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If you have leftover stale bread and leftover rotisserie chicken, you gotta try this delicious curry rotisserie chicken strata. It is a delicious and super easy meal to make and packed with flavor.
It’s a great recipe when you are clearing out your pantry and fridge!
I bake bread almost every other day and it only makes sense that I always have some stale bread that I want to use up. So, if you ever wonder what you can make with leftover stale bread, this is a good one!
Then at the end of the week, I always tried to clear out my fridge of some leftovers and we always have rotisserie chicken that I picked up from Costco every week ( I love rotisserie chicken because it’s so convenient!). I’m also constantly looking for easy cooking recipes these days. So you put the three together, stale bread, leftover rotisserie chicken, and a lazy cook and you get yourself a strata!
What is a strata anyway?
A strata is a layered casserole dish made with stale bread, eggs, cheese, veggies, milk, and various other ingredients. The dish is then allowed to sit for some time, usually overnight, to allow the bread to absorb the egg mixture before baking. It’s often baked and served for breakfast or brunch. To make a long story short, it’s like a savory bread pudding.
Why you’ll like this curry rotisserie chicken strata
1. The recipe is highly flexible
If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, you can use other types of meat like ground meat, sausages, etc. If you prefer meatless, then you can use seitan, tempeh, extra-firm tofu, or even beans. You can also add veggies in here like bell peppers, mushrooms, etc
2. It’s a complete meal
You have your carbs, protein, and fat, all in one easy dish *wink* and not to mention it’s filling and satisfying
3. It can feed a big crowd and it’s budget-friendly
You can easily double up the recipe to bring to a potluck or to feed guests for brunch or any celebration. Not to mention it won’t put a hole in your bank account and everyone will be happy eating it!
Curry Rotisserie Chicken Strata
Ingredients
- 300 g bread cut into large see notes 1
- 300 g leftover rotisserie chicken diced, see notes 2
- 200 g onion yellow or white, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp oil for cooking onion, etc
- 100 g sweet corn kernels see notes 3
- 100 g shredded Cheddar cheese
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 150 g eggs from 3 large eggs
- 340 g full-fat coconut milk or use whole milk
- 75 g heavy cream
Spices:
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground paprika
Seasonings:
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
The day before:
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and if you use uncooked meat such as ground meat, or chicken pieces, cook it here and break the ground meat with spatula to avoid clumping. Cook until they are cooked through. Remove from the skillet.
- Don't wash the skillet. Add the sliced onion to the skillet (add oil if needed), sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sugar and saute the onion over medium heat until they are caramelized slightly and soft.
- Add the sweet corn (or any veggies you use here) and spices and saute for another 3 minutes or so
- If you use mushrooms, I suggest sauteing the mushrooms separately with a teaspoon of oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture is dry
- Combine the rotisserie chicken (or whatever protein you choose to use with the onion mixture (and mushroom if using) in a large mixing bowl
- Cut bread pieces into large chunks, about 2 inches in size. Lightly combine this with the chicken and onion mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Reserve another 1/2 to sprinkle on top
- In a mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Pour this into the bread mixture and just gently combine it a bit
Assembling:
- Butter the 9 x 9 square baking pan or if you double the recipe, 9 x 13 baking pan
- Gently pour the bread and egg mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil and keep it in the fridge until the next day when you are ready to bake it.
Baking day:
- Remove the strata from the fridge. Keep the aluminum foil on as we will bake with it. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). When the oven is ready, put the pan in the middle rack and bake covered for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes to brown the cheese on top
Serve:
- Cool the strata on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving to let everything set nicely
Store:
- To store leftovers, let the strata cool down completely. Cover with a cling wrap and keep in the fridge for about 3 days. You can reheat in the microwave until it is warm through
- For longer storage, you can freeze it. Let it cool down completely. Cover with a cling wrap and then another layer of aluminum foil. Keep in the freezer for about 1 month. I don't like to keep it longer than that for the best result. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight. When ready to reheat, remove the plastic wrap. Cover with a foil and bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through
Marv’s Recipe Notes
- I use sourdough artisan bread. Other crusty bread like French or Italian bread works too.
- If you use uncooked meat, get about 450 grams (1 lb). You can also use ham, turkey, bacon, etc
- You can also use mushrooms, sweet peppers, bell pepper
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
How to make this easy curry rotisserie chicken strata
1. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and if you use uncooked meat such as ground meat, or chicken pieces, cook it here and break the ground meat with spatula to avoid clumping. Cook until they are cooked through. Remove from the skillet.
2. Don’t wash the skillet. Add the sliced onion to the skillet (add oil if needed), sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sugar and saute the onion over medium heat until they are caramelized slightly and soft. Add the sweet corn (or any veggies you use here) and spices and saute for another 3 minutes or so. If you use mushrooms, I suggest sauteing the mushrooms separately with a teaspoon of oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture is dry
3. Combine the rotisserie chicken (or whatever protein you choose to use with the onion mixture (and mushroom if using) in a large mixing bowl
4. Cut bread pieces into large chunks, about 2 inches in size. Lightly combine this with the chicken and onion mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Reserve another 1/2 to sprinkle on top
5. In a mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Pour this into the bread mixture and just gently combine it a bit
6. Butter the 9 x 9 square baking pan or if you double the recipe, 9 x 13 baking pan. Gently pour the bread and egg mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil and keep it in the fridge until the next day when you are ready to bake it.
7. Remove the strata from the fridge. Keep the aluminum foil on as we will bake with it. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). When the oven is ready, put the pan in the middle rack and bake covered for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes to brown the cheese on top. Cool the strata on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving to let everything set nicely
Did you make this easy curry rotisserie chicken strata recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
2 comments
Flavorful and a good way to use up leftovers.
Hi Frances, yes, I sometimes just get rotisserie chicken just to make this dish. It’s easy enough and not much thinking involved 🙂