“Hail Mary” Chicken Casserole

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 a few months at the end of 2024-beginning of 2025, I was ping-ponging back and forth between California and Texas to help out while my dad was in the hospital. 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 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 at the hands of the master. 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 days.

Print Recipe

“Hail Mary” Chicken Casserole

Author: keriawilliams

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 package orzo pasta (actually, probably any bite-sized pasta will do here--just use whatever you have)
• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2-3 ribs of celery (diced)
• 1 clove garlic (minced (optional))
• 1 cup onion (diced)
• 3 cups leftover shredded chicken (any will do. I actually found some smoked chicken in my freezer, and it was delicious in this casserole)
• 1 can Campbell's cream soup (I had cream of celery, but cream of anything will do)
• 1 jar--8 oz or so (prepared pesto)
• 1 cup milk
• 1-2 cups grated cheese (enough to cover the top of the casserole)
• (salt, pepper, lemon-pepper, seasoned salt to taste)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare pasta according to printed instructions; drain and put aside. Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish liberally with Pam and set aside. In a large saute pan (4-5 quarts) heat butter and olive oil until it is bubbling, but not browning. Add diced celery, onions and garlic (if using) and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently so the mixture doesn't brown.

   

1. When the onions are translucent and the celery is getting soft, sprinkle the flour over top of the mixture and stir thoroughly. Continue to cook the mixture over medium heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly so that the flour cooks, but doesn't brown.

   

1. Add the chicken, pesto sauce and the can of soup and mix thoroughly. Add milk to thin mixture out until it's a thick paste.

   

1. Add drained pasta to sauce and thoroughly mix. Taste and season with salt, pepper, lemon-pepper or seasoned salt to your taste preference.

   

1. Turn the whole thing out into a greased 13 x 9 casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese over top to cover. Cover with an aluminum foil "lid" and place in hot oven. After about 20 minutes, take foil off and let the cheese get a little toasty on top.

   

1. Enjoy with a nice glass of chardonnay and a green vegetable.