The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (17 page)

Sliced avocado for garnish

Tomato salsa (mild, medium, or hot) for garnish

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 2-quart shallow casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the baking powder, flour, and mustard and stir until smooth. Stir in the cheeses and chiles. Pour into the casserole and bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until set.
   
3. To serve, cut into squares and garnish with slices of avocado and dollops of salsa.
   

Asiago is a semifirm Italian cheese with a rich, nutty flavor. If you can’t get it, Norwegian Jarlsberg is a great substitute. Add a salad and bread to the menu, and you’ve got a really easy meal that is perfect for family or entertaining.

•••••

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra for the dish

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds total; see
Preparing Chicken Breasts
)

¹
/
₂
pound mushrooms, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

8 slices Asiago or Jarlsberg cheese

1
¹
/
₂
cups milk

¹
/
₄
cup all-purpose flour

¹
/
₂
cup sour cream

1
¹
/
₂
cups dried herb stuffing mix

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
   
2. Rinse the chicken breast halves and pat dry with paper towels. Place in the baking dish and top with the mushrooms, bell pepper, and sliced cheese.
   
3. Mix the milk, flour, and sour cream in a small bowl and pour over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the stuffing mix over evenly and drizzle with the 4 tablespoons melted butter.
   
4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
   

•••••

NOTE:
If the chicken breast halves are very large, cut them in half, either lengthwise or crosswise, to make the servings uniform.

Canned soups are high in sodium, but many love them for their convenience. Canned cream of chicken soup is an alternate ingredient here. For a healthier choice, make the
Béchamel Sauce
before you begin to put this together.

•••••

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 to 1 pounds total)

Kosher salt

Pepper

1 recipe
Béchamel Sauce
, or 1 can (10
³
/
₄
ounces) cream of chicken soup

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water

³
/
₄
cup quick-cooking, long-grain brown rice

2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables, thawed if frozen, such as beans, peas, corn, or any of the many combinations available in your market’s frozen food section

¹
/
₂
cup shredded Cheddar cheese

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
2. Combine the sauce or soup, chicken broth or water, rice, and vegetables in a shallow 8-by- 12-inch baking dish. Top the rice layer with the chicken breasts. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the baking dish with the foil.
   
3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the foil and top the casserole with the cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
   

Put this one on your list of comfort foods. The chicken breasts, which are coated with a creamy, rich-tasting sauce spiked with dry white wine, bake over a bed of rice. Water chestnuts add a nice crunch. The sauce is made quickly in the same skillet you use to brown the chicken.

•••••

2 cups cooked long-grain rice

6 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves (1
³
/
₄
to 2 pounds total; see
Preparing Chicken Breasts
)

1 teaspoon salt

¹
/
₄
teaspoon pepper

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup undiluted evaporated milk or light cream

³
/
₄
cup dry white wine or water

¹
/
₂
pound mushrooms, sliced

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup frozen or fresh green peas

¹
/
₄
teaspoon dried thyme

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the rice evenly over the bottom.
   
2. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick skillet and brown the chicken pieces quickly on both sides over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken on top of the rice in the baking dish.
   
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and stir in the flour; whisk in the milk or cream, wine, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bell pepper, peas, and thyme. Heat to boiling, remove from the heat, and pour the sauce over the chicken.
   
4. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray, cover the baking dish, and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
   

•••••

NOTE:
For convenience, buy already boned and skinned breast halves. If yours are large, weigh out a total of 1
³
/
₄
to 2 pounds, and split the breasts in half lengthwise. (Freeze any extra to use later.)

Beer adds a flavor boost to this dish, enhancing the taste of the chicken and the mushrooms. What can you do with the other half of the can of beer? Make
Beer Biscuits
, of course! To reduce the fat in this dish, remove the skin from the chicken breasts.

•••••

3 whole bone-in chicken breasts, split in half and skinned

¹
/
₄
cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¹
/
₂
teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 recipe
Béchamel Sauce

¹
/
₂
pound mushrooms, sliced

¹
/
₂
can (
³
/
₄
cup) beer, preferably dark, alcoholic or nonalcoholic

Toasted slivered almonds
for garnish

Beer Biscuits
for serving

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
   
2. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl and toss the chicken in the mixture to coat.
   
3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chicken breasts and brown over medium-high heat on both sides. Remove to the baking dish.
   
4. Make the Béchamel Sauce (you can use the skillet you browned the chicken in to make the sauce).
   
5. Top the chicken with the mushrooms and pour the sauce over all evenly, followed by the beer. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked. When ready to serve, sprinkle with the almonds. Serve with Beer Biscuits.
   

•••••

NOTE:
To toast the almonds, spread on a baking sheet and place into a 350°F oven. Toast for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned.

BEER BISCUITS

MAKES 6 LARGE BISCUITS

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter or shortening

¹
/
₂
can ( cup) beer

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
   
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter or shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With a fork, stir in the beer and continue stirring until the dry ingredients are moistened.
   
3. Roll out the dough to a 1-inch thickness and, with a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut into 6 rounds.
   
4. Place the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.