Mary Berry said her chicken casserole is “simple but tasty” and has a delicious sauce that pairs perfectly with creamy mash and kale.
“This is a casserole that you will come back to again and again,” the iconic cook promised.
For those wanting to eat sooner than this recipe takes (50 minutes), then one simple tweak could shorten the cooking time to only 25 minutes.
The key is to swap out chicken thighs for chicken breasts to make a mouthwatering and quick dish.
For those sticking to the original recipe, here’s how to make Mary Berry’s “chicken valencia”.
Mary Berry’s chicken valencia casserole
- Serves: four to six
- Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
Two tbsp sunflower oil
Eight chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed
Six rashers of smoked streaky bacon, thinly sliced
Two onions, thinly sliced
Three garlic cloves, crushed
25g plain flour
300ml white wine
One x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
One tbsp muscovado sugar
400g button mushrooms, sliced
One tbsp chopped thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3. Heat one tablespoon of the sunflower oil in a large, deep ovenproof pan or casserole dish with a lid.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and brown over high heat for two to three minutes on each side until golden all over. Remove, cover with foil and set aside.
Add the bacon and onions to the pan and fry for three to four minutes over a high heat until the bacon is crispy. Add the garlic and fry for a further 30 seconds.
Measure the flour (25g) into a bowl, then add the wine little by little (300ml) and whisk into a smooth paste.
Add to the pan with the tomatoes. Mary Berry advised: “Rinse the tin out with a little of the wine mixture and tip into the pan to use up every drop.”
And the sugar and stir in well. Bring to the boil, then return the chicken and any juices to the pan and bring back up to the boil, stirring.
Cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Shortly before the chicken is ready, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and fry for three to four minutes until golden and just cooked. Add the mushrooms to the casserole and stir in the thyme.
Serve the casserole hot with mash and a green vegetable such as kale, which is extremely good for you and tastes delicious drenched in the chicken casserole sauce.
Mary Berry said the chicken casserole “can be made up to two days ahead and reheated to serve”.
