Although my mom can’t take credit for this recipe — she can take credit for popularizing it with many friends and family. She has filled my freezer with it the last two times she came for baby deliveries. It is pure comfort food.
This recent cold Atlanta weather had me craving it, and I had almost all the ingredients in the house, so I modified, which you can see in my notes below. I believe this casserole is a take on Chicken Divan or Chicken Florentine. It’s so easy to make a lot of, and freezes and reheats so well.
- 6 chicken breast halves, cooked, deboned
- 2 pkgs. chopped frozen spinach (I recently used Kale chopped in the food processor — broccoli works too)
- 2 cans cream of celery soup (cream of mushroom – fat free is ok too!)
- 1 c. mayonnaise (I used fat free plain greek yogurt)
- 1 cup sour cream (I used greek yogurt here again)
- 1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. curry powder (or a little more — mmm!)
- White wine to taste (I cooked my chicken breasts in white wine and garlic)
- 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (cheaper the better!)
- 1/2 c. bread crumbs or dry stuffing mix (I’ll let you know when I try flax seed!)
- Cook chicken and cut/tear up.
- Cook and drain spinach, broccoli or kale.
- Mix together soup, mayonnaise (greek yogurt), sour cream (greek yogurt), grated cheese, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, and pepper.
- Spread in a buttered 13 x 9-inch oven-proof casserole dish.
- Combine the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, then sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. (As many casseroles do, it tastes better the next day. I cover with plastic wrap, then foil and refrigerate. I then reheat at 375 for 25 minutes or until bubbly again.)
