I love stuffing, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had it outside of a Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) dinner scenario. That’s one of the reasons this recipe appealed to me—it was a great excuse to make stuffing for a regular weeknight dinner. And there was no elaborate meal to cook in addition. The stuffing is cooked with chicken and, um, condensed cream of mushroom soup [insert smiling devil emoji here], casserole-style.
At first glance, the recipe as it was originally written seemed like something from Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee and I should tell you upfront that it indeed would not have looked out of place plated up among one of Sandy’s iconic tablescapes. But, with a couple of simple tweaks, it turned out homey, warming, and delicious.
I did indeed want the original recipe, which called for boxed stuffing mix, to work. And if boxed stuffing mix is your jam, you should feel free to use it! But my taste tester and I found the dish made with boxed mix to have a bit of a chemical-y aftertaste. A version made with unseasoned stuffing bread, mixed with fresh herbs, worked much better for us.
Let us know how you like the Chicken and Stuffing Bake in the comments!
Serves: 4-6 Time: 60 min
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing // 4 cups plain stuffing mix + 1 tsp rosemary + 2 tsp sage
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 4 tablespoons butter or margarine (cut in pieces)
- Paprika
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Directions
- Preheat oven at 400.
- Pat chicken breasts dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Mix together stuffing, boiling water, and butter or margarine. Spoon mixture across shallow, 3 quart baking dish. Place chicken across the middle and sprinkle with paprika.
- In a small bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, milk, and parsley, Pour over chicken.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (Mine took 40 minutes but I suspect it was the covered baking dish I used.)