Cooking during a busy working week doesn’t have to be a pain with easy dishes like this chicken casserole recipe from Justine Pattison, one of the UK’s leading cookery writers and food stylists.
While winter is slowly coming to an end, it is still a great time to dig out the deep dishes and whip up a hearty meal filled with meat and vegetables.
Loaded with goodness, this “easy chicken casserole recipe” takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cooks in around one to two hours.
This recipe is great for those who do not own a slow cooker and want to achieve the same results for their dish.
Casseroles are lovely by themselves or with crusty bread, but if you want something more substantial mashed, boiled or baked potatoes are a “good option”, according to Justine.
Ingredients
Eight bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs, around 850g
One tablespoon olive or sunflower oil
One onion, thinly sliced
Four rashers smoked back bacon, cut into roughly 2cm slices
150g small mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
Tree medium carrots, peels and cut into 1.5cm slices
20g plain flour
One teaspoon dried thyme or one tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
500ml hot chicken stock made with one stock cube
One medium leek, trimmed and cut into 1cm slices
Salt and pepper to season
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Season the chicken thighs all over with a little salt and lots of black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick casserole pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken for seven to eight minutes, skin-side down, or until the skin is nicely browned.
Turn and cook on the other side for three minutes more before transferring them to a plate.
Next, return the pan to the heat and add the onion, bacon and mushrooms. Fry over a medium-high heat for four to five minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring regularly.
Once browned, add the carrots and flour to the pan and toss them together well.
Sprinkle with the thyme, then pour in the stock, a little at a time, stirring well between each addition.
Add the chicken pieces back to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan with a lid.
Place the dish in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Take out of the oven and stir in the leeks.
Lastly, return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the chicken and leeks are tender and the sauce has thickened, then serve.
The long gentle cook should have thickened the sauce sufficiently, but you can thicken it further by simmering on the hob until the amount of liquid has reduced. Alternatively, mix one tablespoon of cornflour with one tablespoon of cold water to make a “slurry”, stir into the casserole and cook for a few minutes until thickened.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets for this recipe if you like. If so, fry for three minutes on each side before transferring to a plate. Follow the rest of the recipe, but cook for 35 minutes rather than 45 minutes before adding the leek.
