I call this delightful entrée Celebration Chicken. It is my favorite go-to chicken recipe. My cousin Pat Caskey of Ridgeland shared a version of this recipe with me years ago, and I have made it many times for family and friends ever since. Every time I serve it, people love it and request the recipe, which is certainly reason enough to celebrate, but also because it is so simple to prepare and freezes beautifully.
1 (2.25-ounce) jar sliced dried beef
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
White pepper, paprika, onion salt, and celery salt to taste
6 strips bacon, cut in half
1 (4.5-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 (10.75-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (6-ounce) package sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cook- ing spray. Place sliced dried beef on bottom of dish in a single layer; set aside. With a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap until about 3⁄4 inch thick. Cut each chicken breast into 2 strips longwise. Sprinkle each strip with pepper, paprika, onion salt, and celery salt. Roll each breast strip into a roll with spices on inside; wrap a piece of bacon around the outside of each roll, and secure with a toothpick. Place each chicken roll on top of a piece of dried beef. Pour drained mushrooms over chicken. With mixer, beat cream cheese. Slowly beat in sour cream and soup until combined, and pour mixture over chicken breasts. (May be frozen at this point.) Cover with foil, and bake for 2 hours. Remove foil, and brown for 30 minutes. Serve over rice with gravy and sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 12 servings
