Chicken casserole recipe

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This chicken casserole recipe is a hearty meal that uses all the joints of chicken and plenty of root vegetables...

Casserole dish filled with low calorie meal chicken stew
  • Nut-free
Serves6
SkillMedium
Preparation Time20 mins
Cooking Time50 mins (Takes 4-6 hours in a slow cooker)
Total Time1 hours 15 mins
Five A DayOne
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories858 Kcal43%
Sugar3.9 g4%
Fat54.8 g78%
Saturated Fat18.1 g91%
Salt2.6 gRow 4 - Cell 2
Protein74.9 g150%
Carbohydrates7.4 g3%
Salt2.6 gRow 7 - Cell 2

Our wholesome chicken casserole recipe will serve up to six people and takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

This chicken casserole is packed with plenty of veg including mushrooms, carrot, onion, and celery. The chicken stock in this recipe is infused with a bouquet garnish of fresh herbs made with bay leaf, thyme, and parsley, and is finished with lashings of double cream for a rich, creamy texture. You can choose to cook this casserole in the oven or slow cooker.

Ingredients

  • 1 large 2kg (4½ lb) chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
  • 100g (4oz) streaky bacon, chopped
  • 25g (1oz) soft butter, plus extra for the sauce
  • 200g (8oz) small onions or shallots, whole and peeled
  • 150g (5oz) button mushrooms
  • 2 carrots, cut into chunks
  • 1 stick celery, cut into chunks
  • Bouquet garnish (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stalks, black peppercorns)
  • 500ml (18fl oz) chicken stock
  • 300ml (½ pt) white wine
  • 25g (1oz) plain flour
  • 2tbsp double cream
  • Chopped fresh parsley

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. In a large cast-iron casserole or frying pan, heat a little oil and brown the chicken pieces all over, then transfer to a plate (you may need to do this in batches). Brown the bacon and put it on the plate with the chicken. Add a knob of butter to the oil in the casserole and gently brown the onions and mushrooms, before adding the chicken and bacon back into the casserole.
  2. Add the carrot, celery, bouquet garni, chicken stock, and wine to the chicken and season well. Cover and transfer to a preheated oven at 170ºC (325ºF, gas mark 3) for 30-40 mins.
  3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large dish and keep warm. Mix the flour and butter together to form a paste (called a beurre manie).
  4. Bring the sauce in the casserole to the boil and add a small amount of the beurre manie to it, whisking continuously until dissolved. The mixture should begin to thicken. Add the rest of the beurre manie a little at a time until you have reached the desired thickness (you may not need all of it).
  5. Stir in the double cream, then pour over the chicken and sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
  6. Slow cooking method: If you're planning to make yours in a slow cooker, follow step 1 and then add the remaining ingredients apart from the cream to your slow cooker, give everything a good stir and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6 hours. stir in the cream before serving and sprinkle more parsley. If you’re using a slow cooker to cook your casserole you can use raw chicken but you need to cook it for about 4-6 hours. Make sure you check the chicken before removing it from the slow cooker. The meat needs to be white with no red meat.

Watch how to make chicken casserole

Top tips for making a chicken casserole

If you’re cooking your casserole in the oven you may want to brown your chicken first. This means sealing the skin around the cut of chicken to make sure it is partly cooked. The juices in the casserole will cook the chicken the rest of the way through. As above make sure you check the chicken is cooked the whole way through before serving. 

You can use all different cuts of chicken in this recipe – try chicken breast, or chicken thighs, or chicken drumsticks.

What can you serve with a chicken casserole?

This chicken casserole recipe would be perfect served with boiled or mashed potatoes or rice but can be served on its own - especially if your casserole has potatoes in it already. If you’d like to serve your casserole with something easy we’d recommend a crust of freshly baked bread for dipping in the juices.

How do you know when the chicken casserole is done?

Follow the method making sure you have the correct times and correct temperature for the casserole you’re making. When the liquid in your casserole is bubbling and steaming throughout it often means your casserole is ready to come out of the oven. 

If you have a meat thermometer you could use this to check the temperature of the meat to see if it's done. Try not to overcook your casserole otherwise you’ll end up with very chewy chicken or burnt veg at the bottom of the pot.

How do you store leftover casserole?

If you have any leftovers, make sure you store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Use within two days and thoroughly reheat in the microwave or oven before serving again.

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Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodTo and has over 11 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodTo, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create how-to videos exclusively for GoodtoEat - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies