This is easily one of my favorite meals to take to friends or as a main course to a potluck. It's quick, easy, but incredibly delicious. It is also a meal that is very versatile and can be customized according to your likes or what you have handy in your kitchen. If I was a super meal planner, as I always aspire to be but never actually live up to my potential for, this would be a great Friday or end of the week meal to make with the odds and ends from the other meals from earlier in the week. Random frozen veggies, a few fresh ones, two cans of cream of something soup(chicken, mushroom, celery, etc.), leftover chicken, and a pre-made pie crust and you have the makings of this meal! How simple is that?
Our favorite rotisserie chicken to make in any meal is the white wine and herb chicken from Fresh Market. Most people will tell you all rotisserie chickens taste the same, but we think this one reigns supreme! It is a few dollars more than the ones you'll find at Kroger or Costco, but every once in a while, we can justify the splurge! I have made this meal with a lot of different veggie combinations, but so far our favorite has been fresh zucchini and yellow squash, red potatoes, and frozen peas, carrots, corn, and Lima beans. I will confess that I despised Lima beans as a child, but for some reason, I love them in this dish. It's also impossible to find this frozen veggie combo in a single bag st your grocery store so you will have to buy a couple of bags. This does create leftover frozen veggies for your freezer, but they keep well for the next time you make this or for another meal.
I've been asked by friends if they need to adjust the temperature or time according to the contents of the casserole. I say no to the temperature of the initial bake, but do adjust according to your pie crust instructions like the recipe says. As far as time to bake for the casserole, if you have potatoes or other firm starchy veggies that can take a while to soften, you might need to adjust. Your knife skills and cutting things uniformly small also help here. My best recommendation is to bake for 20 minutes, spoon out whatever you think is going to take the longest to cook, try it, and go from there. If your veggie or potato is still firm, bake some more before adding the crust. If it's close to done, add your crust and continue baking according to your crust's instructions.
The recipe below is for a full-size recipe which fits in a 13x9' pan and will feed a family of four with some leftovers. If it is just for two, try making half and using a pie pan or another smaller dish. Below is my first try in our tart pan and it turned out wonderfully! Just don't forget to grease whatever you use.
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
Serves 4+
Ingredients
2 cups of shredded or diced rotisserie chicken (seasoned or plain)
1 small zucchini chopped (I quarter 1/4" slices)
1 small yellow squash chopped (I quarter 1/4" slices)
1 cup of mixed frozen veggies (peas, carrots, corn, Lima beans, etc.)
3 small red potatoes diced small
1 can of cream of celery soup (or other cream of something soup)
1 can of cream of chicken soup (or other cream of something soup)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon of rosemary
1/4 of thyme
1 pre-made roll of pie crust dough or crescent roll dough (not a pie shell)
(Optional) Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a glass 13x9 pan.
2. Mix all chicken, veggies, and soups together in a large mixing bowl with a spoon. Add spices and stir.
3. Pour mixture into greased glass pan and cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender and pierce easily with a fork.
5. Remove pan from oven and cover mixture with pie crust. Adjust oven temperature if needed according to pie crust dough baking instructions.
6. Bake according to pie crust dough baking instructions (usually 10-15 more minutes).
7. Remove from oven after baking. Sprinkle grated Pecorino Romano cheese and rosemary on top if desired. Serve warm.
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