Monday, July 20, 2009

Chicken Casserole

5 Chicken Breasts or Whole Chicken

2 Tablespoons Flour
4 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 Cup Milk

1 Can Campbell’s Creamed Chicken Soup
1 Can Campbell’s Cream of Celery Soup
1 can Broth (can use 1 can of the water you cooked the chicken in)

1 stick butter or margarine
8 Ounce package Pepperidge Farms Dressing Mix


Cook chicken until tender in water to cover. Set the breasts to cool out of the water. Reserve water. When cool chop.

While chicken is cooling, in a skillet or pan over low heat melt butter to make a white sauce. Blend in the flour and stir until smooth. Then whisk in 1 cup milk. Let thicken over the heat, careful not to let it burn.

When thickened add cans of soup and the can of broth. Stir until smooth.

In another pan melt the stick of margarine or butter. Remove from heat and add the dressing mix stirring to coat well.

Grease a 9X13 baking dish and layer lightly half the dressing, half the chopped chicken, then the soup mixture. Then the rest of the chopped chicken, then the soup and end with the dressing on the top. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
This casserole is great with leftover green beans or broccoli added. You can substitute cream of rice or mushroom soup or another canned soup for the celery soup. When I make this I usually don't use the canned soups at all, but make a lot of white sauce with flour, hot water, lots of broth (either from the chicken I cook or bought), and a bit of milk. If you don't use the canned soups be sure you salt to taste the chicken broth or the white sauce. It will be very bland without the salt. This casserole does freeze nicely.

One of the highlights of our missionary experience was meeting so many people who fed us and cared for our needs with the love of Jesus in their hearts. One of those was the Hupp family, Oscar and Ruby. Ruby made this casserole for us the first year we were in Grace Gospel’s mission conference, about 1985 or '86, when they invited us for dinner. We loved the casserole and the Hupp’s. Ruby and I were always going to make a cookbook together. Sweet lady.