Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook–I’m so glad you’re here!
Today, I’m continuing my weeklong salute to leftover and “found” food. Today, I’ featuring “Hail Mary” Chicken Casserole made from chicken left over from having roasted a chicken the night before.
A Hail Mary pass is defined in Wikipedia as “a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with a very small chance of achieving a completion.”
For the last few months, I’ve been spending time between California and Texas to help out while my dad has been ill. A “Hail Mary pass” is an apt description of many of the dinners mom and I ate on my most recent trip to Texas. Some were completed passes, and others…not so much. I’m happy to report that this Hail Mary Chicken Casserole was a completed pass and a “keeper!”
First, a little history:
A couple of decades ago, my mom and dad were out for a visit and my dad caught a bad cold. As they were driving, and had a flexible schedule, they stayed on with us for a few days longer than planned so my dad could recuperate. Mom decided that she would make roast chicken for dinner so we could simmer the chicken bones the next day for chicken soup. Roasting a chicken was new to me, and I was eager to learn from her. She put together a marinade of garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil and stuffed the chicken with wild rice. The chicken was delicious and juicy and the chicken soup the next day was just what dad needed to build up his strength, and they were off the next day.
After my parents went on their way, I began to experiment with roasting whole chickens with different herbs and spices and then finding new ways to use the leftover meat.
Like any good, basic recipe, over the years, my roast chicken has evolved. While my mom’s roast chicken is delicious, it is labor intensive and as I experimented, I began to play with spice blends and condiments that would provide the same punch of flavor and still allow me to put together a chicken and have it on the table in an hour–yes, an hour. Click here for the recipe for my roast chicken. And now, I make it a couple of times a month. I always try to simmer the bones and either use or freeze the resulting stock, and the same goes for the chicken meat. Hence, at any given time, I have stock and/or meat in the freezer ready for use. This nut didn’t fall far from the tree. Mom almost always has leftover chicken meat in her freezer, too 😉
After a particularly long day at the hospital, we got home exhausted and hungry. I put mom on the couch with a glass of wine and began rummaging around in her freezer for “found” food. Sure enough–I found a package of leftover chicken meat. In her pantry, I found a can of Campbell’s Cream of Celery soup, a jar of prepared pesto, some orzo pasta, and in the fridge, some cheddar cheese, an onion and some celery. Ha! I was in business. I started a pot of salted water to boil and by the time the pasta was cooked, I had the sauce ready and the oven was heated up and ready to receive the casserole.
This experimental casserole got a great, big thumb’s up and made enough for leftovers for a couple more nights! A win-win-win-win in my book!
Enjoy this casserole with a nice glass of chardonnay and some steamed broccoli or asparagus.
Tune in tomorrow for more recipes using “found food.”
Until then,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
