Chicken Casserole Recipes - Always a Winner

Chicken Casserole Recipes

Chicken lends itself well to so many dishes and is so versatile that chicken casserole recipes are always a favorite. You want to try something new for dinner? You can make chicken so many different ways, that is is an obvious choice.

Chicken also has the advantage of being a more healthy choice than some other meats, like beef. Plus it is so universally liked that it is hard to imagine that even the pickiest eater won't like chicken.

We used to have fried chicken a lot at our house. The old-fashioned greasy kind. Then we'd have mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum! Now we use the low fat version and everyone still loves it.

You can make soup out of chicken, stew, pasta salads, stir fry, a crockpot meal, the list is endless. You can make your chicken casserole as simple or complex as you like. By changing a few ingredients you can have a whole different taste. Imagine cooking your chicken in a tomato base vs a mushroom soup base.

You can certainly let your creative juices flow with chicken. Some of the favorites in our house are roasted chicken, chicken salad, barbecued chicken, crockpot chicken, chicken stir fry and chicken enchiladas. Get the idea? Chicken is just so easy to adapt into almost anything.

For the weight and nutrition conscious, chicken is also a good choice. Want a meal without carbs? How about baked chicken without the skin? It is high in protein and also low in fat. It contains B vitamins 6 and 12, Vitamin D, niacin, iron and zinc! In short you can feel good about feeding it to your family.

I like to spend some time going through chicken recipes online and compiling recipes for when I want something I can make that I know will be healthy and everyone will like.

It's also fun to share favorite chicken casserole recipes with friends and family. Who doesn't have a favorite chicken recipe?

Basic Chicken Pot Pie

Basic Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:(6 servings)


1 cup cooked chicken, diced
1 egg,beaten
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2/3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables thawed out
1/2 cup milk
1 cup of Bisquick Mix
Dash of fennel
Dash of cilantro

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir chicken, soup and vegetables together into a 9" ungreased pie pan.

Put rest of ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir till well blended.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.


Other ideas: use leftover cooked vegetables instead of frozen. Carrots and celery can also be added.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
(1 pizza)

Ingredients:

Rotisserie chicken from the deli - 1-1/2 cups shredded
Prebaked pizza crust
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine bbq sauce and chicken in bowl and mix well. Spread on pizza crust and top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 450 for 10 minutes, or till lightly brown and the cheese melts.

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients: (4 servings)

8 chicken thighs (3 oz size)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chicken bouillon or broth
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup diced onions
1-1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes from a can, with juice
2 TBLS tomato paste
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBLS of fresh basil, minced

Instructions:

Start cooking the chicken with the skin down in a non-stick frying pan set to medium-low heat. Once there is some fat, increase heat to  medium-high. Brown for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from pan, let cool and remove the skin.

Wipe the oil from the frying pan and add the olive oil. Heat the oil on medium-high heat till hot, but not smoking. Add diced onion and cook till it softens.

Next, add the garlic and mushrooms. Stir occasionally and cook about 3 minutes, until softened.

Add chicke broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth and spices to the pan as well as the chicken. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer at medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. This should take about 20-25 minutes. Add the basil at the end.

Add one-fourth of the sauce to each portion of chicken and serve.

Approximate values per serving:

Calories - 246
Fat - 11g
Carbohydrates - 12g
Cholesterol - 81 mg
sodium - 372 mg

Chicken Enchiladas

Favorite Chicken Enchiladas
(4 servings)

Ingredients:

8 oz cooked and shredded chicken breast
1-1/2 cups of salsa
1 TBL tomato paste
1/2 cup beef bouillon
2 tsp lime juice (fresh or bottled)
1/2 cup diced onion
3 oz grated cheddar cheese
4 corn or flour tortillas (your favorite)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degree. Combine chicken, lime juice and 1/2 cup of salsa together in a
bowl.

In another bowl combine the beef bouillon, tomato paste and the rest of the salsa and stir till well blended. Pour one half of this mixture into an 8" square casserole or baking pan.

Fill the tortillas with 1/4 of the chicken mixture. Add 1-1/2 TBL of cheddar cheese on top of the chicken mixture.

Roll the tortillas and place on top of the sauce in the pan with the seam side facing down. Put the rest of the sauce on top of the tortillas and then sprinkle the remainer of the cheese and onions over the top.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Approximate values per serving: (1 enchilada)
Calories - 304
Fat - 12g
Carbohydrates - 22 mg
Cholesterol - 73 mg
Sodium - 846 mg