Casserole

On the menu tonight – Chicken and Tater Tot Hotdish! What’s a hot dish? It’s a mid-west casserole that contains a protein, starch, a creamed soup, and a vegetable. In this version, think chicken pot pie but the crust is tater tots!

If you like chicken pot pie, but are intimidated by making the crust, this is the one to try! Start by giving the tots a pre-cook in the oven. I like really crispy tots and since they won’t be fried, this your chance to get them crispy.

While the tots are in the oven, sauté the onion until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Then add some flour and butter to the pan to make the roux. Let the flour cook 2-3 minutes and begin adding the milk, whisking as you go to avoid clumps.

Instead of chopping carrots, I used a pea and carrot mix from the frozen section to save a little time. Add that to the mix along with the chicken, bouillon, and other seasonings. Let everything simmer 10-15 minutes, until the chicken cooks through.

Transfer the mix to a baking dish and cover with the tots. Put the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Let me know how your version of this hot dish turns out!

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Chicken and Tater Tot Hotdish

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 8-10

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 1 hour – Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Chicken and Tater Tot Hotdish

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1lb chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Vidalia Onion, finely diced
• 1 16 oz pkg frozen peas and carrots
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups milk, room temp
• 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon, Chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried Thyme
• 1 tsp dried (or fresh) Rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 bag Tater Tots

Instructions

1

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees

2

Put the tater tots on an oiled baking sheet, bake for about 20-25 minutes to make sure they are crispy

3

While the tots bake, pre-heat a large skillet with some butter and the onions. Cook about 5 minutes

4

Add the flour to the pan along with some more butter to make the roux

5

Stir the flour, butter, and onions around for 2-3 minutes, then slowly whisk in the milk

6

Continuously stir to avoid clumps in the sauce

7

Add the chicken, bouillon, carrot/pea mix, thyme, and rosemary to the sauce

8

Simmer for about 10-12 minutes to cook the chicken through, then transfer to a baking dish (13x9)

9

Cover the mixture with the tater tots and put in the oven for about 30 minutes

Did you say you wanted something cheesy? Look no further than my Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Gnocchi topped with Bacon!

Inspired by a Mac and Cheese recipe I saw, I decided to use gnocchi instead. This is another great weeknight dinner. Start by pre-heating the broiler to high. While the broiler heats up, cook the bacon and start the water boiling for the gnocchi (or macaroni if you want to go that route).

The rest of the recipe is below. I hope you will make my Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Gnocchi with Bacon.

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Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Gnocchi with Bacon

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 45 minutes

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Gnocchi with Bacon

Ingredients

• 17.5 oz pkg gnocchi (DeCecco preferred)
• 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 3-6 slices bacon, chopped
• 12-16 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/4 cups low fat milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
• 4 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1

Pre-heat the broiler to high

2

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions and set aside

3

Cook the broccoli in the same salted water as the gnocchi

4

While the gnocchi and broccoli are cooking, cook the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat

5

Once the bacon is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and leave about 1 1/2 of the drippings to cook the chicken

6

Add the chicken to the pan and cook about 4 minutes. Make sure to flip the pieces so they brown on all sides

7

Add the garlic and turmeric and cook another minute or two

8

Combine the milk and chicken stock, then add to the pan

9

Season with some salt and pepper (if your chicken stock has a lot of salt, you may not need to add any additional)

10

Bring to a boil, add the cheese (reserve some for topping) and broccoli

11

Once the cheese has melted and coated everything, add the gnocchi

12

Give it one last stir, top with remaining cheese and put under the broiler until golden brown and bubbly

13

Top with the chopped bacon and serve

On the menu tonight – Chicken Tortellini Alfredo!

If you are looking for something that doesn’t take too long to make AND doesn’t dirty too many pots and pans this is it! You probably already have some tortellini and chicken in your freezer. If the chicken is thawed, you can make this meal in about 30 minutes.

The chicken is tender and juicy. The combination of the chicken, cheese sauce, and tortellini is fantastic. Whatever you do, don’t leave out the nutmeg, it adds that little extra layer of flavor making people wonder what that flavor is.

Keep this recipe handy for your quick, week-night dinners. I hope you will try it and let me know how it turns out for you.

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One-Pan Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

One-Pan Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (half and half would work too)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 pinches nutmeg (freshly grated is preferred)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 18 oz pkg cheese tortellini (you could also use other varieties like mushroom or spinach)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (chicken thighs would also be great)
• 1/2 - 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees

2

Heat the heavy cream, butter, nutmeg, shallot, and one cup of the Parmesan cheese in a large cast iron skillet

3

Whisk until the butter and cheese are melted, about 4 minutes

4

Add the tortellini and simmer until they are cooked through, about 5 minutes

5

Add the chicken and mix to combine

6

Add the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top and then put in the oven

7

Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the top starts to get browned, about 12 minutes

8

Once baked, let it rest about 10 minutes before serving

9

Garnish with the fresh parsley or green onions

On the menu tonight, Chicken Tortilla Casserole!

This dish couldn’t be easier. If you use a rotisserie chicken, you can have this casserole done in about 40 minutes. Simply pre-heat the oven, put all the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix to combine. Bake for about 20 minutes, then pull from the oven to top with cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes. That’s IT!

Garnish with some chopped red onion, cilantro, sour cream and you have dinner!

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Chicken Tortilla Casserole

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 10-12

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 35 minutes

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Ingredients

• 5-6 cups cooked chicken (about 1 whole chicken)
• 3/4 red onion, diced
• 8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
• 2 10 oz cans Rotel tomatoes
• 1 10 oz canned or frozen corn
• 1 15 oz can black beans
• 12 corn tortillas (taco size), quartered
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

1

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2

Add the chicken, tortillas, tomatoes, beans, corn, spices, half of the diced onions, and half of the grated cheese to a large mixing bowl.

3

Mix to combine.

4

Add to a greased 13x9 baking dish and put in the oven.

5

Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.

6

After 20 minutes, take out of the oven, raise the temp of the oven to 400 degrees, cover with the rest of the grated cheese.

7

Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

8

Garnish with the rest of the diced onion, cilantro, and dollops of sour cream.

On the menu today – Chicken Pot Pie!

I was craving some good ole comfort food today and Chicken Pot Pie has GOT to be in the top two or three for comfort food. I tried something different this time with the crust. Instead of puff pastry or pie dough, I used flakey biscuits. With the cooked biscuits split, I used the bottoms on the bottom of the baking dish and the tops for the top.

Making dough isn’t one of my favorite things to do, so I decided to try using biscuits instead. I think it turned out really well. The filling it out of this world. I used chicken thighs, which I think have more flavor than the breast meat. The thighs were baked seasoned with salt and pepper – that’s it. The rest of the filling comes together really quickly.

With the weather getting cooler, you need to get those comfort food recipes out. I hope you will try my version the next time you make chicken pot pie. Let me know how it turns out.

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Chicken Pot Pie

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 45 minutes

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 2lb boneless, skin-less chicken thighs, cooked and cubed (You can use breast meat if you like. Cook it yourself or use a rotisserie chicken)
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 2 ribs of celery, diced (the center portion of the celery would be good too)
• 1 can cream of celery soup (feel free to substitute cream of chicken)
• 1 bag frozen peas and carrots
• 1 12 oz can evaporated milk (you could use whole milk)
• 1 cup chicken stock (I like Better Than Bullion)
• 1 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tube flakey biscuits
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1

Pre-heat a large sauce pan over medium heat with olive oil

2

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

3

Add the onion and celery and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes

4

Put the biscuits in the oven for 15 minutes

5

In a large measuring cup, heat the chicken stock and evaporated milk in the microwave, about 2 minutes

6

Add the flour to the onions and celery, mix to combine and cook 1-2 minutes

7

Add the butter, mix to combine

8

Slowly pour in the chicken stock and milk, stir to combine

9

Let the mixture come to a boil and then lower the heat, continuously stirring as it thickens

10

Add the frozen peas and carrots, mix to combine and cut the heat

11

Add the cooked chicken and parsley, then mix to combine

12

In a 13x9 baking dish put a layer of the biscuit bottoms down

13

Pour the chicken mixture into the baking dish and top with the biscuit tops

14

Serve immediately

I’ve eaten this dish a lot over the years but I don’t think I’ve ever made it. I don’t know why either because I love it and Chicken & Broccoli Casserole isn’t hard to make. While it isn’t a quick meal to make, it will feed a crowd! And if you don’t have a crowd to feed, it makes for great leftovers.

Since I hadn’t made this casserole before, I searched the internet for recipes. This one sounded most like the ones I’ve eaten and liked. Trisha Yearwood made this on her cooking show. The thing that takes a little longer to make is that you have to cook the chicken separately from the rice. In planning the dish, I knew it was going to take a while, so I cooked the chicken ahead of time and stored it in the fridge. You could also use a store bought rotisserie chicken if you didn’t feel like making the chicken. And if you wanted to take another shortcut, you could use left over rice from another meal.

I hope you’ll make this casserole and let me know what you think.

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Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

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By Trisha Yearwood – Serves: 10-12

Prep Time: 40 minutes – Cooking Time: 2 hours – Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray or butter, for the baking dish
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• One 10-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 ounces Cheddar, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2

Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking

3

dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

4

Place the chicken in a large pot with water to cover.

5

Add some salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low

6

simmer and cook the chicken until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until cool, or up to 24 hours.

7

Shred.

8

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil.

9

Add the broccoli florets, and boil until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

10

Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish.

11

Make a second layer with the broccoli.

12

In a large bowl, mix the chicken soup, the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, shredded chicken, half the Cheddar and some salt and pepper.

13

Pour the mixture over the broccoli and top with the remaining Cheddar.

14

Bake for 40 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.