I haven’t had a good casserole in a long time. Despite my fond childhood memories I tend to avoid them because they are often made of the dreaded salt-bombed “Cream of [insert your drug choice here]” and are devoid of fiber. Not great for the arteries.
But last week I had a bunch of leftover rotisserie chicken and wanted something other than soup or enchiladas. It was also one of the first days in the early fall where it wasn’t 150° outside so I could comfortably run the oven without suffering heatstroke. So, screw it. I figured I could knock up something decent without the usual can-o-salt-fat-bomb.
In my mind, a casserole has 4 basic requirements:
- Protein
- A reasonable amount of carbs
- Some vegetable fiber
- A binder
With those as a guide, and what I found in the fridge, here is what I came up with.
Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
Intended for 2 portions
6-8 oz leftover roast or rotisserie Chicken - chopped
4 oz tinned Mushrooms - drained
1 medium Potato - cubed
1.5 cups Cauliflower - chopped bite size
1 tsp Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste - I used ½ tsp of Morton’s Kosher salt
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ medium or small Onion - chopped
1 rib Celery - diced
½ cup White Wine - pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, or something dry and unoaked
2 tbsp Flour
1 large or 2 medium cloves Garlic - minced or pressed
½ cup Chicken Stock
½ cup Heavy Cream
1 Egg
1 tsp Dijon
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Pecorino Romano
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350° F
In a mixing bowl place the chicken, mushrooms, potato, and cauliflower. Toss and set aside.
Mix the stock, cream, egg, and dijon in a bowl or pyrex measuring cup, combine well, and set aside.
Mix the Panko and the Pecorino in a bowl, and keep in the fridge.
Set a stainless steel pan on medium high heat and sauté the onion and celery until they begin to brown around the edges and a fond begins to form on the bottom of the pan. Take your time with this part, and practice patience.
Pour in the wine and deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pan with a heat resistant spatula or wood utensil.
Reduce until all of the wine has evaporated.
Turn off the heat and add the garlic and the flour, mixing quickly until just combined.
Pour in the stock-cream mixture and stir until just combined.
Pour everything from the pan into the chicken bowl and mix.
Pour the chicken bowl into a round casserole dish, smoothing the top to make it level. Lid the dish and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and remove the lid. Top evenly with the Panko mixture and place back in the oven for 15 minutes without the lid. The panko will become brown and awesome.
Remove and let cool for at least 15 minutes but up to 30 minutes.
Eat, repeat.
If you try this, drop me a line on our socials and let me know what you think.
This recipe was constructed while listening to My Bloody Valentine. \m/
