oven temps and they came out watery until i increased it to 400. also my family doesnt like pepper so i swapped the rotel tomatoes and chilies with a can of regular diced tomatoes

Crawfish or Shrimp with Rice Casserole

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs crawfish tails or shrimp
1 can French onion soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup raw white rice (makes 2 cups of cooked rice)
1 stick of butter, melted
1 large green bell pepper (chopped)
1 medium large yellow onion (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup (2 stalks) celery (chopped)
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon pepper
1 - 8 oz bags (2 cups) grated monterey jack and cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS

First boil the rice for 20 minutes, then dump in strainer to let it cool.

Add chopped veggies to a pan with the butter and sauté until onions turn clear.

Mix all remaining ingredients together, except for the cheese, and pour the mixture into a large greased baking pan or casserole dish.

Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the casserole.

Return to preheated oven at 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes more.

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Here’s a link to Minnesota Hot Dish, not necessarily the best, but we make it about once a year for something different.
Minnesota Hot Dish

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Sounds interesting. I bet it would work with using cornbread batter instead of tater tots. Throw in some chopped jalapenos and diced onions too. Turns into a Shepard's pie kind of thing.

Here are two that we enjoy as breaks from our usual chicken.

One Pot Cabbage Casserole

2 pounds ground beef (or 1 pound each of beef and country sausage)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup rice
3 large handfuls of roughly chopped cabbage (I use a lot more!)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups of water
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes or Rotel, undrained
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (I omit)

Season and brown ground beef and onions. Bell pepper and celery need to be sauteed, too, if you're using them. Drain off grease.

Once onions are clear, add rice, cabbage, tomato sauce, 2 cups of water (or use tomato sauce cans) and diced tomatoes. Stir. Add other ingredients.

Let it come to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and cover to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is done and cabbage is soft. Do not lift lid before 20 minutes, to make sure rice cooks well.

Once cooked, top with cheese and cover with lid a few minutes to melt.


Texas Hash

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup rice
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/4 cans of water
(Optional) 1 can whole kernel corn
(Optional) grated cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour uncooked rice in a 9 x 13 Pyrex (or similar), spreading evenly. Set aside.

Brown ground beef with the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Do not drain. Add can of tomatoes with the juice, chili powder, cumin and salt, stir. Add water and bring to boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Spoon meat mixture evenly over rice. Pour juice over meat. Do not mix. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until rice is cooked.

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This is a Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with French style green beans that my mother loves.

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Pretty sure we used to call it ‘Chicken Spectacular’ I haven’t had that in probably 30 years, but I remember it being very good.

I used to make a low carb cauliflower rice casserole with the onion/chive or jalapeño cream cheese. Sauté an onion and steam the cauliflower in the microwave. Add cauli & cream cheese to the pot, and season how you like. I’ve done chicken/broccoli/cheese, ground meat/taco/chili, used the cauli rice with peas & carrots to make it more like pot pie. You can transfer to casserole dish, top with cheese and bake or serve straight from the pot.

ETA: enchiladas reminded me of an enchilada lasagna I made several times. Instead of rolling them up, layer tortillas and filling (chicken, cream cheese, green chilis, seasoning) and pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with cheese, and bake until bubbly.

My wife makes a chili pie like that. May be the same recipe. The Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti sounds worth trying, thanks. It is, in some ways, similar to a chicken enchilada recipe I make.

I used Copy Me That to made a copy of the Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti recipe -- a good app to have.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Bake


Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 Tablespoon minced rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Juice from one lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3–4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup carrot, string cut
1/2 cup mushrooms, cleaned and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 (17.5 oz) package pre-made gnocchi

Cream Sauce:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon shallot, fine dice
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1 tbsp minced rosemary
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere Cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Marinate chicken: In a medium bowl, mix together chicken breasts with rosemary, 3 garlic, olive oil and lemon. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes.

Cook gnocchi: Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain in a colander and set aside until casserole assembly.

Once the chicken is marinated, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side – to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove chicken thighs and pull apart.

Add 2 Tablespoons butter, carrots and mushrooms to pan and cook until tender, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove vegetables and deglaze pan with a splash of dry white wine. Reduce the wine slightly and remove from the pan, adding to the set aside vegetables.

Make the cream sauce: Melt the butter in the pan used to cook the chicken and vegetables over medium heat. Add minced garlic, shallot, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. With constant whisking, cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper, nutmeg, rosemary, and grated Gruyere cheese until slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Assemble the casserole: In a suitable sized skillet, add chicken, carrots and spinach, top with cooked gnocchi and cream sauce. Gently stir together.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the sides are bubbling. Serve hot, garnished with parsley if desired.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 can green chilies, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can Original Rotel Tomatoes, drained
1/2 Cup chopped onions, sautéed in 2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups White Tortilla chips broken (not crushed)
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Mix all wet ingredients and spices together until smoothly combined

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for 1/3 cup cheddar cheese and then place in a glass casserole dish.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheddar cheese on top of dish then cook in 325 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve with finely shredded iceberg lettuce, Pico de Gallo, cubed avocado, drizzled with lime juice or Guacomole.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

2 jalapeno peppers (remove all seeds and all white membrane), chopped fine
3 Tablespoons Onion, chopped fine
4 Tablespoons (firm) Tomato, diced
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Prep all ingredients and combine in a serving bowl.