Eleanor Bradshaw W ell, you might not be fortunate enough to have Ms. Winfrey as one of your dinner guests, but my point is that you don't have to serve beef to your guests or your family to make them happy. Texans, like everybody else, love chicken. They like it fried, barbecued, roasted, broiled, grilled and stewed. And they like it cooked up with delicious vegetables, succulent sauces and savory spices in company casseroles.
Casseroles lend themselves well to both company and family cooking.
Both our featured casseroles freeze well, so they may be made in advance, and if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they warm up beautifully the next day. It is also worth mentioning that a good casserole can make a chicken go a long way. If you've never boned a hen before, there's nothing to it really. It's tedious, but the job will go quickly if you have a helper or even someone to chat with. And you can cook and bone the hen a day or two in advance to simplify matters.