Chicken casserole recipe

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

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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