Country Chicken Casserole

                

  Whenever I make a new dish, I always take a picture of it so that I'll be able to post it and share it at a later date. But sometimes I'll save a picture to my food file, and then it never gets posted. It's the same way with recipes. Sometimes I'll see a recipe on another blog, or maybe someone will post it on Facebook, and I'll save the recipe with the hope of trying it and possibly posting it, but then it doesn't happen. One would think that I'd be a little more organized by now, since I've been blogging for about 8 years now. (whoa, EIGHT years? How is that even possible? Time certainly does fly, doesn't it?)
 So anyway, today I was looking through some old photos and recipes and I realized that I had never posted this one. It has COMFORT FOOD written all over it, and it's the perfect thing to warm you up and fill your belly after you've been outside in the cold. Frankly, I don't even remember where I got the recipe. I'm guessing it's from Campbell's since it uses cans of soup, but who knows? I just remember how delicious and easy it was. This is definitely one to add to your "go-to" file of recipes. You could even make it the night before you want to serve it, and then pop it in the oven when you get home from work the next day. Simple! Serve it with a quick salad and you're good to go! Boom.

 a few glugs of vegetable or olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onions

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Potato Soup
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, (or 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped)
Pinch of salt, pepper to taste


2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
4 cups prepared Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

 In a large skillet, saute vegetables in a little oil over medium heat until they begin to soften. In a large bowl, stir together the soups, milk, thyme, and pepper along with the sauteed vegetables. Add chicken and give it another good stir. Pour into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Top with the stuffing. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.


Tips:
This recipe lends itself to any number of variations. If you don't have cooked chicken on hand, buy a rotisserie chicken and just shred the meat off the bone. Or instead of chicken, use turkey, ground beef, diced ham, or any combination! Just be sure it's all cooked or browned in the pan before you add it to the casserole. Use whatever kind of veggies you like. Swap out any kind of cream soups instead of the celery and potato soups. Cream of mushroom or cream of chicken would be absolutely delicious. Wanna add anything else? Go for it! I've even added some craisins and it was fabulous. You can also add shredded cheddar or grated Parmesan cheese. And if you like a lot of something, add a lot! That's the beauty of casseroles. Add what you like and it will all work!