Hot Chicken Casserole - Recipe Friday

I am not the world’s best cook. No one has ever died from my cooking but then I don’t usually do it for a lot of people. I think my husband and son have developed sort of an immunity to my cooking so I haven’t killed them yet either. I love cook books; thumbing through the pages and imagining myself as actually being able to cook the delicacies mentioned inside. Alas, if it is complicated, you can forget it.

One day, I was in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee in the Mennonite Community with my husband and the barn boys. We were buying some of the fantastic leather goods the Mennonite men create in their shops for horses. While waiting on my guys to negotiate with the shopkeeper (they usually won’t talk to women), I happened to run across a cook book called “The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals.” I scanned some of the pages and, wow, it all looked simple, even for me. I bought the book and am so glad that I did.

Just as background, according to Professor John D. Roth:
Mennonites are a branch of the Christian church, with roots in the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Part of the group known as Anabaptists (because they rebaptized adult believers), the Mennonites took their name from Menno Simons, a Dutch priest who converted to the Anabaptist faith and helped lead it to prominence in Holland by the mid-16th century. simplicity, community, service and mutual aide. The Amish, who separated from the Mennonites in the late 1600's, are widely known for their plain dress and rejection of modern technology and conveniences. Unlike the Mennonites, they form an exclusive and tight-knit community, with the church dictating much of what may or may not be done: for example, each local church district would dictate rules regarding the use of telephones, if indeed they are permitted at all. While certain conservative branches of the Mennonite church still dress simply and require women to wear head coverings, Mennonites generally are not culturally separatist, choosing to embrace the larger communities outside of their church rather than forming a separate community around the church. Where the Amish believe in keeping themselves spiritually focused by limiting their interaction with modern society, Mennonites believe in practicing Jesus' teaching of service to others in a broader context.

From what I have gleaned from my reading, the Mennonites allow electricity and the use of automobiles (while some Mennonite groups may not). They use tractors and other farm implements. I think it depends on the group and how they govern themselves. The Amish strictly do no use electricity and will not have automobiles.

Anyway, I got side-tracked by their fascinating history. The recipe I found in the book was a sort of quick dressing. It appealed to me because it was a no-muss, no-fuss dinner all in one. I have substituted canned white meat chicken on occasion when I didn’t feel like cooking the chicken breasts (lazy, I know).

Hot Chicken Casserole

4 chicken breasts or 2 lbs. of chicken pieces (I have used two of the large cans of white chicken)
Water to cover
8 tsps. Margarine or butter
16 oz. pkg. Pepperidge Farm cornbread crumbs
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of celery soup
2 cans of chicken broth

1. Cook chicken in water until skin comes off easily. Cool then skin and bone chicken. Reserve broth.
2. Melt margarine and stir in crumbs. Set aside.
3. Mix soups with broth. Set aside.
4. In greased baking dish put layer of crumbs. Alternate layers of soup with layers of chicken. Top with rest of crumbs.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with cranberry sauce.

I love this recipe because it reminds me of dressing. I usually add a green vegetable and salad. Dinner is done!