College Chicken Casserole

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I stole this recipe for college chicken casserole from a cookbook called The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook. In many chicken casseroles the chicken to get dry while it was cooking in the oven. This recipe the chicken stays moist, because it is boiled first. After cooking the chicken is shredded and placed in a casserole dish. Mushrooms are sautéed and added to a sauce made with milk and chicken stock. Stuffing mix tops the dish and it is baked in the oven. It’s not the prettiest dish, but it is very yummy.

Did you know? Chicken is the world’s favorite meat. Modern chickens were domesticated over four thousand years ago in Southeast Asia. Each American eats an average of twenty-four chickens annually.² (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)

Combine 6 cups water, ½ cup dry white wine, 1 ½ tsp dried basil, 2 garlic cloves, halved and 10 oz can low-sodium chicken broth in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. I also add some garlic and herb chicken seasoning for more flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

Add 6 chicken breast halves (about 2 ¼ pounds) & 4 chicken thighs (about 1 pound) chicken; cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until tender.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon;

Bring the broth to a boil. Cook until reduced to 4 cups (about 30 minutes). Place a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag inside a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Pour reduced chicken broth into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain 2 cups broth mixture into glass measuring cup, stopping before the fat layer reaches opening on bag. Reserve remaining broth mixture for another use. Discard fat.

Or you can save yourself some time and effort by cooking chicken in a large skillet with seasoning.

Set side the chicken as you cook it, shred it and follow the rest of the recipe and use store bought chicken stock instead.

Remove chicken from bones, and discard skin and bones, shred chicken with 2 forks to measure 4 ½ cups meat. Place chicken in a 13×9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat, add 4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 oz) and sauté 5 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Place ¼ cup flour in skillet; gradually add 1 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add 2 cups of broth mixture; cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 12 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk.

Add mushrooms back to skillet.

Stir in mushrooms, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper; pour over chicken in pan. I also add a dash of the chicken seasoning in this step as well.

Combine 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mixture and 3 tsp light butter, melted in a bowl; sprinkle over mushroom mixture.

Cover and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until bubbly.

This college chicken casserole smells so good when baking, you smell the chicken and all the herbs.

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College Chicken Casserole

A easy flavorful chicken casserole, where the chicken stays moist when baked in the oven.

Course Casserole, Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6 people
Author Recipe Thief

Ingredients

  • 6 cups water
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 ½ tsp dried basil
  • 2 garlic cloves halved
  • 10 oz can low-sodium chicken broth
  • 6 chicken breast halves about 2 ¼ pounds
  • 4 chicken thighs about 1 pound
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms about 8 oz
  • ¼ cup AP flour
  • 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
  • 3 tsp light butter melted

Instructions

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon; bring broth to a boil. Cook until reduced to 4 cups (about 30 minutes).
  2. Place a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag inside a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Pour reduced chicken broth into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain 2 cups broth mixture into glass measuring cup, stopping before the fat layer reaches opening on bag. Reserve remaining broth mixture for another use. Discard fat.
  3. Remove chicken from bones, and discard skin and bones, shred chicken with 2 forks to measure 4 ½ cups meat. Place chicken in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  5. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes. Remove from skillet. Place flour in skillet; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add 2 cups of broth mixture; cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 12 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in mushrooms, salt and pepper; pour over chicken in pan.
  6. Combine stuffing mixture and butter in a bowl; sprinkle over mushroom mixture. Cover and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Recipe Notes

I use all chicken breasts instead. You can adjust the ratio of breasts and thighs to your preference. I also add some garlic and herb chicken seasoning mix to the first step for more flavor and in the sauce step. You can use a store bought rotisserie chicken and chicken stock to cut time. Shred chicken and place in casserole dish. Continue with recipe at that point. Use the store chicken stock for the 2 cups of chicken broth mixture. You can also use turkey, a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers!