Short Term Food Storage Recipe #5 - Chicken Casserole

The nice thing about this recipe is that it really is food storage friendly. The stuffing mix can be made from scratch. You can use canned chicken, homemade cream of chicken soup, dried celery, dried onion, rehydrated dried peas and homemade sour cream, or just some milk in a pinch. Here is the recipe for the casserole, followed by recipes for other ingredients.

Remember: Successful food storage meals are not made from food storage recipes, but from your favorite recipes adapted to use food storage.

CHICKEN CASSEROLE
1 pkg. stove top stuffing mix
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 c. chopped celery
½ c. chopped onion
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt and chopped parsley (optional)
Make stuffing following directions on package. Mix chicken with sour cream and soup. Season lightly with salt, pepper, garlic salt or powder. Stir in celery, onion and peas. Put a layer of stuffing in bottom of 9x13” pan. Spread creamed mixture over top then spread remaining stuffing on top. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes at 350º or until heated through. This casserole freezes well.

Homemade Stovetop Stuffing Mix
6 c. cubed bread
1 T. parsley flakes
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/4 c. dried minced onion
1/2 c. dried minced celery
1 t. thyme
1 t. pepper
1/2 t. sage
1/2 t. salt
Preheat oven to 350º. Bake bread 8 to 10 minutes. In large bowl toss bread with remaining ingredients till evenly coated. Store in a air tight container. Will keep for 1 to 4 months or 12 months frozen. Cook just like you would for the prepackaged mix. Combine 2 cups stuffing mix with 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Y: 7 cups mix


Sour Cream Substitute #1
2 c. buttermilk (use 1 T. lemon juice or vinegar and finish filling each cup with milk)
6 T. cornstarch
If not using in dessert recipes add:
2 t. onion powder
Dash paprika
Blend all together in blender. Store in covered container in the fridge and use as regular sour cream.

Sour Cream Substitute #2
7/8 c. buttermilk plus ¼ c. butter or margarine. Blend until smooth

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute #1
1 T. butter
3 T. flour
½ c. chicken broth
½ c. milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in flour and keep stirring till smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring constantly till it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups. *For Cream of Mushroom soup add 2 T. chopped canned mushrooms.

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute #2
5 T. White bean flour (Grind 4 T. of any white bean to make 5 T. bean flour)
1 ¾ c. water
4 t. chicken bouillon or 4 cubes
Combine bean flour, water and bouillon in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until thick and delicious; whisking frequently. The soup should be ready in about 3 minutes. (longer if your bean flour is coarser). Use this with cooked veggies or meat for a complete meal. You can add this to recipes calling for cream of chicken soup. This replaces a can plus the water or milk in recipes. (This soup is 60 calories compared to 210 calories in canned cream of chicken soup.)