Easy Chicken Comfort Casserole

As soon as August rolls around, there’s something in the air that screams cozy, comforting meals. Maybe it’s the subtle shift from summer’s heat to the promise of fall, but I find myself craving casseroles and pumpkin muffins the moment the calendar flips to August 1st. This year, I stumbled across a gem of a recipe on Jenna’s delightful blog, The Painted Apron, called the Easy Chicken Comfort Casserole. With “comfort” in the title, I knew it was destined to become a staple in my kitchen. However, I couldn’t help but tweak it to make it even more practical and waste-free. Here’s how I turned this recipe into a hearty, no-fuss dish that’s perfect for those early August evenings.

The original recipe called for a small can of refrigerated biscuits, but it only used four out of five, leaving one lonely biscuit behind. It also used just half a can of cream of chicken soup, which, let’s be honest, often means tossing the other half because who has time to store half a can of condensed soup? With food prices climbing, I wanted a version that used every ingredient to its fullest. So, I swapped the 8x8-inch pan for a 1.5-quart casserole dish, used all five biscuits, the entire can of soup, and even tossed in half a cup of peas for a built-in veggie boost. The result? A creamy, cheesy, savory casserole that’s as economical as it is delicious.

Here’s my adapted version of the Easy Chicken Comfort Casserole, perfect for a cozy family dinner or a make-ahead meal.

Easy Chicken Comfort Casserole

  1½ c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 (10.75-oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup 
½ c. sour cream
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided 
½ c. frozen peas 
1 T. dry Ranch dressing mix 
3-4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled 
2 green onions, chopped, divided 
1 small can (5 count) refrigerated biscuit dough 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 1.5-quart casserole dish with PAM.

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and arrange evenly in the bottom of the dish.

In a large bowl, mix chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, peas, ¾ of the shredded cheese, ¾ of the green onions, and Ranch dressing mix until well combined.

 Pour the chicken mixture over the biscuits, pressing it down gently to fill in around the biscuit pieces.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown.

Garnish with remaining green onions and crumbled bacon before serving. 

**Tips**
This casserole can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated for baking later in the day. 

Feel free to swap peas for your favorite veggie, like carrots or broccoli, for a personalized touch.

Serve with a simple side salad for a complete meal. 

This dish is everything I love about August cooking: warm, comforting, and easy to pull together with pantry staples. The biscuits bake up fluffy, soaking up the creamy chicken mixture, while the bacon and green onions add just the right amount of crunch and zing. Plus, using the full can of soup and all five biscuits means no waste—just pure, home-cooked goodness.

What’s your go-to comfort food when August hits? Let me know in the comments, and happy cooking!

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Soul Cakes

 

Source: Polka Dot Dinnerware

Happy All Soul’s Day, a.k.a Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, and the Day of the Dead, a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed. In many Christian traditions a soul cake is made for All Soul's Day to commemorate the dead. They can best be described as a cross between a scone and a cookie (biscuit). They are not overly sweet, so I have been enjoying one with coffee every morning.

Soul Cakes

7 T. butter

½ c. sugar

2 egg yolks

1-1/2 c. + 1 T. flour

1 pinch turmeric

1 t. allspice

½ t. mixed spice

2-3 T. whole milk

¼ c. raisins

 Preheat oven to 360° F. Spray a large cookie sheet PAM, or cover with a silpat; set aside.

 Cream together butter and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour, spices, and milk enough to form a dough that holds together. Stir in raisins.

 Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll to nearly ½-inch thick. Cut out with a 2-inch biscuit cutter and place on prepared baking sheet. With the back of a knife, press a cross a cross in the top of each.

 Back for 20 to 22 minutes until golden and firm. These keep for three days.

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Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat

I mentioned in yesterday‘s Colcannon Soup post that a slab of Irish Soda Bread goes very well alongside this delicious and hearty soup. Well, yes it does, but I didn’t have any Irish Soda Bread. I did, however, have a huge craving for the Cheddar Bay Biscuits that makes Red Lobster well worth a visit, so decided to make my own. Oh, momma, these are heavenly! And they’re so easy, and you can eat them in your pajamas without having to get into the car and drive to Red Lobster. Give them a try! No doubt you probably have all the ingredients already on hand. You won’t be sorry.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat

2 cups Bisquick baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of Old Bay seasoning

Heat oven to 425° F.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together Bisquick, milk, cheese, garlic powder, and Old Bay until a soft dough forms.

Drop by 1/4-cupfuls (I used an ice cream scoop) onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Brush or spoon Herb Butter Topping over hot biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

Herb Butter Topping

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch paprika

Stir together and brush onto hot biscuits.

PRINT RECIPE

For more delicious copycat recipes, I recommend this book:

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Best of the Weekend
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Grace at Home

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Camilla Wynne's Strawberry Margarita Jam

Earlier in the week I told you about a wonderful new book on preserving. Today I'm going to share one of the recipes from the book with you. The recipe in question is Camilla Wynne's Strawberry Margarita Jam. It's made in a similar fashion to marmalade in that thin strips of lime peel are used in the jam. The limes are quartered and cut into thin strips, and soaked in water overnight, the day before the real jam making takes place. I wasn't sure that I would like this, feeling that the lime might be too overwhelming, but it wasn't at all. In fact, all of the flavors blended just perfectly. The picky Mr. O-P is not a particular fan of strawberry spreads of any kind, and he liked this a great deal, so that is high praise indeed!

You're going to need a rather large pot for making the jam, probably a 4-6 quart. I used a smaller pan that seemed to work out just fine...until everything boiled over and burned on top of the stove creating a mess the likes of which I'd never encountered before. So, I poured the mixture into another pan, one size up and, yep, you guessed it, more spillage. If anything is lacking in the book, it is stating the proper size of the pots to be used.

When making marmalade, the mixture needs to be cooked to 218ºF. I did the same with this, watching the temperature on a candy thermometer that I had attached to the side of the pan, and the texture was just perfect.

If you're looking for new way to turn strawberries into jam, give this one a try. I guarantee, you've never tasted anything quite like it.

 This post is linked to:

Friday Frenzy

Friday Finds

Show and Tell Friday 

Friday Unfolded
Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat