Cheesy Chicken Casserole

I'm experimenting with a new idea that I want to call "Cupboard Cleaners." These will be recipes that can easily be made with ingredients that you likely already have in your cupboard, refrigerator, and/or freezer. One thing that completely amazes Matt is that I can look at what we have in the cupboard and just kind of pull a meal out of thin air. Cupboard Cleaners will help you use up those ingredients that you're not sure what to do with - half an onion in the fridge, that last clove of garlic on the counter, that one tablespoon of butter that's left, half a bag of chocolate chips in the cupboard, a bag of couscous, you get the idea. We all have ingredients that have been partially used up in other recipes and then the left overs just seem to hang out with nothing to do but create clutter in the kitchen!

My first Cupboard Cleaner came from just such a scenario. I was cooking dinner last Saturday and I didn't have an idea yet for what I was going to make. I looked in the freezer and saw that I had half a bag of frozen mushrooms, I had half a box of penne in the cupboard, and a very small amount of shredded cheese in the refrigerator. Thus, Cheesy Chicken Casserole was born!

The word "cheesy" is really messing with my brain tonight. It doesn't look like it's spelled correctly. I keep staring at it which makes it worse. I could swear it should be spelled "cheesey" but then that looks even worse. I digress...

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Makes: 4 servings

1/2 lb penne

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" dice

1 tsp blackened seasoning (I like Zatarain's)

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp butter (I use Smart Balance)

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 bay leaf

2 cups milk

3 slices American cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

• Cook the penne for 11 - 12 minutes, or until al dente. Make sure to salt the water well.
• Drain the pasta and set aside.
• While the pasta is cooking, toss the chicken with the blackened seasoning.
• In a large saute pan over medium high heat, cook the chicken until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink, about 5 - 6 minutes.
• Set the chicken aside.
• In the same pan that was used to cook the chicken, heat up the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the mushrooms release their liquid and the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes.
• Add the flour to the mushrooms and garlic. Stir to make sure that all of the flour has absorbed the butter. Add the mustard powder and bay leaf.
• Add the milk and stir until the flour is completely dissolved in the milk.
• Continue to cook the sauce over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Remove the bay leaf.
• Add all three cheeses. Stir until completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the chicken and pasta to the sauce.
• Transfer to a greased 13" x 9" glass baking dish.
• Top with additional cheese and panko bread crumbs. Since this dish is a whole lot of creamy stuff and not much else, the bread crumbs help to add a little texture and crunch.
• Bake at 350° F for 20 - 25 minutes until bubbly and brown.

And after all of that, you may be thinking, "ok, but what if I don't have all of those ingredients in my cupboard/refrigerator?" Great question! Here's how you can customize.

Add-ins - instead of chicken or mushrooms, you could add: broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, spinach, zucchini, summer squash, caramelized onions.

Cheese - instead of American, Parmesan, or mozzarella cheese, you could use: cheddar, Gouda, Havarti, feta, pepper jack, provolone, Swiss, bleu cheese.

Sauce - instead of a milk-based sauce, you could use: chicken broth and white wine, or beef broth and red wine. If you do this, skip the cheese.