Colorful Chicken Casserole

Colorful Chicken Casserole Created by chance, April 2025 to use up leftover rice, beccause I do not know how to make a small amount of rice. 3-4 cups leftover rice About 12 ounces chopped, cooked chicken ½ - 1 cup chicken broth 1 16 oz. bag mixed vegetables 1 teaspoon Fines Herbes* divided ½ teaspoon rosemary divided ½ teaspoon thyme, divided ½ teaspoon granulated onion 1 can cream of chicken soup ½ - 1 cup grated Swiss cheese Cook vegetables to gender crisp with ½ tsp Fines Herbes, ¼ tsp rosemary, ¼ tsp thyme. Drain vegetables and mix with leftover rice. Add remaining herbs (which can be adjusted to taste), chicken, broth, cream of chicken soup and Swiss cheese. Mix to combine. Refrigerate if making ahead. Bake casserole tightly covered at 350 foor about 40 minutes if baking right after mixing, or about 1 hour if baking from refrigeration. This is easy to make in the morning and pop in the oven when you are too tired to cook dinner later in the day. *Fines Heerbes is a spice blend of chervil, minced parsley flakes, chopped chives and French tarragon. Click the link for ordering info, or search Amazon.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

This has become a new favorite. It goes well with sauteed zucchini, broccoli or green peas. It can be served with small pasta or rice if you like. We just make it a one dish meal!

• 2 lbs. chicken breast cut into 1” cubes
• ½ cup butter
• 1-2 tablespoons crushed garlic
• 3 tablespoons  lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon granulated onion
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Mrs. Dash or similar flavoring mix
• pepper to taste
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter. 

Stir together all other ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese, until chicken is coated. 

Add melted butter and stir.

Spread coated chicken in 13x9 pan. Bake 30-40 minutes at 300° F. 

When cooked stir in Parmesan cheese till the sauce is smooth.

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Forgot to Get Poultry Seasoning?

I don’t ever remember to purchase poultry seasoning.  So I searched a lot of online sources and came up with the recipe that combined several recipes to come up with one I thought our family would like best.  I am getting ready to mix this up again.  I think I mixed it up last Thanksgiving morning also!

Poultry Seasoning Mix

·       1 tablespoon dried rosemary

·       1 tablespoon dried sage

·       1 tablespoon dried thyme

·       1/2 teaspoon celery seed

·       1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

·       1 tablespoon dried marjoram

·       3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

·        

Mix all ingredients together.  Use in recipes that call for Poultry seasoning.  Store in a small spice jar.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

It's finally autumn here in our state, after a long, wet end to summer.  Cool weather always makes us want to have some of our favorite soups that were out of the menu rotation as we enjoyed fresh NJ produce, salads and anything grilled.  My first fall soup will be this one.  The recipe is a combination of two I found on Taste of Home and it instantly became a family favorite the first time I made it. This is a hearty soup and can easily stand as the main course with some fresh bread or muffins as a side.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

10 Servings

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

8 cups Chicken Broth

3 cups cooked wild rice

1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 cup minced chives

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, carrot and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add broth. Stir in the rice, chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. stir in milk; cook 3-5 minutes longer. Garnish with chives. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

A Friday Night Experiment

Savory Chicken

It’s always hard on a Friday night to come up with something easy for dinner, and this particular Friday night I didn’t even feel like eating.  But the other residents here get a little testy when I don’t cook, so cook I did.  This is what I came up with.  Served with broccoli steamed in a bag and  baked potatoes, it wasn’t to hard to handle after a long week.

Savory Chicken

-Enough boneless chicken for 4 servings.  I used chicken tenders, because that is what I had in the freezer.  You could use boneless breast or thighs, whole or cut in bite sized pieces.

Olive oil

-½ teaspoon dried savory

-½ teaspoon dried marjoram

-2 teaspoons dried chives

-a pinch of granulated garlic

-salt and pepper

-about ½ Chicken broth and a splash of lemon juice for deglazing

Mix the herbs together in a small bowl.  Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan. 

Put the chicken in the hot pan and sprinkle with the mix of herbs. 

Cover pan.  Cook on medium-low heat until chicken is nearly done.  The timing will depend on what kind of chicken you use. 

Turn chicken and cook through with the lid off. 

Put chicken aside to keep warm and deglaze the pan.  

  

To deglaze a pan pour off most of the fat in the pan There shouldn’t be too much with boneless chicken, but this is the first step in deglazing a pan.  Turn the heat up to high. Add cold liquid to the hot pan—the liquid will come up to boiling very quickly, bringing up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  For this particular recipe I used about ½ cup chicken stock and a splash of lemon juice.  Using a spoon or spatula, scrape up the fond as the liquid boils. Once all the browned bits are off the bottom of the panturn down the heat .   

You can then “finish” the sauce with a little butter or you can thicken it as you would for gravy.  

 I am sure a proper chef would cringe at the thought of that, but I cook at home and we’re trying to avoid butter!

Then return the chicken to the pan with the sauce and make sure it is heated to serving temperature.  

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This recipe is originally from Taste of Home, but I changed it up a bit, and drastically reduced the amount of cheese (it called for FIVE CUPS!)  It is a great meal to make and share since making two creates the same mess as making one.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Makes 2 13x9 pans, each about 6 servings.

• 2 packages (6 ounces each) reduced-sodium stuffing mix
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 8 cups cubed cooked chicken cut in ½  inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 3/4 pound  ham, cut into ½ inch chunks
• 2 cups  shredded Swiss cheese
• 1-2 cups mixed vegetables (optional)

Directions

Prepare stuffing mixes according to package directions.

Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well., 

Divide into two pans.

Top with prepared stuffing mix.

Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer until stuffing is lightly browned.  

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through and stuffing is lightly browned.

Crispy Panko Chicken

 I love watching Iron Chef America, and while I don't think I would make most of the dishes they make I did learn about panko bread crumbs.  These Japanese bread crumbs give the nicest crunch to chicken or whatever they are used to coat. 

Crispy Panko Chicken

6 servings

• 1 c panko bread crumbs (I use Italian style)
• 1⁄2  c shredded Parmesan
• (2 T olive oil
• 1⁄2  t lemon pepper 
• 1⁄4 c Dijon mustard
• 2 T water)
• 1 1⁄2 lbs chicken breasts, pounded to 1⁄4 inch 

 In a shallow dish, toss together panko, cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper.

In another dish, combine mustard, & water. 

Coat chicken breasts in mustard mixture & dredge in panko mix.

Bake on a sprayed baking sheet 25  30 min @ 400 or until golden brown.  

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole.

I like to cook, but I am not a purist and have been known to stock a variety of cream of something soups and the like in my cupboards.  Sometimes you just need the convenience that these types of things afford.  Sometimes on a Friday night, after a long week, you just need to be able to throw something together without a lot of fuss.

  The following recipe is a take-off of a recipe on a Stove-Top Stuffing box.

• 1 box of Stove-top stuffing prepared as directed (but I never really put the margarine and no one cares!)
•  4-6 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (could be cream of anything)
• 1/3 cup onion dip (because I had that, and not the sour cream called for.)
• 1/2 teaspoon chervil
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/3 teaspoon celery seed.

Mix all the soup, dip, and herbs.  Place chicken in a baking dish. Top with soup mix.  Then top with stuffing.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through and stuffing is nicely browned.

The Joys of Multi-generational Living

The late summer brought a lot of changes to our household as we mourned the loss of my father-in-law, welcomed my mother-in-law, as well as our son, Scott, his wife Meg and their son, Timothy into our home and brought Elisa home from a summer at Delanco. Scott and his family will be staying with us until they go to Uganda, East Africa, as missionaries with World Gospel Mission in about a year. My mother-in-law is with us indefinitely. and Elisa is home until another camp season or until she leaves for college, whichever comes first!

One of the joys of lots of people in the house is sharing the cooking. It's nice after nearly 30 years of marriage to have someone take a turn as head chef. Meg served will in that role at a recent dinner party for 10. She made a great Chicken Florentine recipe from "Simple and Delicious", a Reiman publication. Served with bread hot from the oven and a salad brought by a guest, the meal was just right! The recipe, with Meg's adaptations is below. You can get the original recipe at Taste of Home

SERVINGS: 6

CATEGORY: Main Dish

METHOD: Other stovetop

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sherry or chicken broth+ up to 1 cup additional chicken broth
  
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic in remaining butter for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Gradually add flour and salt; stir in milk and sherry or broth until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spinach and cheese and sour cream, thinning the sauce as needed with additional chicken broth; heat through.
Remove from the heat. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

Cooking for Two

Before our house fills up again in September Dave and I will experience a season practicing for an empty nest. Jack has his own apartment, Elisa, Scott, Meg and Tim will all be at camp and we will be home alone! It has its good points as well as the bad.

One drawback I have discovered is that after feeding a family for 28 years I don't know how to cook for two. Nor do I have any casseroles or baking dishes that are right for two portions. I tried to make a casserole today and it looks like we will be having wild rice and chicken at lunch for a while! I was wanting something warm and creamy for dinner since here on the 4th of June it is 62 degrees F! So with the ingredients I had on hand, this is what I came up with.


Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

• 1 package of wild rice mix
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1-2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 package steamer vegetables
• 1 8 oz. package grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 tsp. dill

Microwave rice mix, seasoning and rice 12 minutes on high power, then 20 minutes on 50% power.

Microwave one package of Steamer veggies of your choice. I used a broccoli, carrot, edamame mix.

Mix the hot rice and vegetables with some cooked chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup chicken broth, dill and 8 oz. grated Swiss cheese. Top with buttered bread crumbs if you like them. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until the sauce us bubbly.

This makes enough food for 4-6 people... definitely overestimated on that one! But it is a filling dish that stretches a little bit of chicken.

Chicken Salad

I am often asked for my chicken salad recipe. All the credit goes to the Joy of Cooking cookbook, circa 1979 which offers these guidelines that I have adapted into a recipe of my own.

The basic guideline is to use twice as much chicken in your salad as all other ingredients combined. I often make this for a crowd, so here is how I do it.

Simmer boneless chicken breasts (3-4 lbs) in enough water to cover the chicken completely. I season this chicken well by adding

• 2-3 carrots
• a large coarsely chopped onion,
• 2 stalks of celery
• a few cloves of garlic or a spoonful on prepared minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• about 1 tsp. salt,
• about 1 tsp thyme
• about 1/2 tsp oregano
• 3-4 peppercorns,

sometimes I add some rosemary or dill, depending on the mood and most of the ingredients can have more or less depending on your taste, or what is on hand.

Simmer the chicken until it is tender.

When the chicken is done, strain the broth and save for another use. Cool chicken.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the chicken. I usually chop about half in the food processor into small bits and chop the other half by hand to have larger bites in the salad. Make sure the bits of chicken are small enough to stay on a sandwich.

To make the salad:

• 8 cups chopped chicken
• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• about 1 cup grated carrot
• about 1 cup chopped celery
• about 2 cups red grapes, quartered.

You can add any combination of ingredients, so it equals 4 cups altogether.

to the salad add

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste.

Blend into chicken mixture and refrigerate a couple of hours before serving to blend flavors.

Chicken salad is delicious served on home made wheat bread.

12/21/2012 update:  Recently I was out of sour cream, so I used a bit of buttermilk to thin the mayonnaise.  It was a great improvisation!  I might make it like that next time- on purpose!