So whatever possessed me to ask Mr. C. to pick up some Swiss cheese and a big old container of spinach last time he made a grocery run was both prescient and fortuitous. Because twice this week already, I have wanted to use both ingredients. And there they were. Just waiting to be discovered in my refrigerator.
I used the Swiss cheese in my Shrimp, Sautéed Onion, and Swiss Chard Quiche. And last night I used it in this dish. I sautéed the spinach a couple nights ago as a side veggie, and used it again last evening in this glommed together chicken casserole. So it truly does pay to be well prepared. Even if, as in this case, my having both of these wonderful ingredients on hand can only be attributed to old fashioned blind luck.
But whatever the reason, it was great fun yesterday piecing this dish together. I read a few chicken casserole recipes before starting, but most of them either contained ingredients like cream of chicken soup or stuffing mix that I didn’t have on hand. Or didn’t include ingredients I did have on hand like various kinds of cheese and fresh spinach. So I stopped researching recipes and decided to wing it. And I’m so glad I did. It forced me to invent my own version of a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, and it allowed me to use some more of the fresh spinach and most of my remaining Swiss cheese. And the result? Magnifique!
So if you too would enjoy owning a recipe that features chicken, Swiss cheese, and spinach – I highly recommend this one. It’s quite easy to prepare. And yes, if you must, you can substitute a can of condensed cream of chicken soup and a bit of dry white wine for the first 9 ingredients in this recipe.
Since the first 9 ingredients are basically the equivalent of undiluted cream of chicken soup, I replicated the recipe at the bottom of this post in case you would like to print it as a stand-alone recipe. It is really tasty and would be a fine substitute in any recipe calling for a can of C of C soup. I also posted my Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup recipe, just in case you might want to make your own C C of M soup rather than opening a can.
Since I am being magnanimous today, I am going to spare you my thoughts concerning our current government leaders, racist idiots, bigots, gun freaks, maskless morons, and other groups of people who absolutely do not meet my non-prejudicial, accurate, and reasonable assessment of their value in today’s society. In other words – it’s your lucky day!
As always, peace and love to all.
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
6 T. flour
¼ tsp. seasoned salt, plus a pinch more for topping
freshly ground black pepper
lg. pinch granulated garlic
lg. pinch granulated onion
1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water
¼ c. dry white wine
2 lg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, then sliced in half again lengthwise (you want all the chicken to be about the same thickness)
2 c. roughly chopped fresh spinach
generous 1/8-inch thick slices Swiss cheese (enough to cover the chicken pieces)
1 c. Panko bread crumbs
In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken broth, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)
Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or 8×10-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in pan in a single layer, top with the raw spinach, and then the Swiss cheese slices. Smooth the sauce evenly over all. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the topping.
To make the Panko topping, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Remove from heat. Add the Panko bread crumbs and a pinch of seasoned salt; stir to combine.
After the 45 minutes of baking time, remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the Panko topping over the casserole. (I turn on my ovens convection option at this time to help brown the Panko topping.)
Bake another 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. I served the chicken last evening with seasoned brown rice (see recipe below) and steamed fresh green beans. Made for a lovely meal.
SEASONED BROWN RICE (made in a rice cooker)
1 c. brown rice
1¾ c. water
¼ tsp. seasoned salt, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Throw everything in your rice cooker. Set the rice cooker on GO. Takes about an hour.
CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)
6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter
6 T. flour
¼ tsp. seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper
lg. pinch granulated garlic
lg. pinch granulated onion
1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water
¼ c. dry white wine
In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken stock, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)
CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)
3 T. unsalted butter
½ c. chopped button mushrooms, or mushrooms of choice
3 T. flour
¼ tsp. seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch granulated onion
pinch granulated garlic
¼ – ½ tsp. dried mushroom powder*, opt., but really makes a difference
1½ c. whole milk
1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté slowly until the mushroom start to brown.
Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. (If it feels like a little more butter would be nice, add a bit.) Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the dried mushroom powder. (You can always add more mushroom powder when you taste and adjust seasonings later in the recipe if you would like a stronger mushroom flavor.)
Slowly whisk in the milk and vegetable base. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning as required. Use in any recipe calling for an a can of cream of mushroom soup.
* Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)
Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.