Easy Chicken Casserole

Can't get more Autumnal than this! I cannot recommend this enough.

I use a pressure cooker to make mine, but you could just as easily make it in a big casserole pot on the hob.

The amounts are loosey-goosey.

It takes about 20 mins ish.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs (at least one per person)
• Flour, I dunno, a big spoonfulish?
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, italian herb mix (Mixed herbs or Herbs de Provence work OK in a pinch)
• Wine (white or rose)
• Spices and stuff: Garlic, ginger, hot chilli powder
• Chicken stock cube
• Potatoes (one per person, ish, peeled and chopped)
• Carrots (go mad, I love this with loads - also peeled and chopped. I sometimes cheat and use frozen)
• Bell pepper (capsicum?)
• Water, milk
• Optional: cornflour

Method

Bung your seasoning in your flour and give it a good mix

Coat your thighs in the seasoned flour, realise your mistake, put your trousers back on, and try again. With the chicken thighs this time.

Sear them on all sides. (I put a slosh of oil into the pressure cooker, then a knob of butter, and sear the chicken in that.) If you are making this for a lot of people, or if your pan is piddly-small, you might have to do this stage in batches.

I generally put the chicken thighs in whole, but sometimes I chuck in a couple of extra one and chop those up. These break apart so that the sauce is full of those shredded chicken thigh bit.

Crumble the stock cube over the meat, add a small blob of easy ginger, a big blob of garlic, then a bit more garlic, and give that a stir round. Add a nice big slosh of wine, and a splosh for yourself why don't you. I put in about a glass full, ish. Stir it really well.

Chuck the carrots and potatoes on top, and top up with water until it's *just barely* covered, in fact a few corners are still sticking out defiantly. I use slightly less water and add a splash of milk. I find it makes it a bit richer, and I prefer it.

Now you are going to want to add a touch more seasoning. I won't say, "to taste", because there's raw chicken in there, you muppet. Go easy on the salt (the stock likely has some in as well), but more pepper, herbs, and garlic are a good idea. AND (very important) a pinch of chilli powder. Just a pinch! Barely 1/4 tsp. It makes it lovely and warming.

Chop the bell pepper into big chunks and chuck that in. If you're feeding a lot of people, make it two.

Cook time: It probably needs to simmer on the hob for about twenty minutes, but check on it to make sure the consistency is right. In the pressure cooker, I do all the prep on "saute", and then put the lid on and pressure cook on the "meat/poultry" setting. It takes a little over twelve minutes from that point. I'm sure you could adapt it for a slow cooker (let me know if you try that).

If it's a bit runny when it's time to serve, mix a tbsp of cornflour with 2tbsp of water or milk, pour that in, and give it a good stir. It should thicken up nicely pretty quick.

Suggested sides

You need carbs!

- Colt Seavers, The Fall Guy, 2024

Bread

Whatever other sides you do or don't have with this, you must have warm, fresh bread. I believe there is a law.

Slather it (the bread, not the law) with good, salted butter. Make sure you have plenty. There are few things worse than having the last dregs in your bowl and no bread to sop them up with.

Easy Bread Rolls work quite nicely, but if you can't be faffed, some part-baked bread rolls from the shop will do just fine. Or, you can nip down the bakery aisle and get a nice round loaf and pop that in the oven to warm up. This is the map to a happy belly.

Dumplings

I made this with dumplings once, and I felt about four hundred years old. I bought a pack of suet and used the dumpling recipe off the back of it. Amazing.

Mash

Go easy on the potatoes in the casserole if you're also having mash as a side, but this definitely works.

Plenty of butter, and more pepper, obviously! I use a potato ricer so it's fluffy and smooth.

It's a great way to make it go a bit further if you have a lot of people to feed. Do some brocolli or something as well. Delicious.

Whether you have mash or not, don't skip the bread!

Variations

If you want to go mad, you could add mushrooms (eurgh), corn, tarragon - anything you like really. You can leave out the bell pepper if you don't like it. You can use breast instead of thigh, but thigh is cheaper and works better.

Dietery needs

Dairy free

If you are dairy free, this recipe is easily adaptable for that. You only have to skip the butter and milk, and keep an eye on the ingredients in your stock.

Vegetarian

I can't help you. Maybe nobody can.

Serving Suggestion:

The last few years, it's been a bit of a tradition for me to have this the first night in Autumn we light the log fire.

Seriously: get that fire going, and eat this while the rain is banging on the window. Wear fluffy socks, get cosy with a blanket, and have a good book handy. This is how you face the long evenings, that are only going to get darker and chillier.

Why I Love It

It's simple!

It's delicious.

The ingredients are basic and hearty. These are staples for lots of people, and mostly not very expensive.

It's warming when the evenings are chilly, or when you are getting over a nasty cold. This is the kind of dish that helps you hunker down and weather the weather until spring. It'll put hair on your bones.

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Thank you for reading! Tell me in the comments if you give it a go.