Chicken and Vegetable Gratin

We have had a late season crop of yellow squash this year.  Yesterday I set out to find a recipe to use them and I came across a Zucchini and Cheese Gratin recipe in my Cheese cookbook.  However, I wanted to do a single dish meal just because it makes a whole less of a mess.  I did some searching online for Squash and Chicken Casserole or Squash and Chicken Gratin and every recipe I found used Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken Soup… yuck!  So last night with a reluctant husband, we set out to make my take on Chicken and Vegetable Gratin.

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Chicken or 2 Large Chicken Breasts
• 2 Medium-Large Squash
• 1/2 Yellow or Sweet Onion
• 2 Bell Peppers
• 4 Handfuls of Spinach
• 1 Potato
• 12oz Grated Cheddar, Gruyere or Parmesan Cheese  (we used cheddar)
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 4 Eggs
• Bottle of Italian Salad Dressing (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cook chicken.  We cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot for 6 hours on low with a bottle of italian salad dressing.  Pull chicken from bones or dice cooked chicken breasts.
2. Slice squash, onion and potato.  We used a mandolin.  Squash and onion were about 1/4″ thick and potato was about 1/8″ thick.
3. Dice bell pepper.
4. Grate cheese.
5. Mix milk, cream, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl.
6. Begin layering in a greased large glass Pyrex.  You will make 2 layers of everything so use 1/2 for each layer.
   • Squash
   • Onion
   • Pepper
   • Spinach
   • Chicken
   • Potato
   • Cheese
   • Repeat
7. Pour milk and egg mixture over the casserole.
8. Bake for 45 minutes on 350.  Cheese should start browning on top and eggs should be set.

Needless to say, the husband was won over with the fresh vegetables, seasoned chicken, cheesy layers and creamy sauce.