How To Delight Guests With Chicken Casserole Recipes

Depending upon what you have on hand in the kitchen, a chicken casserole recipe makes a quick and easy meal that pleases nearly everyone, including the cook. Chicken casserole recipes create a one-dish meal that you usually need only complement with a salad and perhaps a few dinner rolls. There are dozens of ways to create a chicken casserole to be made and enjoyed. Use freshly poached, rotisserie, or canned chicken to make life easier.

The Perfect Couple: Chicken and Broccoli

There are endless chicken casserole recipes that pair poultry with broccoli. Here's one:Simmer four boneless chicken breasts in a pot of water. Add salt, and cook for 45 minutes. Drain the chicken, saving the soup. Shred the chicken.Parboil a head of broccoli florets. Spread 2 cups of cooked rice in the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of broccoli. Mix together the chicken soup, a cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, a tablespoon of lemon juice, the chicken, 5 ounces of grated Cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Simple Chicken Casserole

One of the best things about chicken casserole recipes is how easy they are to create.This one needs a few ingredients:

1. Four boneless chicken breast halves
2. 10.75-ounce can of condensed cream of chicken soup
3. 1 cup sour cream
4. 32 round crackers, the buttery type
5. 1/4 cup of chopped onion (optional)
6. 1/4 cup chopped mushroom (optional)

Heat oven to 350°. Boil the chicken in water for 30 minutes, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a baking dish. Mix the soup, sour cream, and optional items if desired. Pour them over the chicken. Crumble the crackers and place on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Chicken Casserole Italian-Style

Turn a chicken parmigiana recipe into a casserole that layers chunks of boneless chicken thighs, tomato sauce, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, topped with toasted panko breadcrumbs mixed with some olive oil and basil.Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Serve over spaghetti and enjoy.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

For a Mexican meal without a lot of fuss, try a chicken casserole. You can make this easy casserole that's ready to eat in an hour.Use a cup of basmati rice, a cup of thawed frozen corn, a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed black beans, a 16-ounce jar of salsa, a cup of chicken broth, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2 cut-up chicken breasts, a cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend and 2 sliced green onions.Combine in a covered casserole and bake for an hour at 375°.

Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

Use what's left of that supermarket rotisserie chicken to create a chicken tetrazzini casserole.With a can of cream of chicken soup, some sour cream, a little white wine, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses and spaghetti, you'll have a tasty dish that no one would suspect contains last night's chicken, shredded and combined with the other ingredients and heated up.

Macaroni, Cheese, and Chicken

Make this tasty macaroni and cheese chicken casserole recipe by poaching boneless chicken breasts first.

Boil 3 cups of macaroni shells until al dente.

Fry a diced onion with 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper in 3 tablespoons of butter for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a teaspoon of chili powder. Next, mix together a ten 3/4-ounce can of cream of chicken soup, the onion mix, 1 1/3 cup milk, 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese in a big bowl. Add chicken, pasta and 4 ounces of mild green chiles.

Place the mixture in a 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with 1 cup more of Cheddar. Bake about 35 minutes at 375°.

Crescent Roll Casserole

A chicken casserole recipe with five ingredients makes dinner an easy fix. Gather together a can of refrigerated crescent rolls, two cans cream of chicken soup, 1 1/2 cans of milk, four slices American cheese and a cup of chopped or shredded cooked chicken.Heat the oven to the crescent roll direction's temperature. Roll out each roll and top with chicken and 1/2 slice of cheese. Place them in a 9 x 13 pan. Mix milk with soup, pour over rolls and bake until golden brown.

Crock Pot Casserole

Come home to this chicken casserole recipe that slowly cooks all day and is ready to eat in 6 hours. Combine:

• Three boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• Two cans cream of chicken soup, 10 3/4 ounces each
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• salt and pepper

Place ingredients in a bowl, mix and pour into a 6-quart crock pot.

Canned Chicken Substitute

When you want to make a chicken casserole but don't have any fresh meat on hand, you can substitute canned chicken instead. Canned chicken usually comes in 12-ounce cans.Drain the container of liquid and use one can of chicken for every 6-8 ounces of chicken breast called for in the recipe.

Cooking Chicken for Casseroles

When using fresh chicken breasts for casseroles, it's best to gently boil them before shredding or cubing them to add to dishes. Place the chicken in a pan, add boiling, salted water to cover them. Bring it all to a boil.Now cover the skillet and reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes or until juices run clear.