My Latest Obsession

One word:  Casseroles!

So I've been looking into new food ideas.  I REALLY need protein so I've been reading various blogs and looking in cookbooks and in the end I got desperate and decided to purchase a rotisserie chicken and some Frenches Fried Onions. 

Yeah.....not much right? Well, when mixed with a bunch of stuff from my freezer and pantry and then baked, OMG!  So tasty!  I ate about a half a cup of the finished casserole and still had a TON of left overs.  In fact I had so much left over I have 4 servings in the freezer and had eaten it for lunch yesterday and today.  I have to tell you, it sounds kinda nasty, but I am telling you it's SUPER YUMMY!  And, for you post ops out there, the chicken was so moist that I had NO problems with it, and I always have trouble with chicken.

This is what you've been waiting for...the recipes!

Mexican Chicken and Veggie Casserole

2 rotisserie chicken breasts (Skin removed, cubed)
1/2 a medium Spanish Onion
1 TBLS chopped Garlic
1 TBLS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (I used Shaws Brand Ranchero Mexican Veggies)
1 TBLS Cumin (Add more or less to taste)
1 TBLS Chili Powder (Add more or less to taste)
Black Pepper and "No Salt" to taste
1 Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1 can Low Sodium Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Mild Green Chilies
1/4 cup of Chicken Broth
1 cup of salsa
1 cup of shredded cheese
3/4 cup of Frenches Fried Onions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Warm the oil in a high walled saute pan.  Once the oil is warm, add the onion and cook until transparent.  Add the garlic, and chicken. Stir and cook until chicken is warm.  Add chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper stir until combined. Add bag of frozen veggies and cook until the veggies are warmed through.

In a separate bowl, mix the Cream of Chicken Soup, Green Chilies, and Chicken Broth.   Once veggie mixture is all warmed up add the liquid mixture. Stir until well combined.   Add more broth if the mixture is too thick.  (The liquids should spread just slightly when filling is pulled away from the pan.

Once everything is warmed though, pour the mixture into a casserole dish, top with the salsa, cheese and onions.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until bubbling.  Serve yourself a half cup of the mixture.

I'm telling you, this is SOOOO GOOD!  I made one tonight that was curry.  Same basic ideas but instead of the Cream of Chicken mixture I mixed Curry Paste and Greek Yogurt with a bit of Chicken Broth, skipped the cheese and salsa and used Indian spices instead of the Mexican ones. 


Chicken Curry Casserole

(I couldn't wait so I took a scoop out before I blogged.  It smelled so good)

2 rotisserie chicken breasts (Skin removed, cubed)
1/2 a medium Spanish Onion
1 TBLS chopped Garlic
1 TBLS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (I used butternut squash, spinach, Asian stir-fry small bags or just half of each)
1 TBLS Cumin (Add more or less to taste)
1 TBLS Cardamom (Add more or less to taste)
3 Bay Leaves
Black Pepper and "No Salt" to taste
1/4cup Mild Curry Paste
2, 7oz. containers of Greek Yogurt (I used 1 Fage 0% and 1 Fage 2%)
1/4 cup of Chicken Broth
3/4 cup of Frenches Fried Onions

Follow the same directions as above.  You will LOVE THEM!

Thanks to Michelle at The World According to Eggface for inspiring me to be more creative with my cooking AND for sharing her casseroles which gave me something to base my recipes on.