Chicken Leek Strata Food

CHICKEN, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook until golden brown on 1 side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and cook until cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate, and return pan, with drippings, to medium heat.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in pan. Add leek, celery, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. (Reduce heat if vegetables brown too quickly.) Stir in flour, and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add sherry, stock, milk, and bay leaf, and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.
• Arrange bread on bottom of a 2-quart oval baking dish, overlapping slices slightly. Spoon half of the vegetables and sauce over bread. Slice chicken crosswise, 1/2 inch thick, and arrange on bread. Top with any accumulated juices from chicken. Spread remaining vegetables and sauce over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan, and bake until golden brown and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN-LEEK STRATA

Steps:

• Melt butter in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook leeks in butter about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened; remove from heat.
• Cut enough bread into 1-inch cubes to measure 5 cups. Mix bread cubes, leeks, chicken and dill weed. Spread bread mixture in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Sprinkle with cheese. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over cheese. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 325°F. Uncover and bake 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

DO-AHEAD CHICKEN-LEEK STRATA

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks; cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Remove from heat.
• Line bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with half of the bread slices. Sprinkle with chicken and dill weed; layer with leeks. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over leeks. Top with remaining bread slices; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
• In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients; pour over bread mixture. Cover tightly; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• About 1 hour 15 minutes before serving, heat oven to 325°F. Uncover dish; bake 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SAUSAGE AND LEEK CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet on medium-high heat. Saute the leeks with a pinch of salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. When the leeks are translucent raise the heat to high and add the sausage and cook for 8 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
• In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together with the cream, milk, the remaining cayenne, a pinch of black pepper and salt.
• Cut the baguette into cubes and put in the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch glass casserole dish. Sprinkle the bread with the Cheddar cheese. Pour the sausage and leek mixture and egg mixture on top. Top with pepper jack cheese. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• The next morning remove from refrigerator. Put in the middle of the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife is removed cleanly from the middle. Remove from oven and allow the casserole to stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

PESTO CHICKEN STRATA

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain., In a large bowl, mix basil, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, pine nuts and garlic. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk and remaining oil, salt and pepper., In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half of the bread cubes, a third of the cheese mixture and half of the chicken. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Pour egg mixture over top; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional basil.

CHICKEN, LEEK & MUSHROOM PIES

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a shallow pan and gently cook the leeks with the thyme for 8 mins, or until soft. Add both types of mushrooms and cook for 5 mins more, then turn up the heat a little, add the chicken and stir until the chicken starts to brown. Scatter over the flour and stir to make a paste and continue to cook for 2 mins.
• Splash in the wine, if using, and sizzle for 1 min, stirring, then pour in the stock, cream and lemon juice, season and simmer for 10 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Leave to cool, then pop in the fridge to chill. Can be made up to two days ahead. Assemble the pies as directed in Tom's pie pastry recipe, decorating the tops with any trimmings, if you like.

CHICKEN STRATA

Steps:

• Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, water and cover. Cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until all liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl.
• Add chicken and mayonnaise, mix well. Whisk milk, broth, eggs, parsley, chives, salt and pepper in another bowl.
• Lightly butter a 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Spread half of bread cubes in dish; top with chicken mixture. Spread remaining cubes over chicken. Pour egg mixture over ingredients in dish. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 10 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Bake strata for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes; serve hot.

SAVORY STRATA

Steps:

• Whisk together milk, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, Tabasco and nutmeg. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add leeks, and toss to coat with oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until leeks are soft. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cool.
• Mix together ricotta, Parmesan, pepper and herbs. Stir in the cooled leeks.
• Grease a roasting pan 9 by 12 by 2 1/2 inches with 1 teaspoon butter. Lay 6 slices of bread in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the ricotta-leek mixture. Repeat with a second layer. Place the last layer of bread in the pan, and spread the top with the softened butter.
• Pour the custard over the bread, gently pressing top slices into the mixture. Place on a cookie sheet, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic, and sprinkle the top with the cheese. Place in a larger pan, and put on the middle rack of oven. Fill the larger pan with boiling water to come up about halfway on the smaller pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until puffy and brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

HEARTY CHICKEN STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on several ungreased large baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. , Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the chicken, potatoes, celery, carrots and parsley. In another large bowl, combine the milk, broth, eggs, butter, salt and pepper. Pour over bread mixture; toss to coat. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes; stir. Bake 45 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with gravy if desired.

CHICKEN CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a 10-in. ovenproof skillet, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons butter until no longer pink. Add broccoli, onion salt, thyme, rosemary and pepper; heat through. Remove from skillet and keep warm., In same skillet, toast bread cubes in remaining butter until lightly browned. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk and soup; pour over bread cubes. Stir in chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese., Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

DO-AHEAD CHICKEN LEEK STRATA

Steps:

• Prepare a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, over medium heat.
• Cook the leeks in butter about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened; remove from heat.
• Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the bread slices.
• Sprinkle with cooked chicken and the dillweed; top with the cooked leeks.
• Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over the leeks.
• Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the cheese.
• Sprinkle with grated Parmeasn cheese over the bacon.
• Top with the remaining bread slices; sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
• In a bowl, mix together the 8 beaten eggs, 4 cups milk, salt and pepper.
• Pour the mixture evenly over the bread and cheese in the baking dish.
• Cover tighty with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove from the fridge and uncover, let sit out at room temperature 1-1/4 hours before baking.
• Set the oven to 325 degrees.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
• Let sit for 10 minutes before serving-- delicious!