Chicken Zucchini Casserole

Our garden has exploded and we are up to our eyeballs with zucchini! We have given so much away to our neighbors but we still find ourselves trying to eat our weight in zucchini each week haha! So this has led me to get creative with some recipes so we aren’t just eating roasted zucchini as a side dish every night. This is a quick, easy, and budget friendly casserole that not only taste good but also makes enough so you will have leftovers that are delicious reheated!

What I love most about this recipe is how tender and creamy the chicken and zucchini combination is under layers of sour cream and cheese. YUM!

Chicken Zucchini Casserole

INGREDIENTS

12 oz ground chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

6-7 T sour cream (or more as needed)

2 t garlic powder

1 t black pepper

1 t salt

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 t Italian herb spice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl grate the zucchini and add 1 t of salt, set aside for 15-20 minutes to drain off the excess water. Remove the excess water using a strainer and spoon or wrap the zucchini in a thin kitchen towel and squeeze tight to get rid of the water.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

3. Combine all ingredients (except the cheese and sour cream) in a large mixing bowl and stir with spatula until combined.

4. Prepare a 8x8 dish, spray with cooking oil, and transfer the mixture into the dish. Even out the top with a spatula and layer the sour cream on top.

5. Bake the chicken zucchini casserole for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the cheese. Bake again for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

6. Garnish with parsley, scallions or cracked black pepper. ENJOY!

Here are some tips I’ve accumulated after making this recipe multiple times over the past few weeks!

• I sometimes find myself enjoying this dish more if I increase the sour cream allotment to 4 oz so feel free to adjust the amount to your preference. Just make sure the sour cream covers the top of the dish completely and you will be very satisfied! Trust me ;)

• Make sure to not skip the very important step of draining off the excess water after grating the zucchini. Honestly, this step can take up to an hour depending on how juicy your zucchinis are haha! I typically use not only a strainer/spoon but also squeeze the grated zucchini in a kitchen towel (you can also find special fabric for this on amazon) to drain off the excess water.

• Cut the onion thin enough or small diced so that the onion softens and gives flavor to the other ingredients while in the oven. You can also sauté the onion first if you prefer but that’s an extra step and I’m all about easy recipes.

• If you have a Costco membership, buy the $5 rotisserie chicken and shred it and use this in the casserole! DELICIOUS and you will still have leftover chicken to make another casserole.

• If you love cheese, add some cheese into the mixture instead of just topping the casserole with cheese at the end. WOW…just wow! So good and cheesy!

Do you like zucchini? What would be your meat preference for this casserole? Let me know your thoughts on this recipe in the comments! xoxo

-B

Remember, whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend never had a good pair of leggings or a dog