The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (18 page)

Here’s another easy, easy casserole that is great for company, but also when time is running short. You can easily double or triple the recipe for more people. To make this casserole healthier, I prefer to make my own mushroom sauce.

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

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

1 recipe
Basic Mushroom Sauce
, or 1 can (10 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

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cup dry white wine

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1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Place them in a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
   
2. Mix the flour, sour cream, sauce or soup, and wine in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through.
   

The creamy Havarti and herb butter create a luscious, saucy filling for the rolled chicken. For a perfect springtime menu, serve steamed asparagus and offer a crusty French bread to sop up the tasty sauce.

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cup (1 stick) butter at room temperture, plus extra for the dish

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds total)

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teaspoon seasoned salt

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teaspoon dried oregano

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teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

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pound Havarti cheese, plain or herbed, cut into 8 strips

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cup seasoned breadcrumbs

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cup dry white wine

Avocado slices for garnish

Tomato wedges for garnish

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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels.
   
2. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until thin and about doubled in size. Sprinkle with salt.
   
3. Combine the
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   cup butter, oregano, and parsley in a small bowl and spread about
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   tablespoon of the butter mixture over each chicken breast. Top each with a strip of cheese at one end.
   
4. Roll the chicken breasts, starting with the end that has the cheese, and tucking in the edges so that the rolls are the same length. (At this point you can freeze the stuffed chicken. Thaw in the microwave or defrost for 8 hours in the refrigerator. If cold, add a few minutes to the baking time.)
   
5. Melt the remaining butter mixture and brush over the chicken rolls. Then roll in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Place the rolls in the baking dish in a single layer.
   
6. Pour the wine over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and browned on top. (Be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts.) Garnish with the avocado slices and tomato wedges.
   

The word
cacciatore
is Italian for “hunter,” and it also describes chicken simmered in a well-seasoned tomato sauce. This hunter-style chicken is served over a bed of precooked polenta, which is available at many supermarkets.

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3 tablespoons olive oil

2 packages (1 pound each) prepared polenta with basil and garlic

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

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cup chopped sweet onion

1
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pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

1 can (14
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ounces) diced tomatoes with their juice

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano or basil, crushed

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teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

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cup dry white wine

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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Slice the polenta into rounds and arrange on the bottom in one layer.
   
2. In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, add the garlic, and sauté over medium heat until aromatic. Brush the polenta lightly with some of the oil. Add the peppers and onion to the skillet and sauté in the remaining oil for 5 minutes.
   
3. Spread the chicken pieces over the polenta and top with the bell pepper and onion mixture.
   
4. Mix the diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, oregano or basil, rosemary, and wine and pour evenly over the ingredients in the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
   

It’s easy to put together this dish with authentic Asian flavors if you keep a few basic ingredients on hand, like soy sauce, sherry, oyster sauce, water chestnuts, and cashews.

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3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

1 large onion, halved, and thinly sliced

2 cups cooked rice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons sweet sherry

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 whole cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled

1 slice fresh ginger,
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inch thick

2 teaspoons cornstarch

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pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

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pound Chinese snow peas trimmed

5 water chestnuts, sliced

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cup cashews, preferably unsalted

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teaspoon sesame oil

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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes over high heat until lightly browned. Spread the rice over the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole and top with the sautéed onion.
   
3. Cut the chicken crosswise into 1-inch slices. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil to the skillet. Add the chicken and sauté for 1 minute over high heat until lightly browned. Arrange the chicken in the casserole on top of the onion.
   
4. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, mushrooms, snow peas, and water chestnuts in a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and then the soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, over high heat for 2 minutes until thickened. Pour evenly over the chicken in the casserole.
   
5. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the cashews and drizzle with sesame oil.
   

Dried morels are the most aromatic of mushrooms! Here chicken breasts and asparagus are baked in a creamy morel sauce atop sliced polenta. Add a salad of baby spinach leaves, a crusty bread, and fresh berries for dessert to round out the meal.

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1 ounce dried morel mushrooms (about 1
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cups)

2 tablespoons butter

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cup minced shallots

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dry sherry

1 cup chicken broth,
homemade
or prepared

1 cup heavy cream

2 packages (1 pound each) prepared polenta

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2
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pounds total)

16 asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed

8 thin slices prosciutto

1 cup shredded Asiago or Gruyère cheese

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
   
2. Put the morels in a heat-proof bowl and add 2 cups boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze the mushrooms while in the water to remove any grit. Remove from the water, but do not throw out the soaking water. Squeeze out most of the liquid from the mushrooms. Set the mushrooms aside, and let the grit settle to the bottom of the bowl of water. Then pour the soaking water into a measuring cup, and discard the grit remaining in the bowl.
   
3. Heat the butter in a large skillet and add the shallots. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes, until soft. Add the flour and stir until light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
   
4. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the soaking water, sherry, broth, and cream; then add the morels. Stir over high heat until the sauce is reduced to 2
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   cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
   
5. Meanwhile, slice the polenta and place in a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap a chicken breast half and 2 pieces of asparagus with 1 slice of prosciutto. Place on top of the polenta. Repeat with the remaining chicken, asparagus, and prosciutto.
   
6. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken. (The casserole can be made a day ahead up to this point, covered, and refrigerated. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.)
   
7. Bake, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes, until the chicken breasts are cooked through. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer, or until the cheese melts.
   

Serve this homey casserole with an arugula and basil salad, toasted focaccia, and fresh berries and cream for dessert.

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2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 cups cooked rice

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

Salt

Pepper

1 jar (6 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained

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pound mushrooms, sliced

5 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

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cup chicken broth,
homemade
or prepared

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cup light cream or half-and-half

2 tablespoons dry sherry

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Spread the tomato slices and rice over the bottom of the dish. Rinse the chicken breast halves and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and place them in the casserole dish. Cut the drained artichokes in half and place on top of the chicken breasts.
   
3. Heat the 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and green onions and sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Sprinkle the flour over all and stir to mix. Gradually add the chicken broth, cream, and sherry and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour over the chicken in the casserole. (The dish can be prepared ahead to this point, covered, and refrigerated until ready to bake. Add about 10 minutes to the baking time.)
   
4. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and the chicken is cooked through, about 45 to 55 minutes.
   

Wild rice is a natural favorite in Minnesota. It’s the seed of a grass that grows in shallow lakes and swamps in our state and is harvested in the fall. The Native Americans called it
mahnomen,
or “the good berry.” Depending on how it’s processed (that is, how dry the grain has been made), cooking time can vary from 25 to 45 minutes.

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2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

1 cup wild rice

2
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cups water

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cup golden raisins

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cup orange juice

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

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

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cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

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teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

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teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup heavy cream

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cup milk

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