It's a Party, It's Chicken, It's Party Chicken

I recently bragged about my ability to time travel.

I did it again last night – time traveled, not bragged about it - wherein I prepared a chicken dish my mother used to make a lot in the late 70s. It’s called Party Chicken. Bacon and a can of Cream of Mushroom soup are involved. Sounds like a party, doesn’t it?

Party Chicken

1 (2.25-ounce) jar of dried beef
Bacon (can use turkey bacon)
4 chicken breasts (bone in or boneless skinless)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (I used Healthy Request)
8 ounces sour cream (I used light)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shred half the jar of dried beef and place in a 9x13 casserole dish.

I could not find a photo of the jar of it the way I usually see it, but this is the same brand, just different packaging. Maybe it's a southern thing? I don't know?

Save the rest to use in another recipe. Like a cheeseball – recipe to come.

Wrap chicken breasts in bacon, 1 to 2 slices each, depending on the size. Place in casserole dish.

Combine soup and sour cream and pour over chicken. Bake for about an hour.

Last night as I was pulling this dish from the oven, I remember that my mother always baked this at a lower temperature, about 250 degrees, for a longer time, about two to three hours. It made the entire house smell so good! Growing up, we often had it for Sunday dinner because you could cook it so slowly.

I bet this would work nicely in a slow cooker, too, although I haven't tried it yet.

We had brown rice and sautéed spinach with the chicken. I love sautéed spinach. We sautéed about half a yellow onion and a clove or two of garlic in olive oil and a bit of butter, then added the spinach, and covered until it was cooked. It’s really tasty and so easy.

All in all, a delicious and easy, easy meal everybody liked. There were happy plates all around.

We’re planning to have seared tuna steaks with spinach Friday night for dinner, tailgate food Saturday afternoon and evening while watching the game, and filets and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus Sunday night. Maybe hamburgers Monday.

What will you eat over the Labor Day weekend?