Chicken Casserole with Butternut Squash and Fried Sage

Chicken Casse­role with But­ter­nut Squash and Fried Sage

(serves 4)

four chicken breast fillets

Fox Point Seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups bas­mati rice

1 but­ter­nut squash

smear of butter

3 cups home­made cream of mush­room soup (Campbell’s if you must!)

1 tbsp butter

8 sage leaves

It’s an assem­bly job.  Sprin­kle the chicken fil­lets with the Fox Point Sea­son­ing (or just salt and pep­per if you can’t get it) and the oil.  Set aside.

Steam the bas­mati rice, and mean­while, cut the but­ter­nut squash in half length­wise, scoop out the seeds and smear each half with but­ter.  Bake at 425F/220C while the rice steams, and a bit longer, about 35 min­utes total.

Turn off the heat under the rice and let it steam on its own for five min­utes or so: this will lessen the amount that sticks to the pan.  Mean­while, heat a fry­ing pan and place the chicken breasts in it, oil side down.  Cook until browned, then turn and brown on the other side.  The chicken will still be uncooked inside, and that’s fine.  Set aside.

Place the steamed rice into — you guessed it — a casse­role dish!  Lay the chicken breasts on top, pour the soup over.  Cut the but­ter­nut squash into bite-size pieces and drop them into the casserole.

Bake in the same hot oven, 425F/220C, for about 35 min­utes, turn­ing the chicken over once and stir­ring the rice-soup mix­ture.  Just before you take it out of the oven, melt the remain­ing but­ter in the fry­ing pan from the chicken and fry the sage leaves gen­tly, just till crisp.  Crum­ble them on top of the casse­role and serve.