Lavinna Chicken

Lavinna chicken is the kind of weeknight casserole that takes five minutes to assemble and an hour in the oven to transform into something surprisingly flavorful. Cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, broth, and curry powder get whisked together and poured over boneless chicken breasts for a sauce that bakes into a rich, spiced gravy around the meat.

The curry powder is the ingredient that lifts this above a standard cream-of-something casserole. Even a modest amount adds warm, complex spice that works beautifully with the earthy mushrooms and tangy sour cream. Whole canned mushrooms scattered through the sauce add meaty bites throughout.

A dusting of paprika on top before baking gives the surface a warm, reddish color as it cooks. After an hour, the chicken is fall-apart tender and the sauce has thickened and concentrated around every piece.

Kitchen Tips

• Don’t overlap the chicken in the baking dish. Single-layer placement ensures even cooking and lets the sauce reach every piece.
• Start with 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder and adjust to taste. Curry powders vary in strength, and a little goes a long way in a sour cream base.
• The sauce will look thin when you pour it over the chicken. It thickens significantly during the hour-long bake as the liquid reduces.
• Serve over rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes to catch all that creamy sauce.

Variations

• Add a handful of frozen peas in the last 15 minutes of baking for color and sweetness.
• Use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom for a lighter mushroom flavor.
• Stir a tablespoon of mango chutney into the sauce for a sweeter, more Indian-leaning flavor.