Chicken Casserole - with a selection of vegetables

There are many good recipes for Chicken Casserole, but can you have too many? No, I don't think so ... If you'd like to add another version of a chicken casserole to your recipe collection, this one is very tasty. Read on and see what you think!

For the casserole:
Serves Four
4 chicken breasts, or 600g/1lb 5oz cooked leftover roast chicken
2 onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 thinly sliced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
6 whole peppercorns
1 fresh  bay leaf
water, to cover
55g/2oz butter
30g/1oz plain flour salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
1 x 225g/8oz tin water chestnuts, drained
1 free-range egg yolk, lightly beaten
2-3 tbsp. double (heavy) cream
squeeze lemon juice

To serve:

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
boiled baby carrots

Method:

1. Place the chicken breasts, roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns and bay leaf into a large pan and add enough water to cover the ingredients.

2. Bring the mixture slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

3. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve 450ml/16fl oz. of it. Set aside.

4. Heat half of the butter in a large separate pan and add the flour. Stir over a low heat until the mixture forms a smooth paste that leaves the sides and base of the pan cleanly. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid, stirring well after each addition, to make a sauce. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Add the broccoli and water chestnuts to the sauce. 

6. In a bowl, mix the egg yolk with the cream and slowly add this mixture to the sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir to combine.

7. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the sauce. Stir well.

8. In a separate pan, heat the remaining butter and fry the remaining thinly sliced onion until soft and golden-brown.

9. To serve, sprinkle the onion over the casserole, garnish with parsley and serve with the boiled baby carrots.

Tip:
You could make this healthy mid-week dish using leftover roast chicken – tear it into pieces and add at step seven.

From an original idea here

a glass of white wine served with the meal - optional

A variety of recipe ideas are found within this blog, and 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.

All the best Jan