Recipe: Southern Chicken Casserole About 8 servings Ingredients 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup 1 cup sour cream 1 cup chicken broth 4 cups of chopped or shredded, cooked chicken 1-1/2 sleeves of saltine or Ritz crackers 1/2 tablespoon of poppy seeds, optional 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted Cooked rice or noodles, optional Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the soups, sour cream and chicken broth. Add other seasonings (see below), as desired, taste and adjust; set aside. Place chicken into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and cover with the soup mixture. In a separate small bowl, crumble the crackers, stir in the poppy seeds, if using and mix with melted butter; spread on top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and cracker topping has browned. Remove and let rest 5 minutes before serving. Can be served as is, or spooned over cooked rice or noodles. Add a salad or green vegetable. Cooks Notes: This makes a wonderful company casserole when using whole chicken breasts. Prepare 8 bone-in chicken breasts (more flavorful) or boneless, skinless breasts, by poaching or broiling. Remove skin and debone, but leave whole. Can also substitute leftover turkey meat for this casserole, as well as other varieties of cream soups, and also okay to use lower sodium and lower fat condensed soup products, however the sauce will be much thinner. Substitute a homemade cream sauce, if desired. Add-ins: Cooked raw, frozen or well drained canned vegetables can be added as a layer. Asparagus, broccoli, French style green beans, carrots, peas, or mixed vegetables are good choices. Also good with sauteed onion and celery added, well drained pimentos, well drained, chopped water chestnuts, sliced almonds, or finely chopped pecans. Use other seasonings (but avoid added salt) such as freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried red pepper flakes, crushed dried thyme or rosemary, or dried parsley. Start with 1/4 teaspoon, taste and adjust. Casserole Toppings: Use Panko bread crumbs or dry bread crumbs mixed with melted butter, or simply slice cold butter thinly and scatter over the top. Top with shredded cheeses, alone or mixed with these crumb toppings. Crushed plain or kettle style potato chips are also a great topper as are French fried onions. Cheese can also be added in the casserole. Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole Variation: If youre poaching chicken to make this, reserve the water to use with making the rice. Youll need one 6 ounce bag or box of wild rice (like Uncle Bens), prepared according to package directions. Saute 1 small container of fresh mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of butter, if desired,and add to sauce mixture. Place 1/2 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the buttered casserole dish, top with the rice, then chicken, and pour remaining sauce all over the top, or can also mix all ingredients together and transfer to casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs or cheese. Chicken and Rice Casserole Variation: Sub in 3 cups of cooked white or brown rice for the wild rice, place 1/2 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the rice, then the chicken and pour remaining sauce all over the top. Top with cracker crumbs or cheese.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 01:32:30 +0000