Description
This hearty casserole with tender shredded chicken, sauteed mushrooms and kale, a rich Parmesan cheese sauce and topped with crunchy croutons is an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 small onion, diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, sliced, about 2 cups
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups packed kale, chopped in bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup light cream
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for croutons
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more for croutons
- 2 cups bread cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Sauté vegetables: In a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat, add the salted butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion, mushrooms and garlic. Sauté for 4-6 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add the chopped kale. Stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the kale is wilted.
- Make sauce: Sprinkle the sauteed vegetables with the flour. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, light cream and nutmeg. Stir and let simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cook for an additional minute.
- Add chicken and seasonings: Stir in the shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is warmed through.
- Add casserole to dish: Transfer the chicken and kale mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Season bread cubes: In a bowl, add the bread cubes, olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Top the casserole with the seasoned bread cubes.
- Bake casserole: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bread cubes are golden and the casserole is bubbling.
- Serve: Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
Kale is a leafy green that has a robust flavor and texture. Remove any tough stems and chop the leaves into bite sized pieces before sauteing with the other vegetables.
Skip adding raw chicken to the casserole. It's difficult to know when chicken is completely cooked when its added raw. Also, the raw chicken will release excess liquid into the casserole resulting in a watery dish.
Nutritional information is an estimate and based on the ingredients and cooking methods used in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: entrée
- Method: cook on stove top and bake in oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 497
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 847 mg
- Fat: 20.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.1 g
- Fiber: 4.9 g
- Protein: 29.4 g
- Cholesterol: 79 mg