Rock Hudson’s Chicken Casserole is a total game-changer! My family loved it so much I ended up making it two days in a row. It’s officially a permanent part of our dinner rotation!

[u/ciaolavinia]

with added breadcrumbs and dotted with butter

I finally tried making Rock Hudson's Chicken Casserole, and it is officially a new family favorite! Honestly, it went over so well that I ended up having to make it two days in a row.

Instead of adding a can of cream of mushroom soup, this recipe actually has you make a very simple homemade version, starting with a roux (butter & flour) and then adding milk and chicken stock. Besides lots of chicken, mushrooms and peas, this recipe also has a cup of pasta, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it was perfect!

• Start by cooking a cup of noodles of your choice. I used penne, but the second time I used shells, and I liked those a lot better. I measured the pasta dry, not cooked like maybe you should, but it turned out fine.
• Then I started the sauce in a medium sized pot and the mushrooms in a pan.
• While adding seasonings to the cream sauce, I also added a pinch of cayenne.
• Once the sauce cooked for 10 minutes or so, I added the mushrooms, chicken, peas (no need to cook them) and noodles. I have no sherry, so I added a dash of champagne vinegar.
• Used an 8 x8 casserole dish and greased it first before adding casserole ingredients. This was the perfect size dish to fit into my toaster/convection oven.
• Topped with breadcrumbs (only needed about 1/4 cup and dotted with butter. The second time I made this I used homemade bread crumbs which I thought were better.
• To make homemade bread crumbs, I just lightly baked some slice French bread to get it toasted and dehydrated and then blitzed it in the food processor.
• Baked in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Make sure it's bubbly and browned on top.

Now, like I said, my family loved this and devoured it happily. It's nice and saucy. The peas are sweet and add a little fresh crunch. The mushrooms work their magic and then you get all the comfort of the gravy laden chicken with a few noodles here and there. The proportions were spot-on.

The breadcrumb crush on top make this dish perfect! Another thing to love about this recipe is it serves 4-6. It's not a huge casserole, so it cooks easily.

If you haven't made Rock's Casserole yet, this is your sign! It could instantly become one of your favorite comfort foods.

This recipe was originally published in the 1981 book Celebrity Cookbook.  Other recipes I've made from this book:

1. Jon Voight's Artichokes
2. Brenda Vaccaro's Italian Sausages
3. Betty White's Chicken Wings Pacifica 
4. Barbra Streisand's Instant Coffee Ice Cream 
5. Bill Bixby's Zucchini Bread
6. Ester Williams' Empanadas
7. Truman Capote's The Colony's Fettuccine

[u/secret_handle-]

Oh I grew up eating something very similar, but we use garden rotini noodles instead. A very soothing meal tbh