Amish Roast Turkey (or Chicken) and Dressing Casserole
What a sad, sad day. I used my last bag of cherished, don't even THINK about touching it, roast turkey from my coveted freezer stash. Yep. It's now all gone.
But I made sure, that it was going to go out with a bang!
As simple as this midwestern, Amish-style recipe is, it will have you wondering about how you might want to redo your Thanksgiving dinner next year. Not kidding.
Especially if you're only having a few people over, or if it's just you and your spouse, or a couple of close friends!
But don't think for a sec that dishes like this can only be enjoyed during the holidays! This is a VERY welcome supper all year round! Who doesn't love an easy turkey (or chicken!) casserole any time? Right? 😉 I love a big ol' fried chicken dinner in the dead-heat of the summer, so suppers like this are always in my back pocket. 😉
You can roast a small turkey breast, a whole chicken or small turkey, or totally cheat if short on time, and simply use a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your favorite grocery store!
There's minimal ingredients, minimal cost, and you won't believe how easy it is to make!
So let's get crackin'! 😀
One ingredient, to me anyways, is a must. I always use a thick-cut style of bread such as what I used this time, Texas Toast bread. It's fairly dense and the thicker cut slices will hold up beautifully when baked. Moist without being "wet" and mushy, yet not at all dry, either. "Just right". But a nice homemade bread or fairly dense "sandwich bread" from a local bakery or grocery store is of course, exceptionally nice, too.
You do NOT want to tear the pieces into small cubes like what you would normally do for regular "stuffing" or "dressing". (I call it "stuffing" when it's going into something, and "dressing" when it isn't. But you call it whatever you want! 😉 😀 )
Only tear the thick slices into 6th's or 8th's. You want this very much chunky-style, and be able to hold up to all of the wet ingredients.
This recipe is simply done by sautéing the celery, onions, and seasonings in butter until softened.
The bread is dried overnight, then lightly toasted under the broiler on both sides until a pretty golden brown.
Toasting the bread also ads so much extra flavor! Who can resist the smell of bread toasting in the toaster...right? 😀 😉
You then just toss your tender, juicy, roasted pieces of turkey with your toasted bread and buttery, seasoned vegetables!
Sound good so far? You with me? 😀
Then you whisk up a basic custard sauce of eggs, milk, seasoning, and broth, and pour that over.
I then just use my one hand to fold it all together, while the other spins the bowl. You could use a large spoon but...
Hey. That's what those "things" are for that dangle from your arms. They work so much better, because spoons can tear up and break down the bread. Using your hands, the utensils that you were born with, work so much better and fold everything together gently.
Just get in there and do it! 😀
But don't over do it. I know. It's fun and hard to stop. But you don't want to over mix and turn the bread to mush. 😉
Keep those beautiful big chunks in tact. 😉
Lastly, butter a deep cast iron skillet (pan of choice!), or a small dutch oven or casserole dish, with real butter, add the chicken and dressing mixture to your pan or dish leveling a little, cover with a lid (or foil), and pop into the oven to bake! Remove the lid for a little bit longer to crisp the top a bit, and that's all there is to it.
It could not be more simple, more delicious, and frankly, more economical!
This works nicely for your Pinterest board!
And makes for one of the most memorable suppers you could dream of having. Just like stepping right back in time, back into Grandma's kitchen, perched high on a stool, helping to tear up the bread....
That's what good, wholesome suppers are all about. Food so delicious that you remember them for a lifetime, and they bring up such fond memories.
I hope you make this as soon as possible, remembering wonderful times with family, and even create new memories with your own children and grandchildren!
Take care, and slow down.
Enjoy the small stuff.
That's the important stuff. 😉
Other Recipes Featured that You Might Like to Serve with This Dish:
Best Creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Easy Chicken Gravy
Brown Sugar & Balsamic Green Beans
Amish Roast Turkey (or Chicken) and Dressing Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Really nice recipe! Prepared it true to Kelly's recipe and my extremely picky eater family loved it! I also prepared the suggested sides by the recipes for mashed potatoes and chicken gravy. SUCCESS!! Thank you for sharing such a lovely meal plan!
Hello. Was wondering if i could prepare this the day before baking it? Dont wanna have too many sides to prepare the day of thanksgiving. Just wondering if it would get mushy setting in fridge overnight ! Thanks
You could certainly make this a day ahead, Jamie! It will bake up just fine. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🙂
Thanks so much!
This is definitely what I am making for Thanksgiving. I live in Lancaster pa and I love Amish recipes ♡ I do have a question may this recipe be cooked at 350 degrees with all the side dishes I am preparing, and possibly cook it for less time ?
Christine, I'm sure that would be just fine! I would check it after 35 minutes if your oven runs a little hot, otherwise, I'm guesstimating about 45 minutes, give or take a little. Does that sound about right to you, too? Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! 😀
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well Kelly ♡
Thank you for a quick response, your guesstimate sounds perfect!
I will comment back after the holiday and let you know how it all went .
Kelly, The meal was perfect , very tasty and many compliments .
The estimated time worked out well ! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving ! ♡
I saw this recipe in an Amish cookbook..this recipe appears more savoury..its a dressing with chicken.., I believe I need to have a nice roast chicken with this..thank you so much...I do see Texas toast in the grocery store and will attempt this..also white loaves of Jamaican bread or Haitian bread might be nice...a very very dense bread, use to buy this in Miami.
Thanks, nelson! (*Just to be clear, this recipe is my own, but I'm sure there are many similar to this in Amish cookbooks, as well as what I grew up with in my own Grandmas kitchens!) I hope you enjoy, Nelson! Thanks so much for stopping by!! 😀
Can this be made up fresh and then frozen so you can have it in the freezer ready to cook when needed?
I wouldn't see why not. Although, I would maybe try making it fully, cooling then freezing, and then reheat it. (I've never tried freezing it, though.) I honestly don't know which way would work better.
This bread isnt available here at our walmart. How many cups of cubes would you say ...or half of what size loaf? ( how many oz? )
I think it would be 12.. its hard to see in the pic.
Yes. 12 ounces is correct for half of a loaf. (Pictured above is 24 oz. / 1 pound 8 ounces.)
I am from Indiana and grew up enjoying this dish! I was so happy to see it on here! My family loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this. I used a whole chicken that I cooked in crockpot while I was working and it tasted wonderful.
Awww, thank you so very much, Grandma Soupy!! I just love simple, comfort food! I can eat it year round! So happy that you enjoyed! 🙂
Yum, this sounds sooo good! Do you have a recipe for the gravy that you poured over the potatoes and the casserole? Your dish looks so good, I can't wait to try it.
Thank you!!! Yes, all three links are directly above the recipe. The potatoes, the gravy, and the green beans!! 😀
I make this every time I have leftover turkey. It's a huge hit. So interesting that you should use the term "Midwestern Amish" in your article. I'm born & raised in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country...and currently reside in southeastern Minnesota! Thanks for posting...and, I'm "pinning" now!
You're so welcome, Diane! I've lived most of my life in Indiana and Illinois, but I also consider Pennsylvania as well as Minnesota as being part of the "midwest" in general. (I wouldn't consider either of those states to be southwest, Pacific Northwest, southern, or west or east coast!) They're smack dab in the middle, and certainly not per say, "coastal". And my relatives and friends in Minnesota, though north, are just like everyone in the "central" part! 😉 Anyways, LOTS of Amish (and Mennonite) in my home states, too!! 😀 So glad that you enjoy!!! 😀 It's one of my favorites! 🙂
You might find this interesting, Diane. It's a list of all of the different states that Amish live in the U.S. : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_Amish_population
Lastly, and importantly, just to clarify. I never said "midwestern Amish" as you stated. (Although it still would be correct). I simply said, "As simple as this midwestern, Amish-style recipe is, it will have you wondering about how you might want to redo your Thanksgiving dinner next year." Meaning, that this is a midwestern dish that is "Amish-style". I hope that clarifies everything! 😀
this sounds awesome i will try this as soon as i go buy a chicken or turkey breast to roast up !!! thank you for the recipe !!
Thank you!! Hope you enjoy! 😀