Hearty Home-style Chicken and Vegetable Casserole for a Rainy Spring Weekend

This is one of my favorite quick and easy hearty home-style meals. It makes me want to curl up by a fire and read a good book. I make variations of this dish at my dinner parties regularly and it is always a big hit. Plus, it’s a great way to get anyone to eat their vegetables! It reheats well and can be made ahead (no more than 1 day) and baked later. If you want to make a slightly healthier version, then just add one can of soup only and 1/2 cup of fat free sour cream. As I said, I "mess with", "tinker", "alter" (you pick the adjective) this recipe on a constant basis and its hard to screw up. Some of my recommended variations appear below. If you try a different version, let me know!

Ingredients:
Homemade Apple Cranberry Pork Sausage Stuffing Recipe (or if you are in a hurry, one package STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix, I like the cornbread flavor, but chicken or turkey works too)

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed and cut into bite-size pieces

2 (10-3/4 oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (or for a healthier version, 1 can soup plus 1/2 cup low fat sour cream)

1 (16 oz.) package frozen vegetables (mixed carrot, peas, corn and green beans)

1/2 (16 oz.) package of frozen broccoli florets (or you can simply add 8 oz. more of the frozen vegetables if you aren't a broccoli fan)

1 tsp. red pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make Homemade Apple Cranberry Stuffing according to recipe, but do not bake in oven, set aside. If you are making the Stove Top Stuffing mix, simply follow directions on the box and set aside.

Pour condensed soups into a large casserole dish (at least 13 X 9 inches). Add pepper and mix. Add chicken and mix. Add frozen vegetables and broccoli and mix. Casserole will be full. Cover evenly with stuffing. Bake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes until done. Serve hot.

Variations:

Replace stuffing with a sheet of pie crust. If using a premade pie crust, simply open the pie crust and place over the 13 X 9 inch casserole dish before baking. Cut off excess on edges and place on top of areas where you can see the casserole. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until crust is light brown and chicken is fully cooked. My homemade pie crust recipe can be found here:  Grandma's Pie Crust. If using homemade pie crust, simply roll out one recipe of pie crust into an approximately 13X 9 inch rectangle and place atop casserole before baking.

Replace stuffing with cheese and bread crumbs or rice krispie or corn flake crumbs. Instead of the stuffing, bake the casserole sans stuffing covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. While the casserole is baking, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan. Then add one cup corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside. After the chicken casserole has been in the oven for 40 minutes, take the casserole out of the oven. Cover the casserole evenly with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more to your taste). Then cover casserole evenly with the prepared corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs. Put the casserole back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is fully cooked.

Another fun option is to replace the chicken bread with the shredded chicken from a fully cooked whole rotisserie chicken.  Baking time is reduced to 40-45 minutes.