Italian Chicken Prosciutto Casserole
Full of Italian flavors and easy to make, this luxurious casserole is worthy of dinner guests. Serve with pasta on the side.
Some people think casseroles are not good enough for entertaining unless they're part of a Thanksgiving dinner menu. I think that just isn't true. This casserole, in particular, would be excellent with company. This makes an impressive dinner entree, served with a unique pasta on the side, like Pappardelle or Bucatini, simply dressed with olive oil and grated Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Instead of a salad, thick-slice some ripe tomatoes, quickly broil them with a little olive oil and dress them with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Dijon Chive Vinaigrette.
This dish will require prosciutto, which is a salt cured, thinly slice ham. Boar’s Head is a popular domestic brand.
This dish also obviously calls for Pesto, which is a delicious sauce made from olive oil, pine nuts, fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. You can make your own if you want to go to the trouble, but there are so many quality brands in the grocery store these days, freshly made is just not appreciably better for the time and trouble you have to go through to make it. Classico makes a good pantry version of Pesto. Buitoni is also another quality brand, typically sold in the refrigerated fresh pasta section of your grocery store.
Finally, you can just as easily use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but skip the initial par-cooking step if you do. I used boneless, skinless thighs because that's what I had on hand. That said, I do find chicken thighs carry a lot more flavor and they’re not as easy to over-cook in the oven.
Italian Chicken Prosciutto Casserole
Ingredients
- 5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 3 large chicken breasts), cut into 1-2" pieces
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3 oz grated Parmesan cheese (like, Kraft)
- 5-6 broad slices of prosciutto (like, Boar's Head)
- 1/2 cup ' data-amount-secondary='66 g'>1/2 cup each of grated Asiago, Parmesan, Provolone, and Romano, plus 1/2 cup Parmesan
- 2 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 4 oz can mushrooms, drained (like, Green Giant)
- 10 oz jar Pesto sauce (like Classico or Buitoni)
- non-stick olive oil spray (like, Pam)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450°F.
- Lightly coat the chicken pieces with a bit of the non-stick spray, then dust them with the Italian seasonings and onion powder.
- If you are using chicken thighs, place them on a broiling rack so the chicken fat will drip off during this initial roasting process. If you are using chicken breasts for this recipe, skip both this step and go to step #5.
- Put the chicken breasts into the oven for 20-25 minutes. This is to par-cook the chicken, and render out some of the chicken fat. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Roll the chicken pieces in the grated Parmesan cheese, and layer out onto a Pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle some additional Italian seasonings on top and then, spread the Pesto sauce evenly over all the pieces of chicken.
- Add a layer of the Asiago and Romano.
- Next, layer the prosciutto slices on top of the cheese, and then layer the Parmesan and Provolone.
- Finally, add the sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with the last 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Bake the dish until the top is slightly browned and bubbly, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
