Tag Archives: casserole

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Veronica

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole | veronicascornucopia.com

Although the first day of spring has come and gone, it’s been chilly and blustery here in Kansas, so I thought I’d share this warm and delicious casserole for everyone that’s still eagerly awaiting spring before it’s hot and sweltering and nobody wants to bake a casserole. This is pure comfort food and perfect to warm the soul on a chilly day. It’s very quick and simple to make, which is good if you have a baby that has decided that if you aren’t holding him or playing with him or taking him on a stroller ride, he isn’t happy, because you won’t have to listen to him scream for very long before dinner is in the oven. ;)

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

3 – 4 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (use rotisserie chicken if desired)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 400F. Place butter in 9″ X 13″ baking dish and place in oven while it’s preheating. Once butter is melted, you can remove the pan to continue with the recipe, or let it cook a little to brown it and add an extra dimension of flavor. Be sure to watch it if you decide to let it brown because it can go from nutty to burnt pretty quickly.

Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle prepared chicken over the top of the butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour over the chicken, but do not stir. In same bowl, after scraping out as much flour mixture as possible, whisk together chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. Pour that over top of casserole; do not stir.

Bake uncovered for 35 – 45 minutes. When done, the top will be beautifully browned and bubbly around the edges.

Yield: about 6 servings

Veronica’s notes: I boiled a whole chicken for this recipe. It was about 5 lbs and I covered it with water in a stock pot and added a teaspoon of salt, boiling for an hour or two. I forgot to set the timer so I really don’t know how long I boiled it because I was so busy with the baby- lol. If you make it this way, it’s very economical, and you automatically make your own broth to use in the recipe.

Recipe source: The Better Baker

76 Comments

Posted in Meats and tagged casserole, chicken and dumpling, chicken and dumplings, comfort food, easy, fast, quick, recipe, simple, winter. Bookmark the permalink.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Veronica

Look at this photo. Just look at it.

I’m not going to tell you what it looks like to me because I don’t want to bias you against this dish any more than you already have been by looking at the ugly thing.

All I have to say is, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. The most delicious apples I’ve ever had were hand-picked in an organic orchard and were quite pathetic to look at, and sometimes a shiny red apple has a rotten core. Things aren’t always how they appear.

This casserole is one of those things. I guarantee the flavor totally makes up for the lack of eye appeal. It’s got the layered concept of a lasagna, but with ingredients more akin to creamy chicken enchiladas. Incidentally, it doesn’t taste like either of those things. It tastes like King Ranch Chicken Casserole and you’ll just have to make it to taste it for yourself and discover that beauty can be found in flavor, even if it isn’t present visually.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Adapted from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 t cumin
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t salt
10 (6”) corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1 (10.5 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup (fat-free is fine)
1 (10.5 oz) can of cream of chicken soup (fat-free is fine)
1 (14.5 oz) can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. of chile powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. (My 9×13 dish fit this perfectly.)

Cook the chicken breasts in a skillet over medium heat with either water or a little oil. Sprinkle half the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt on one side and put the other half on when you turn them. Once cooked through, shred and set aside.

Combine soups, Ro-Tel tomatoes and chile powder; blend until smooth.

Place a layer of tortillas in the casserole dish, then half the chicken, onion, bell pepper, cheese & sauce. Repeat layers with the remaining half of everything, except end with the cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

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Posted in Main Dishes, Mexican and tagged casserole, chicken, king ranch. Bookmark the permalink.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Veronica

Zucchini recipes abound this time of year and that usually makes me sad and wistful since I don’t grow them myself. However, they are so prevalent at the farmer’s market that I was able to get super gigantic ones for just a quarter each! Kitchen Bitch emailed me this recipe a couple weeks ago so I whipped it out to use one of them. It is a good one–I would definitely make this again and next time might try a different meat (pepperoni or sausage)–I think the possibilities are pretty endless with this one.

https://i0.wp.com/a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/95/cf612b44822b4b02be9495843e2829b1/l.jpg

Zucchini Pizza Casserole
Adapted from this recipe at www.tasteofhome.com
Serves 6 (9 Weight Watchers Points per serving)4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, extremely well drained

1 medium green pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Place zucchini in strainer over a bowl; sprinkle with salt & gently toss. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out moisture. I took handfuls and squeezed them out over the sink–a ..LOT.. of liquid will come out!

While you’re waiting, whisk the eggs up with the parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. When the zucchini has been squeezed out, stir it into the egg mixture & press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook beef, onion, garlic & spices over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce & tomatoes; spoon over baked zucchini mixture.

Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; sprinkle green pepper over the top. Bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.

Slow-Cooked Enchilada Casserole & Spicy Red Rice

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Veronica

Two more incredible recipes from Marina!

SLOW-COOKED ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
$100 Prize Winner Pillsbury Bakeoff 2000, by Elizabeth Castle (Marina’s daughter)

1 1/2 lb. ground beef sirloin
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1.25-oz.) pkg. Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix (or 3 tablespoons homemade)
1 teaspoon salt (I suggest omitting as the seasoning mix adds plenty of salt)
½ teaspoon pepper
9 (51/2-inch) corn tortillas
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup tomato sauce
1 (10-oz.) can Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
6oz. (11/2 cups) finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (15-oz.) cans pinto, black or kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 (11-oz.) can Green Giant Mexicorn Whole Kernel Corn, Red and Green Peppers, drained
1 (4.5-oz.) can Old El Paso Chopped Green Chiles
1 (21/4-oz.) can chopped ripe olives
Sour Cream

1. Brush inside of 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In large skillet, brown ground beef sirloin with onions and garlic over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, salt and pepper.

2. Place 3 tortillas in bottom of oiled slow cooker. Top with beef mixture, broth, tomato sauce, and enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with ½ cup of the cheese. Layer 3 more tortillas. Top with beans, corn, green chiles, half of the olives and ½ cup of the cheese.

3. Top with remaining 3 tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese and olives. Cook on high setting for 21/2 to 3 hours or on low setting for 6 to 7 hours. Uncover slow cooker for last 30 minutes of cooking time. Top individual servings with sour cream.

Serves 8

Marina suggests topping the sour cream with sliced avocados and more enchilada sauce.

SPICY RED RICE
2007 Blue Ribbon Recipe courtesy of Marina Castle

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups Calrose white rice
½ cup minced onions
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
2 cups chicken broth
1 (8oz) can Mexican hot tomato sauce or regular tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter
Melt butter in a 2 quart saucepan. Add rice and onions and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add rice and onions and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add spices and stir until rice is lightly toasted. Slowly and carefully add liquids and bay leaf, stir and add butter. Bring to a quick boil, then immediately lower heat to simmer. Cover pan and cook for 25 minutes or until done. Remove lid, stir and cover pan again. Keep warm.

Serves 6

This was the tomato sauce I used–I never knew this stuff existed until I looked for it for this recipe. It made the rice plenty spicy.