Easy Chicken Casserole

Yes, a lovely chicken recipe today ...
Chicken's many plus points - its versatility, as well as the ease and speed with which it can be cooked - make it one of the most popular meats around. It has a high level of good quality protein, as well as B vitamins, iron, copper and selenium.

An easy chicken casserole recipe should perhaps be in every cook's little black book and this one will go down well with all of the family. Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes, or rice. Some readers may prefer a lower carb alternative such as mashed swede/rutabaga.

Ingredients

Serves Four

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (around 850g/1lb 14oz)
1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 rashers smoked back bacon, cut into roughly 2cm/¾in slices
150g/5½oz small mushrooms, halved or quartered if larger
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into roughly 1.5cm/⅝in slices
20g/¾oz plain flour (around 2 tbsp)
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
500ml/18fl oz hot chicken stock (made with 1 stock cube)
1 medium leek, trimmed and cut into roughly 1cm/½in slices
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Season the chicken thighs all over with a little salt and lots of black pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick casserole pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken for 7–8 minutes, skin-side down, or until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and cook on the other side for 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
3. Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, bacon and mushrooms. Fry over a medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add the carrots and flour and toss together well.
4. 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.
5. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Take out of the oven and stir in the leeks.
6. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the chicken and leeks are tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve.

Recipe Tip
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets for this recipe if you like. Fry for 3 minutes on each side before transferring to a plate. Follow the recipe as above but cook for 35 minutes rather than 45 minutes before adding the leek.

Each serving provides 

48g protein, 13g carbohydrates (of which 7.5g sugars), 19g fat (of which 5g saturates), 5g fibre and 2.4g salt.

From an original idea here

~ enjoy your day ~

You will find a variety of recipe ideas within this blog. It is important to note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health it is always advisable to consult your Doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan