Chicken Stuffed Potato Casserole... a work in progress

C moved back home about a month ago. Long story, but it appears that her engagement to G is over. She is putting all her energy into working (several jobs) to try to earn enough money to pay her bills off faster. Car loan & school loans can suck up quite a bit of $$!

She also came home with a recipe that failed her when she tried it out on her own. She tried it once more this week but sadly, this attempt failed too! She gave me the responsibility of working out the bugs & come up with a decent casserole. 

I think I still need to tweak it, but last nights attempt wasn't all bad!

WARNING! This is not a diet friendly recipe! Comfort food, for sure!

Chicken Stuffed Potato Casserole   serves 4

What you need:

• 9x9 casserole dish, needs to be a deep dish Foil for easier clean-up)
• 4 1/2 cups russet potatoes, scrubbed & diced into 1/2" cubes or smaller (about 4 baseball sized potatoes)
• 1 lbs chicken breast, chunked (I think small pcs. Some say no chicken at all, but we'd have to change the recipes title!)
• 4 slices thick bacon, cooked, cooled, crumbled ( use a bit more if you really love bacon)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided 
• 4 green onions, sliced (greens only) I used 1/4 cup chopped chives for a milder onion taste
• 1/2 tsp each of salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2T butter, cut into small pcs

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Grease the casserole dish
• Place 1/2 of the potatoes on the bottom of the dish
• The diced chicken goes in next.
• Season w/1/4 tsp salt & pepper
• Sprinkle on 1/2 the cooled bacon bits, 1/2 cup cheese & 1/2 green onions
• Put in the remaining potatoes
• Top w/the remaining bacon bits, salt, pepper & green onions, 1/2 cup cheese
• Pour the heavy cream over entire mixture 
• Dot the top w the bits of butter 
• Cover w/foil & bake for 70 minutes
• Uncover & cook an additional 35 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough
• Top w/remaining cheese & cook until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes

There you have it. 

B said the taste was good, but thought the chicken was out of place. C wanted smaller chicken pcs or not at all. I thought it needed MORE chicken but in much smaller pcs. Perhaps using a bag of thawed hash browns would be easier & have better results.

Stuffed Shells Variation

As promised, here is the recipe for Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells! Since C has moved back home, she has requested this meal, especially since there are leftovers which she can take for lunch the next day.

Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells   serves 6 & can be frozen (see below)

What you need:

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 envelope taco seasonings & 2/3 cup water
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 12 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (add in a few extra to cover any breakage)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 green onions, chopped

What you do:

• Brown the ground beef & drain
• Add in taco seasonings & water, bring to a boil
• Reduce to LOW & let simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes
• Stir in the cubed cream cheese until melted
• Transfer to a bowl & chill in fridge for 1 hour (mixture is too hot to handle so don't skip this step)
• Meanwhile, cook shells according to package & drain
• Toss with butter to prevent sticking
• Fill each shell with 3T meat mixture 
• Grease a 9x9 baking dish then add the salsa onto the bottom of the dish
• Place stuffed shells, meat side up, onto the salsa
• Top shells w the taco sauce
• Cover & bake @ 30 minutes
• Uncover, sprinkle w cheeses then crushed chips
• Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until cheeses are melted
• Serve with sour cream & green onions.

note: Double this recipe to make some to freeze for later. I freeze them on a cookie sheet then place 2 of them in ziploc sandwich bags for lunches or a big freezer bag. 

Heat the 2 shells in microwave, about 1-2 minutes, then check. If it needs more heating, microwave about 30 sec, a few times, until desired heat is achieved then add chips, salsa & cheese, to taste 

or...

Freeze up to 3 months. 
Reheating from freezer:

• Put frozen shells in fridge 24 hours before cooking, to thaw, won't thaw completely though
• Grease 9x9 baking dish & add the salsa
• Place the frozen shells, meat side up & cover with taco sauce
• Cover, bake at 350 for 40 minutes
• Uncover, add cheeses, chips and continue baking until heated through, about 15 minutes
• Serve w sour cream & green onions