Creamy Chicken Casserole on a Cold Sunday!

So, it's cold outside -- I mean, BRRRR-diddle for a South Texan Gal.  I don't do cold...  No Sir, No Ma'am.  Anyhow, I've got lots of cooked chicken (left over from baked chicken dinners, etc) and so I'm thinking a warm and creamy casserole will be just the right thing for dinner tonight.

I should be folding the growing mountain of laundry that's in the utility room, overflowing the baskets and the cart.  (Actually, it's more like a gurney).  And, steam mopping the floors.  But, it's cold outside, Brrrrrr-Diddle cold (wait, I said that already didn't I) and I'm enjoying some reading.  Sookie Stackhouse book 9!  Lil'Gal is watching Scooby Doo and begging for another round of Yahtzee or something.

Farmer, Jr. and the Hubster are out spraying fields to prep for planting season which is just days around the corner.  So, enough about nothin' on a Sunday -- here is the recipe.

CREAMY CHICKEN CASSEROLE:

3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (OR, 3 1/2 pound broiler-fryer whole chicken)
1 quart of water (only if you need to boil the whole chicken first)
1 can (10 & 3/4 oz) of cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
1 can (10 & 3/4 oz) of cream of celery (I don't use cream of celery; cream of mushroom if I need the extra can) (undiluted)
1 8 oz carton of sour cream (light sour cream tastes just as well and cuts calories)
salt and pepper
1/2 a 16 oz pack of oval shaped buttery crackers (I use the rectangle, generic brand of butter crackers)
1/4 cup of melted butter or margerine (you can use spray butter instead to save fat and calories; the crackers are buttery enough on their own.)

Boil your chicken, if you need to with salt and pepper to the water.  If you have left over chopped chicken then go to the next step.

NEXT STEP: (I'm a riot, huh?)  Combine cooked chicken with your canned soups, sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Place butter crackers in a zip lock bag and crush by rolling with a rolling pin.  Flip the bag several times to get the crackers really crushed and fine.  Place half the crackers on the bottom of your baking dish (this recipe calls for 11 x 7).  Spoon chicken mixture over the cracker crumb crust.  Top the mixture with the other half of crushed crackers and either drizzle with melted butter/margarine or spray the top with spray butter.

Bake at 325 for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

Personally, I'm going to puree some steamed carrots and mix them in with the chicken mixture in hopes of getting the kids to eat an extra vegetable serving, unknowingly.  Though, yellow squash works better because it blends well and isn't as strong as a flavor.  But, I'm trying carrots anyhow.

I'm also serving up with Salt-Pork, green beans.  YUM!

Another idea is to mix in some grated monterrey jack cheese with your chicken mixture; talk about making it creamy AND gooey.  But, I'm not doing that this time.

Anyhow, enjoy!!!  And, Happy Sunday!  [BRRRRR-rrrrrrr-diddle!]

Creamy Chicken Casserole on a Cold Sunday!