How to make chicken Gloria casserole

Cooktop Cove: How to make chicken Gloria casserole

By Emma Blecker

When looking for a truly nostalgic dish that shows off classic Americana cuisine at its finest, Chicken Gloria Casserole is the meal for you. This recipe sees tender chicken breasts slowly cooked in a creamy mushroom sauce, punctuated by sweet sherry and fresh thyme. The fragrances wafting from the kitchen as this sumptuous dish cooks through really stirs up some fond food memories, making this the ideal recipe to pass down to the little ones!

As far as simple chicken casserole dishes go, this one is very much up there as one of the most straightforward recipes that can double-up as being served at both casual and somewhat fancy occasions. For an added layer of smokiness, don't shy away from crumbling some crispy bacon over the top along with the shredded mozzarella. Here, fresh mozzarella perfectly complements the creaminess of the mushrooms and the herbaceous notes of thyme. For the casserole aficionados among us, this really is a dish to be remembered!

'Chicken Gloria Casserole.'

Ingredients:
2lbs (900g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthways
2 tbsp flour
1/2 lb (225g) fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup (235ml) chicken broth
1 (10.75oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup (60ml) sherry
1/3 cup (80ml) milk
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup (114g) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to Heat oven to 350°F (175 C). Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a greased casserole dish and season with salt, pepper and the leaves from 1 sprig of thyme. Layer the sliced mushrooms over the chicken and pour over the melted butter.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, cream of mushroom soup, sherry and milk. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken and mushrooms, and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top. Place the remaining two sprigs of fresh thyme on top (whole).

3. Cover the dish and place the casserole into the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the mozzarella has melted. Discard the two sprigs of time and serve immediately.

TIP: Give this dish an extra crunch by starting off with breaded chicken cutlets instead of raw chicken breasts! Cook for 20 minutes if using pre-cooked chicken. You can also bread the raw chicken breasts yourself and follow the recipe as instructed!