Not Yo Mama’s Chicken Casserole

Lately I’ve been dreaming of not having to cook dinner.  Not sure what it is…the winter drudgery, the after school bustle and kid shuffle all around dinner time or just the desire to take a breath and exhale.  But I won’t compromise quality and flavor and I feel that’s what I get with take out or prepackaged meals, so I just keep plugging away making dinner each night.  I’m also not a crock pot fan because most of the recipes I really would love I have to cook some of the food before putting it in there, for me that defeats the purpose.

I was searching Momnoms for a recipe to make for our recipe swap club this month and I came across Krysten’s chicken casserole.  First of all how adorable is the name?  Not yo Mama’s Chicken Casserole…too cute for me not to take a second glance.  And the idea of a casserole was different  and it clicked that I could totally prep this ahead of time, freeze it and have it on one of those, ‘I don’t feel like cooking’ nights.  The list of ingredients is so simple you probably have it all in your kitchen right now, which was also another plus.

I only swapped a few things around, like doubled the stock, flour and butter because I don’t like to use the ‘cream of’ soups in an effort to be a little more healthy.  And I didn’t have any cheddar cheese so I used 4 slices of provolone cheese and a 1/4 cup of freshly grated Romano.  My daughter was not happy because she is a lover of the ooey gooey cheesy…but I don’t eat much dairy so this was our compromise.  And the crowd went wild!!! I was so happy.  I wasn’t sure because it was a casserole and I don’t usually do casseroles, so you never know.  Now I am all excited to make it and pop it in the freezer for when hubby and I will be out of town next week as an easy meal for my mom to heat up.  And the youngest asked if I could substitute asparagus for the broccoli next time…absolutely!

I think you will love the versatility of this dish Krysten put together…love that she is a chef gone stay at home mom!  You could easily use noodles or quinoa instead of rice and sub in any veggies you want.  Let your creativity take you away!  Well, until it’s time to do the dishes anyway…

 

Not Yo Mama’s Chicken Casserole

2lbs Chicken

4 TBSP Butter

8 TBSP flour

2 TBSP cream

4 cups of chicken stock

4 slices of provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano Cheese

1 TBSP Paprika

1 TBSP onion powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 Cup Rice (I use sprouted grain brown rice)

1 1/2 Cup Broccoli

 

The original recipe has you cook the chicken breasts whole, I cubed mine primarily because it was still a little frozen on the inside, but it worked out well, so which ever method you prefer…just cook your chicken.  Make your rice.  Cook your veggies to a crisp tender.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan, add flour and stir until it’s all incorporated and slowly add the stock while whisking to make sure if doesn’t get lumpy.  Add the cream, spices and cheese then mix together all ingredients and place in a 9×13 casserole dish.  Melt two TBSP butter and add 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan/ Romano cheese and sprinkle over the top.  Pop it into a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 min or until bubbly and golden.

Enjoy!!!