Southern Chicken Pie

Book Cover for Rosies Riveting Recipes
Cover photo by Rob Resetar

The other day I was looking for a chicken and dumplings recipe, and this gem, from the Rosies Riveting Recipes historic cookbook, can be easily adapted for making chicken and dumplings. It’s also an easy way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken, or holiday turkey. Best of all, it’s delicious.

SOUTHERN CHICKEN PIE

  • 11/2 cups chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 8 tablespoons enriched flour
  • 4 cups milk (or half chicken broth and half milk)
  • 3 cups cooked, sliced chicken

Pan-fry celery, green pepper, and mushrooms in butter until tender. Remove from butter; add flour; mix well. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add celery mixture and chicken; blend well. Season to taste. Turn into 21/2 quart casserole or baking dish. Top with the following:

Baking Powder Biscuit Crust

  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder (or 2 teaspoons double-acting)*
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 3/4 milk

Sift flour once, measure; add baking powder and salt; sift together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk all at once, mixing until all flour is dampened. Turn out on floured board; knead lightly for a few seconds to smooth out dough. Roll out to fit over casserole. Place over chicken mixture. Bake in hot oven (425 F) about 25 to 30 minutes until crust is done. Serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.

Modern adaptation: Carrots can also be used. Dough can also be placed over chicken mixture dumpling style.

* Most modern baking powder is double-acting.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

 

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

© Can Stock Photo / roxanabalint

My parents bought an Airstream trailer shortly after my dad retired and they joined an Airstream club. They spent many years going on caravans and attending Airstream rallies where potlucks were the order of the day. It was a wonderful time in their lives. My mother brought this recipe home from one of their Airstream rallies and served it at a family get-together. We all loved it.

Fortunately, she shared the recipe with me. Generally speaking, I’m not a big casserole fan. This recipe, however, is an exception. It’s very tasty and super easy to prepare. You simply add the layers, bake, and go. I’ve taken it to many a potluck dinner, and it’s always been a big hit.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

  • 4 to 6 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped*
  • 1 large bag of restaurant style tortilla chips
  • Diced green chilies (8 ounce can)
  • 1  cup corn
  • 1 15 oz. can of black beans
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
  • 2 cups cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
  • breadcrumbs (optional)

Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Break the tortilla chips and cover the bottom of the pan, about 1/4 inch thick. Add chopped chicken breasts, green chilies, corn and black beans. Blend the soups and chicken broth together in a medium sized mixing bowl and pour over top. (Add more liquid if thinner sauce is desired.) Cover the top layer with cheese and add the breadcrumbs, if desired. Bake at 350F for 35 to 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Variations: Use jalapeno or chipotle peppers instead of green chili peppers for a spicier casserole. Turkey can be used instead of chicken.

*Two 9.75 ounce cans of chicken may be used instead of fresh chicken.

***

Book Cover for Rosies Riveting Recipes
Cover photo by Rob Resetar

Imagine the government telling you how much meat or chicken you could buy, or how much sugar or flour you could have. Strange as it may seem, at one time it actually happened. During WWII, the United States government devised a food rationing program to help insure that every family would have enough to eat. Rosie’s Riveting Recipes gives readers a glimpse into life on the WWII home front. A cookbook and a history lesson in one Rosies’s Riveting Recipes includes more than 180 economical, back-to-basics World War II ration recipes and short tales of life on the American home front interspersed throughout.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

 

My Homemade Chicken Divan

© Can Stock Photo/
roxanabalint

I’m not a big fan of frozen dinners, but when I was a teenager my mother used to buy Stouffer’s Chicken Divan. I loved it. It was divine. I’m not sure if they still make it or not, however, I’ve tweaked a couple of Campbell’s Soup recipes together to come up with my own version, and I think I’ve come pretty close. It’s easy to prepare, and tasty. Best of all, it uses ingredients most of us probably already have. Enjoy.

Gayle Martin

CHICKEN DIVAN

(inspired by Campbell’s Soup recipes)

  • 2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli (thawed)
  • 2 cups cooked noodles
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese blend
  • 1 small can fresh mushrooms (optional)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs

Chop broccoli, (if using fresh), and prepare noodles according to package directions. Clean chicken breasts thoroughly and cut into small cubes. Saute in a skillet until they are cooked all the way through. Remove from heat.

In a 2-quart casserole dish stir milk, melted butter, and cream of mushroom soup. Add pepper and canned mushrooms, if desired. Add broccoli, cooked noodles and cooked chicken, mix well. Top with generous layer of grated cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in 350F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top layer is brown and sauce is bubbling.

Book Cover for Rosies Riveting Recipes
Cover photo by Rob Resetar

The Rosie’s Riveting Recipes historic cookbook contains many delicious historic chicken recipes that you may also wish to try. Please click here for a free preview.

 

Turkey and Stuffing Casserole

© Can Stock Photo / MSPhotographics

Post-holiday leftovers are great. Like Rosie, of the Rosie’s Riveting Recipes historic cookbook, we don’t want them going to waste. However leftovers, particularly holiday leftovers, can also take up a lot of space in your refrigerator. So here’s a delicious recipe to combine your holiday leftovers into a single casserole dish, saving space in the fridge.

Gayle Martin

 

TURKEY AND STUFFING CASSEROLE

• Vegetable Cooking Spray

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

• 1 1/2 cups milk, chicken broth or water

• 1 package frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot combination, thawed, (or other leftover vegetables)

• 2 cups cubed leftover turkey

• 3 to 4 cups leftover stuffing

• 1/4 cup leftover cranberry sauce (optional)

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400F and spray nonstick cooking spray into a 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish. Set aside.

Stir soup and liquid in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add vegetables, turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, if desired, and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into baking dish. Melt butter in the microwave and add the breadcrumbs, stirring until they are moistened. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the turkey mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling.

Note: If you’re short on stuffing slice bread into small cubes and add to stuffing. If you prefer a creamier casserole, add more broth or milk.

 

Book Cover for Rosies Riveting Recipes
Cover photo by Rob Resetar

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.