Hearty Chicken Strata

Name: Hearty Chicken Strata
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 12-14 servings.
Ingredients: 10 cups bread cubes (1/2-inch cubes); 2 cups cubed cooked chicken; 1 cup diced potatoes; 1 cup finely chopped celery; 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot; 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley; 4 cups milk; 2 cups chicken broth; 5 eggs, lightly beaten; 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1 to 2 jars (12 ounces each) chicken gravy, warmed, optional

My great-grandparents made this traditional Amish recipe on Sundays when they had company, and it's still one of my family's favorite dishes.

Ingredients

10 cups bread cubes (1/2-inch cubes)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
4 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 to 2 jars (12 ounces each) chicken gravy, warmed, optional

Directions

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.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 217 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated fat), 112mg cholesterol, 553mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 1g fiber), 13g protein.

Originally published as Hearty Chicken Strata in Country December/January 2003

Reviews

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Average Rating:

susanhinman

Sep 8, 2013

Our new favorite recipe. Though I serve it with gravy, most like it plain. I only buy/use potato buns for the bread and it gives it great flavor (though I only bake the bread cubes for 10 - 11 minutes). Other than that I follow the recipe - except I cut it down to a small recipe - 1/3 of what they say and use an 8" square glass baking dish.
aplecider

Jan 23, 2011

I agree that this recipe sounds great. It even smells wonderful, but I also agree that it was really bland and too mushy. No rave reviews from my family. I'm also tempted to try it again, but really it was too much effort to cook with too little reward in the flavor department.
BrytEyz

Nov 2, 2009

This recipe sounded SO good that I tried it several times. The first time it turned out so bad that I was convinced I had made some mistake. So I tried several more times, each time making a new tweak. But each time, it came out mushy and bland. This is the first strata I've ever seen that instructs you to STIR it mid-cook cycle, which I believe probably shouldn't be done to wet bread cubes. I still believe I could make it work with more tweaks, but my family won't let me try again. This recipe is really, truly a disaster.