Chicken & Beef

This retro chicken breast casserole layers boneless chicken over dried chipped beef, blankets everything in a cream of mushroom and sour cream sauce, and bakes low and slow for 2 ½ hours. The chipped beef underneath does something clever: its salty, smoky flavor seasons the chicken from below as the juices mingle during the long bake.

Baking at a low temperature covered in foil is what makes this hands-off and foolproof. The chicken steams gently in the creamy sauce, staying incredibly moist while the chipped beef softens and infuses everything with its savory, almost prosciutto-like saltiness.

Chopped bacon dotted over the top adds another layer of smoky richness. It doesn’t crisp under the foil, but it renders its fat into the sauce and adds meaty bits throughout. A dusting of paprika gives the finished dish a warm color when you pull back the foil.

Kitchen Tips

• Tuck the ends of the chicken breasts under to create even-thickness pieces. This prevents thin edges from drying out during the long bake.
• Don’t rinse the chipped beef. Some recipes call for rinsing to reduce saltiness, but that salt is what seasons the entire dish. The sour cream and soup dilute it enough.
• Cover tightly with foil. Any gaps let moisture escape and the low oven temperature isn’t enough to brown anything, so you need that steam trapped inside.
• Serve over egg noodles or rice to catch all the creamy sauce from the bottom of the dish.

Variations

• Cream cheese version: Replace the sour cream with softened cream cheese for an even richer, thicker sauce.
• Swiss cheese topping: Remove the foil in the last 15 minutes and lay Swiss cheese slices over the top to melt.