Pesto Prosciutto Chicken Casserole

Some people think casseroles are not good enough for entertaining unless they're part of a Thanksgiving dinner menu.  I think that just isn't true.  This casserole, in particular, would be excellent with company. It's all about the ingredients first, and presentation second.  I can help with the first part of that equation, but the presentation is up to you.

By the way, this dish was perfect with my Really Simple Stuffed Broiled Tomato recipe.  Click here to go to it. 

This dish will require prosciutto, which is a salt cured, thinly slice ham.  A good domestic brand is Boar's Head.

This dish also obviously calls for Pesto, which is a delicious sauce made from olive oil, pine nuts, fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese.  You can make your own if you want to go to the trouble, but there are so many quality brands in the grocery store these days, freshly made is just not appreciably better for the time and trouble you have to go through to make it.  Classico makes a good pantry version of Pesto.  Buitoni is also another quality brand, typically sold in the refrigerated fresh pasta section of your grocery store. 

Finally, you can just as easily use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but skip the initial par-cooking step if you do. I used boneless, skinless thighs because that's what I had on hand.  That said, I do find chicken thighs to carry a lot more flavor and it's not as easy to over-cook them in the oven.

Ingredients
5-6 boneless, skinned chicken thighs
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 oz grated Parmesan cheese (like, the green Kraft can)
5-6 broad slices of prosciutto
2 cups grated Italian cheeses (at least two varieties, like, Asiago, Parmesan, Provolone, Mozzarella and Romano),
Italian seasonings
4 oz can mushrooms (like, Green Giant or B & B)
10 oz jar Pesto sauce (like Classico or Buitoni)
non-stick olive oil spray (like, Pam)

The Recipe
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Lightly coat the boneless chicken thighs with a bit of the olive oil spray, dust with the Italian seasonings and onion powder.  Place on a rack so the chicken fat will drip off during the initial roasting process.  Pop into the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes.  This is to par-cook the chicken, and render out some of the chicken fat.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Roll the chicken thighs in the grated Parmesan cheese, and layer out onto a glass or ceramic baking dish.  Sprinkle some additional Italian seasonings on top and then, spread the Pesto sauce evenly over all the pieces of chicken.

Add a layer of the semi-hard grated Italian cheeses, like the Asiago and Romano.

Next, layer the prosciutto slices on top of the cheese, and then layer in more cheese, like the Mozzarella and Provolone.

Finally, add the sliced mushrooms.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and bake the dish until the top is slightly browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Allow to cool a bit before serving.