Slim Chicken with Stuffing Freeze Ahead Casserole

Makes one 2 1/2 quart (6 serving) or three 3/4 quart (2 serving) casseroles.

Who doesn't like chicken with stuffing? But no one has time to make it after a busy day at work. This casserole tastes great.

You will need cooked chicken and chicken broth to make this recipe. I generally buy a batch of chicken breasts, put them in a large dutch oven, add water and cover. Then I put the dutch oven in the oven and simmer them until the breasts are cooked. This gives me cooked meat and broth.

To reduce calories and fat, I remove the skin, throw it away, and cube the chicken for casseroles. I also own one of those nifty measuring cups that lets you separate the broth from the fat, and I use it. This gives me delicious defatted broth. (If you want to be very efficient, prepare 2 chicken casserole recipes and freeze all ahead on the same day. I promise to post another chicken recipe.... eventually.)

Unlike most of my casseroles, this one contains few vegetables. So, plan on serving a salad, or a vegetable as a side dish. I'd serve both. Frozen squash is easy to prepare in the oven or microwave. Just pop it in an appropriate cooking vessel, and heat. You might want to stir from time to time.

In fact, I would specifically serve salad as a first course and then serve the casserole with squash as a side vegetable. Why? Well, serving the salad as a separate course forces my family to eat slowly. This helps us feel full before we eat too much.

Always remember: Portion control is one of the keys to weight control. Like all my freeze ahead casseroles, I divide this into 3 two serving casserole dishes before freezing.

Lucia

Ingredients

Stuffing

12 slices whole wheat bread
1 1/2 t sage
1 t thyme
1 t rosemary
1/2 c finely coarsely chopped celery
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
1/2 c. minced parsley

Chicken Filling

1/2 c coarsely chopped celery
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
1/4 c. minced chives
1 T mayonnaise
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
3 c cooked deboned chicken
3/4 C skim milk
1 egg white

Group 3

2 T butter
1 C. Defatted chicken broth

Preparation

Cube bread. Mix bread and all ingredients under ingredient set I together in a bowl. Add butter and chicken broth to dressing ingredients (i.e. add group 3 to group 1). Stir lightly. This is the dressing. Set aside.
Mix all ingredients in the "chicken filling" group together in a separate bowl..
Assemble: Put 1/2 th of dressing ingredients in the bottom of the casserole. Next place chicken mixture in casserole. Top with the remaining dressing ingredients.
If freezing: Cover with tin foil, label and freeze. Place in the refrigerator 8 hours before cooking. (This may be placed directly in the oven, but it will take longer to cook.)
Final Preparation
Bake covered for 30 minutes at 325F. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
To lose weight, exercise while this bakes.

Lucia