Chicken Amandine

 

I had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator the other day and I decided I wanted to make a casserole with it.   I have quite a few chicken casseroles on here, but I was wanting to try something a little bit different.

I  found a recipe for Chicken Amandine in a cookbook I have entitled Grandma's Favorites, by Taste of Home.

 

 

I love the old Taste of Home Recipes.  I used to subscribe to the magazine when it first came out and I used to have quite a few of their earlier cookbooks.

  

I ended up leaving them in the UK thinking I could replace them when I got to Canada.  Unfortunately I have not been able to as they are no longer available.  I wish that I had brought them with me now.

 

Hindsight is 20/20.  I have bought the magazine a few times since my return and I have to say I found it to be very disappointing compared to what it used to be. It has gone way down hill in my opinion.

I did buy this cookbook however and I loosely based the casserole recipe I am sharing today on one which I found in this book. I say loosely because I did not have the exact ingredients called for in the original recipe, and so I substituted what I did have for them with, I might add, very delicious results!

I also cut the quantities in half so that it made only four servings instead of 8.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN AMANDINE

Simple store cupboard ingredients and some leftover chicken.  This is such an easy and forgiving casserole.

• 1 pouch ready cooked rice (I like the one which is a mix of long grain and wild rice, with garlic)
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup (150g) frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
• 1/2 can undiluted cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup (35g) flaked almonds, divided
• 1 TBS dark soy sauce
• 1 TBS hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 strip of streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled

 

The ready cooked rice in the pouch I used was Uncle Ben's and there is about 2 cups of cooked rice in each package. This one was a mix of whole grain and wild rice with garlic. I thought the garlic would work well with the other ingredients.

It is such a time saver not having to stop and cook rice.  I also love the nuttiness of the wild rice.

The original recipe called for frozen green beans, thawed.  I had those in the freezer, but I also had some frozen stir fry vegetables, containing carrots, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and onions.  I thought they would be a lot more exciting and colorful. 

You do only need 1/2 the tin of soup. You can pop the other half tin into a freezer container and freeze it, or you can make a simple sauce in it's place using 1 TBS each of butter and flour, along with 1/2 cup chicken stock and 1/2 cup of milk.  This will give you approximately 1 cup of sauce.

Just melt the butter and then whisk in the flour.  Cook for a minute, then whisk in the stock and  milk and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until it bubbles and thickens.

 

The Hoisin Sauce and the dark soy sauce are my own additions. I do another casserole which uses them and I knew the flavors would work well here with all of the other ingredients.

You can leave them out if you want to, but I have to say they add a really nice touch.  Also the almonds add a bit of nutty crunch. Yum!!!

And the bacon on top?  Well I have yet to hear anyone say leave off the bacon when it comes to anything.  Everyone loves bacon and it works beautifully here.

 

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AMANDINE

Nothing could be simpler to make. Its a matter of stir, pour, cover and bake. Uncover and bake some more.

Nothing could be easier.  A child could easily put this together.

 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 1 liter/quart casserole dish.

Combine the chicken, rice, thawed vegetables, undiluted soup, 1/2 of the almonds, pepper, soy sauce and hoisin sauce together in a bowl, mixing everything together well. 

Spread in the casserole dish.

 

Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top along with the bacon. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. 

Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer. When done it should be heated through and bubbling around the edges.

 

Like I said, I am not stranger to the chicken casserole. It is something we have often around here.  I have never met a chicken casserole I didn't like. Some of my favorites are:

Grandma's Chinese Chicken Casserole - with chicken and celery, chow mein noodles and cashews. What's not to love!

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Casserole - chicken, rice and vegetables in a creamy Parmesan sauce.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole -  built for two this tasty dish boasts a creamy chicken and gravy base topped with tender dumplings. Its a real favorite!

Chicken Noodle Casserole - Another family favorite. Pasta twists, broccoli, cauliflower and chicken in a delicious creamy base.  Yummilicious!

This Chicken Amandine was really nice.  I loved the crunch from the almonds and the colors of the different vegetables.  The garlicky rice was a great fit as well.

This went down beautifully with some crusty bread and a salad on the side. I will make this again, maybe even for company next time! 

Chicken Amandine

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A quick and easy to throw together casserole with a slight oriental flair. Delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 pouch ready cooked rice (I like the one which is a mix of long grain and wild rice, with garlic)
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup (150g) frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
• 1/2 can undiluted cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup (35g) flaked almonds, divided
• 1 TBS dark soy sauce
• 1 TBS hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 strip of streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 1 liter/quart casserole dish.
2. Combine the chicken, rice, thawed vegetables, undiluted soup, 1/2 of the almonds, pepper, soy sauce and hoisin sauce together in a bowl, mixing everything together well. Spread in the casserole dish.
3. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top along with the bacon.
4. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.
5. When done it should be heated through and bubbling around the edges.

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