Take One Rotisserie Chicken and a Pile of Fresh Vegetables

I'm always looking for dishes for the kids and also for a friend that is having to eat soft food

I found yet another chicken dish that I wanted to make
Off the Better Recipes site
Submitted by Bree De

Chicken and Cheese Bake

The chicken recipe suggested using a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket
Good idea
So with just one rotisserie chicken
A bunch of vegetables
And some of the usual suspects, that you find in your fridge and pantry
Using the waste not, want not theory
Voila
3 Delicious Dishes including a soup with a surprise ingredient
I made some changes to the recipe for the Chicken dish
First I didn't want to use canned soup so I made my own
But please use bought soup if you wish
However...It worked
Whenever I have leftover bread I turn it into breadcrumbs
Just pop into plastic bag and freeze
So useful

Ingredients:

3 cup chopped, cooked rotisserie chicken
1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 head Broccoli cut into florets and blanch
1 cup Cream of Mushroom Soup

For Topping
Croutons sautéed in olive oil till just starting to get golden
Sprinkle with a little sea salt

Or if you'd rather...Breadcrumbs whatever you have on hand

I really like the croutons best. It was a great crunch
Directions:
Preheat the over to 175C and lightly grease a Gratin dish.
In a bowl, add the chicken, broccoli, cheese, sour cream, mayo and mushroom soup.
Mix all the ingredients well

Place in gratin dish and top with Croutons or Breadcrumbs

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and slightly brown on top.

I served it with some green peas
Perfect match

The other dish I devised was a Vegetable Bake

Plus the soup
Pumpkin, Carrot and Cantaloupe in Chicken Stock
Loved it

First I needed to cook the vegetables
I blanched the  broccoli in salted water, drained it
Kept the water and cooked the carrot and pumpkin till just tender
Drained and reserved the water
Base for soup of course


Once I had shredded the chicken the bones went into
The vegetable water with a tablespoon of Vegeta Chicken Stock, for extra seasoning
Plus a bay leaf
Bring back to boil and simmer for 30 minutes
Strain through wet paper towel in a sieve
Beautiful Stock


So for the Spicy Vegetable Bake
1 head broccoli cut into florets
2 carrots sliced
1/2 buttercup squash pumpkin
1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery chopped
100 gms butter
1/2 cup flour
Sea salt and freshly found black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp Sriracha sauce more if you want it

Toping
Grated cheese

Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling salted water
I also use the stalk just peel it and cut into batons
Put the stalks in first for about 3 minutes
Add the florets just blanch for another 2 minutes
Drain, reserve water and cool quickly under a little cold water
To keep the colour

Add the carrots and pumpkin to the water and
Cool till just fork tender
Drain
Reserve the water

In another pan melt the butter
Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, cook till tender
Add celery cook another couple of minutes
Add flour
Cook for about 3 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste
Add hot chicken stock
Keep stirring till it starts to thicken
Add 1 cup milk
Keep stirring
Add more milk as needed
Not too thick just want some substance

Simmer stirring often
Set aside
Arrange vegetables in dish
Smother with Onion Sauce

 Cover with grated cheese

This can now go into the freezer
Or if you want to cook straight away
Into 180C oven for 20-30 minutes
Yumo

For the Soup

Pumpkin, carrot and rock melon
Peel the pumpkin and chop
Chop the carrot
Remove skin from Cantaloupe and chop
Add all to chicken stock

Simmer for about 30 minutes
Whiz in a blender
And serve, with my famous  Corn Muffins of course