CASSEROLE ESSENTIALS: CHEESY CHICKEN, AND VEGGIES

Casserole Essentials: Cheesy Chicken, and Veggies image

Made this up the other day. It is layers of marinated chicken, veggies and two cheeses. It actually was a collaboration between my lockdown houseguests and myself. It was a lot of fun, and I think that we will get together and create a new recipe once a week. So, you ready... Let's get into the kitchen.

Provided by Andy Anderson ! @ThePretentiousChef

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

PLAN/PURCHASE
1 tablespoon(s) grapeseed oil, or another non-flavored variety
1 1/2 cup(s) veggies, more on this later
2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 ounce(s) cream cheese, softened
4 ounce(s) mozzarella cheese, shredded or in slices
THE MARINADE
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil, extra virgin variety
3 clove(s) garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon(s) red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon(s) lemon pepper spice
1/4 teaspoon(s) dried basil
1/4 teaspoon(s) dried oregano
salt, kosher variety, to taste
white pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Steps:

PREP/PREPARE
You will need a baking dish, or ovenproof skillet to make this recipe. If you go the route of using an ovenproof skillet, you can make this a one-pan dish.
The Veggies You can use any veggies that suit your taste, just make sure that they are evenly diced, and come out to about 1 1/2 cups in volume. I chose carrots, celery, onions, and broccoli.
I chose a combination of cream cheese and mozzarella; however, it you do not have those, just use what you have. HEY, it is a casserole... have fun with it. No lemon pepper spice? No worries just add about an additional 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and about a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Add the marinade ingredients to a small bowl, add the diced chicken, and toss to combine.
Add the oil to a saucepan over medium heat and heat up the veggies for 2 - 3 minutes.
Do not cook until softened, just warm it up a bit.
I am using an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20cm) glass baking dish, so I added the chicken. If you are using an ovenproof skillet remove the veggies and add the chicken.
Divide up the softened cream cheese, evenly dot it over the top of the chicken, then add the veggies.
Add the mozzarella on top.
Place into the preheated oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and browned, about 25 - 35 minutes.
Allow the casserole to rest for, 10 minutes before serving.
At the very last minute, my gardener suggested pepperoni, so I topped half of the casserole with pepperonis. Next time this recipe is made, the whole top will have them... So yummy.
PLATE/PRESENT
Serve this cheesy dish with crusty bread, a small side salad, and great conversations. Enjoy.
Keep the faith, and keep cooking.