Chicken Casserole
Excerpted from: "2001 Chicken Recipes"
by Gregg Gillespie
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FREE recipe: Chicken Casserole

• Can you imagine having enough chicken recipes to be able to make a new chicken dish every night for 5 years?
• Can you imagine cooking juicy, tender, and delicious chicken in 30 minutes or less?

Well, the famous chef and cookbook author Gregg Gillespie not only imagined all this but wrote the book called 2001 Chicken Recipes.

This is the only book you will ever need to make chicken.  This incredible collection of recipes allows you a huge variety of ways to prepare chicken and make it tasty every time.  Whether you want to make the traditional fried chicken or the more international Egyptian Chicken, Gregg has the recipe for you.

Gregg also shares his secrets for cooking chicken.  He gives us the simple but effective techniques for making tender, juicy chicken every time.

I have made Gregg's Honey-Ginger Chicken and my family loved it.  My husband was talking about it weeks later.  I know I'll be making this quick but so yummy dish again : ).

As is true with all of Gregg's book he masterfully indexes and organizes his
books so that they are easy to use.  The recipes are designed for the beginner cook as well as experienced kitchen chefs.

Gregg gives us a lot for our money in each of his cookbooks.

Make 2001 CHICKEN RECIPES part of your cookbook collection and you will never need another chicken recipe again.

The Rising Popularity of Chicken

Sue:
In the last 20 years chicken has really become very popular with families and consequently with restaurants.  What do you owe this trend to  and do you see it continuing?

Gregg:

MONEY!
For years chicken has held the stigma of being a dirty food, a contaminated food, a food fit only for the poor people.  With the cost of other meats rising so drastically, those who could at one time afford theexpensive cuts of meat, then looked around for something less expensive. The only thing readily available was chicken.   And yes the trend will continue, it will do so for two reason.  The relative lack of taste in chicken, which makes it blend and cook easily with flavorings, herbs, and spices.  And finally, the cost of other meat products hasn't abated, and as long as the meat goes up, the popularity of meat will continue.

Good Recipes at Low Cost

Sue:
I had a neighbor when I was growing up who made chicken every Sunday, without fail.  I couldn't figure out how she came up with all those ways of preparing chicken.   She could have used your book 2001 Chicken Recipes. What has inspired you to write this amazing cookbook and what is your  favorite way of preparing and eating chicken?

Gregg:

First and foremost, I do not believe in a person having to pay for a cookbook that has only one hundred or two hundred recipes.  I just mentioned the cost of meat over chicken.  Well the cost of cookbooks is on a much higher scale, in some cases as much as one, two, or three dollars each for a recipes in a book.  I believe in giving those who are looking for a cookbook, a value for their money, and thus it is that I have written so many books with the one thousand recipes.  It may also surprise everyone to know, that there is not a week that goes by that I do not use my own cookbooks, for one product or another.

As far as my favorite chicken dish it's easy.  As mentioned, chicken lends itself so well when prepared with other ingredients, that I must say, "Chicken in White Wine Sauce."

Sue:
Over the years there have been these media reports, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, about how to handle poultry, it almost sounds like we have to suit up just to make a little chicken : ).

Can you dispel  some of these myths and talk about preparing chicken safely and deliciously : )?

Gregg:

Only two things must be stressed.

1. Washing the chicken
   Although it isn't absolutely necessary to wash chicken before preparing,   it isn't that is, if the chicken is cooked to the proper temperature.  I would rather take the forefront by saying that one is better to be safe than sorry, so I make it a habit of thoroughly washing any piece of poultry before preparation. For you see the various nasties that can quickly grow on food seem to multiply on chicken faster than any other meat source, and its ability to multiply can be faster between the grocery store and the time you place it in the freezer or refrigerator.
2. Use a meat thermometer
   The next thing, when cooking chicken, please, please, please, use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken, or chicken pieces are cooked through before removing from the heat source.  There is an old fashioned test where the meat is punctured, and the resulting run of juices are inspected for clarity.  A thermometer is very inexpensive, and the best way to ensure the meat is cooked through.

1001 Muffin Interview with Gregg Gillespie

Ranch- Style Chicken Casserole
Recipe excerpted with permission of the author from 2001 Chicken Recipes
©1998 by Gregg Gillespie. All Rights reserved

What you need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 envelope ( 3 ounces) onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk or sour milk
• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/4 cup of  bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Pat the chicken dry using paper towels.  In a bowl, combine the onion soup mix, buttermilk, flour, and garlic.  In a casserole or baking dish, arrange the chicken breasts and vegetables.   Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the cover, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and continue baking for another 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

chicken recipes | casseroles
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• Interview with Gregg Gillespie
• Banana Nut Muffins
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• Chicken Casserole
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1001 Muffins,
Biscuits, Doughnuts, Pancakes, Waffles, Popovers, Fritters, Scones and Other Quick Breads
by Gregg R. Gillespie, Claire Young

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Veteran baker Gregg Gillespie uses the same innovative format and easy-to-follow preparation notes that made his 1001 recipe series--led by the bestselling "1001 Cookie Recipes"--so popular. Each recipe photographed in full color.

1001 Cookie Recipes
by Gregg R. Gillespie, Peter Barry

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It's here! Never before has there been a book like this one--and how have bakers survived without it? This is the most complete, the most user-friendly, the ultimate cookie collection, sure to be the last word on the subject for years to come.

2001 Chicken Recipes
by Gregg R. Gillespie

also see
FREE Chicken Recipes
With this incredible collection of recipes, you can cook a different meal with chicken every single night for over five years! While you may not want chicken that often, the breadth of recipes allows you to find a delicious chicken dish for every occasion. Chicken is tasty, lean and healthy and great to serve to a crowd. It seems that everyone loves chicken.

1001 Chocolate Treats
by Gregg R. Gillespie, Peter Barry

also see
Chocoholics Anonymous
A companion to the successful and sinfully delicious 1001 Cookies, here is the ultimate compendium of recipes for chocolate cakes, cookies, candies, sauces, ice cream, and everything else chocolate. Every recipe is photographed in color. The total combined caloric content of these recipes is three million calories--all in one volume! 1001 recipes photographed in full color.

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by Anne Byrn, Anthony Loew (Photographer)

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Strawberry Cake
with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
By enhancing packaged cake mix with just the right additions, even the least confident baker can turn out signature desserts. From Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake to a to-die-for Caramel Cake to coffee cakes, sheet cakes, bars, brownies, and frostings, here are 175 fast, foolproof recipes that marry the convenience, ease, and dependability of commercial cake mixes with a dash of creativity, a spoonful of richness, and a cup of pure inspiration.