Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Quick Chicken Casserole Recipes You Can Make Today

The Best Fast Four Ingredients Casseroles


Meal planning is all very good, but in real life, there are times when all your great plans fail. These are the times you are tempted to either cave in and have some expensive, unhealthy convenience food, go to the drive thru, or order expensive delivery pizza.

But, you're smarter than that, so instead you run into the grocery store to grab something quick and healthy for dinner, and that usually leads you right to the chicken. You know it's healthy, it's inexpensive, and it's versatile.

When you get home you have your chicken, you look at the pantry, and you think; "Now what?" You've got to make this fast and easy. Throwing a chicken casserole together would be ideal since you would then have time to get things done while it's in the oven. Maybe you could go through the kids' school papers, make a phone call or two, or just gather your thoughts and go through your to-do list for the day.

If this is the scenario in your house more often than not, you need an arsenal of 'go to' ingredients to add to your chicken so you can get a casserole in the oven and cooking in minutes. You don't have time to chop and measure. These are the kinds of ingredients that you can open, pour or shake, and be done. These are the kinds of short cuts you need to make delicious chicken casseroles very fast and very easy.

So, what do you need to keep on hand? Here are four of my favorite ingredients to produce a chicken casserole in no time flat. Of course, you'll want to keep some sort of broth in the pantry, too, but along with that basic, consider these flavorful and filling additions.

Salsa


Oh, what a good jar of salsa can do for a piece of chicken! Choose the salsa you like best, the kind you would eat as a condiment with Mexican food. You want all those intense flavors in one jar for this ingredient to save time and do the work for you. Just pour it all over the chicken in a casserole and bake. You can add other ingredients if you like, but with the right salsa, it could be enough as is. Of course, if salsa isn't right for you, substitute any good marinara or other sauce for this ingredient. Just as long as it's rich and flavorful, and easy, it works.

Penne Pasta


The reason I chose this particular pasta is because it's sturdy. If you are going to include pasta in a casserole, you need to be sure it won't get mushy. You can bake uncooked pasta along with the chicken, but you have to be sure to add enough broth or other liquid to cook the pasta. Or, you can keep a container of cooked penne pasta in your refrigerator for up to a week to use in your casseroles. Just be sure to under-cook it slightly if you decide to do this so it doesn't over-cook in the casserole dish. For extra nutrition and more of a sturdy pasta, choose whole wheat penne pasta.

Frozen Mixed Vegetables


Variety is the key when choosing this ingredient. If you load your freezer with an array of mixed vegetables, you'll be able to make chicken casseroles across a wide flavor palate. Choose stir-fry, soup and stew, winter blends, spring blends, or any variety that looks good. Then let those mixes inspire the rest of the casserole ingredients and flavorings. Oh, and don't forget to stock up on a few bags of frozen mixed berries or fruit, as well. Blueberries and pineapple are two great additions to chicken casserole recipes.

Seasoning Blends


A pantry full of little seasoning packets is the fastest and easiest way to turn plain chicken into tasty chicken in no time flat. You don't have to dig around in your spice rack trying to decide what to use, how much to use, and what goes with what. The prepackaged seasoning and flavor packets, jars, and tins have done the thinking for you. Just stock up on a good variety and let the flavors in the blend help you decide what sort of chicken casserole you want to create.

With these four simple ingredients in the pantry, you'll be able to have a satisfying chicken casserole in and out of the oven in no time at all. Once you have your chicken home from the store, just grab the first ingredient you can get your hands on and let the inspiration begin!

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