Harmony Household: Easter Brunch, Chicken Leek Strata

Happy Easter From the Harmon's

For Easter this year, we invited Jeremy's family to come celebrate with us. Considering they would have a 3 hour drive home Sunday evening, I thought it would be nice to enjoy a brunch after church instead of a formal dinner. I was in search of a casserole style dish to serve that offered flavor and substance- I decided on a Chicken Leek Strata- a great option to your typical egg dish. Between the prep and refrigeration time, you will need some work done in advance. To allow for less work to be done the morning of, I prepared the dish the day before.

Lets get started!

You will need the following ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1 c sliced leek

5 c sliced french bread

2 c chopped chicken

2 tbsp dill

3 c shredded mozzarella cheese

7 eggs, beaten

3 c milk

21 seasoning salute

After setting your ingredients aside, begin by chopping and washing your leek.

In cutting the leek, remove the base of the white with the roots and the green sides where the stalk begins to branch out.

After chopping the leek, place it in a bowl and be sure to rinse well with a cleanser. When buying leek- especially organic leek, dirt is all throughout. After many soaks and rinses, the leek is sure to be clean!

Set your leek aside and start on your bread.

For this particular dish, a more dense and tough bread is best to absorb the flavors and egg without becoming soggy.

Slice the bread into 1/2 inch thick pieces until you have about 5 cups.

Now it is time to cook the leek. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted, add your leek and cook until they caramelize and begin to brown. Once the leek has softened, remove them from the stove.

While cooking the leek, shred your cheese.

At this time chop two chicken breasts and cook them on the stove. While cooking, I seasoned the chicken with the dill and a few dashes of 21 seasoning salute. Once the chicken has thoroughly been cooked, combine the chicken with the leek in a bowl.

Now add the 5 cups of bread with your cheese. Stir all the ingredients together until they have been well incorporated.

Spray a 9x13 pan and fill the pan with your mixture of bread, chicken, leek and cheese.

In a bowl beat your eggs and milk together with another dash of dill. Once mixed and beaten, pour evenly over your pan of ingredients. Top with any remaining cheese.

Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but no longer than 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and bake uncovered for 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it stand for about 10 minutes before cutting.