VEG ALL CHICKEN CASSEROLE RECIPES

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat and fry the chicken, skin side down, until it becomes crispy. It will take about 5 minutes to get a lovely golden colour. You may need to cook the chicken in batches if you have a small pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Pour away any excess fat and then, in the same pan, cook the bacon lardons and onions for about 5 minutes until they have taken on some colour.
3. Add the sweet potato and mushrooms and then return the chicken pieces to the pan, placing them on top, skin side up.
4. Pour over the stock until it just reaches the chicken skin, add the thyme and cover with a lid.
5. Leave to simmer very gently for about 10–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces so do check by removing a piece of chicken and cutting into it with a sharp knife.
6. If you end up having more sauce than you’d like in the pan, simply strain into a clean saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce down and thicken by boiling it.

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Season chicken pieces and fry over a high heat to brown all over for about 8min. Remove chicken and transfer to the pan of a slow cooker. Add the flour to the chicken and stir.

In the empty frying pan, fry the onion, celery, carrots, leeks and potatoes over a high heat for 8 min until just coloured all over, add the garlic, fry for 30sec more then add the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker.

Pour the stock into the slow cooker. Add the rosemary and lemon zest, cover with the lid and cook for 2.5-3hr on high until the chicken is tender. Check seasoning, add lemon juice to taste, and sprinkle over the parsley before serving. 

Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3.

Place the bacon in a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes to render out the fat. Add the onions and continue to fry until the bacon is brown at the edges. Transfer the bacon and onions to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.

Lightly season the chicken. Place the oil in the unwashed dish, add the chicken and brown over a high heat, turning once. Transfer to the plate with the bacon and onions.

Scatter the flour into the dish (adding a little more oil, if needed) and stir to combine. Gradually incorporate the hot stock, whisking, and allow to thicken. Pour in the wine and return the bacon, onions and chicken to the pan. Stir well, add the thyme sprigs, sage sprigs and bay leaves. The sauce will be quite thick at this stage. Bring to the boil, season well with salt and black pepper and cover. Transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and add the mushrooms and crème fraîche. Stir well and return to the oven for a further 15–20 minutes, until the chicken is tender.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the whole sage leaves and fry until crisp.

Remove the bay leaves, thyme and sage sprigs from the casserole and discard (some leaves will have fallen off to flavour the casserole). Stir in the parsley and serve with the crisp sage leaves on top.

Mary’s Tips:

Can be made up to a day ahead. Add the crème fraîche and mushrooms when reheating.

Freezes well.

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºC/gas 5.
2. Trim, wash and slice the leeks 1cm thick, scrub and cut the carrots into rough chunks and finely slice the celery. Peel and finely slice the garlic, pick the thyme leaves, discarding the stalks, and finely slice the bacon.
3. Heat a lug of oil in a large casserole pan on a medium heat, then add the bacon. Scatter in the thyme leaves and fry for a few minutes, or until the bacon is golden.
4. Next, add the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the leeks start to soften, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the celeriac and parsnips, then roughly chop the potatoes.
5. Add the chicken, celeriac, parsnips and potatoes to the pan. Stir in the Marmite, add a good grinding of black pepper and stir to coat.
6. Pour in the hot stock, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low. Crumple up and wet a piece of greaseproof paper, then open it out and place on top of the stew. Cover with a lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour, or until the chicken is super-tender.
7. When the time’s up, gently break the chicken up into the stew, then serve up in bowls. I like to serve this with broccoli on the side. Sometimes I top it with puff pastry or I stir it through pasta for a really tasty sauce.

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat and fry the chicken, skin side down, until it becomes crispy. It will take about 5 minutes to get a lovely golden colour. You may need to cook the chicken in batches if you have a small pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Pour away any excess fat and then, in the same pan, cook the bacon lardons and onions for about 5 minutes until they have taken on some colour.
3. Add the sweet potato and mushrooms and then return the chicken pieces to the pan, placing them on top, skin side up.
4. Pour over the stock until it just reaches the chicken skin, add the thyme and cover with a lid.
5. Leave to simmer very gently for about 10–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces so do check by removing a piece of chicken and cutting into it with a sharp knife.
6. If you end up having more sauce than you’d like in the pan, simply strain into a clean saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce down and thicken by boiling it.

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Season chicken pieces and fry over a high heat to brown all over for about 8min. Remove chicken and transfer to the pan of a slow cooker. Add the flour to the chicken and stir.

In the empty frying pan, fry the onion, celery, carrots, leeks and potatoes over a high heat for 8 min until just coloured all over, add the garlic, fry for 30sec more then add the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker.

Pour the stock into the slow cooker. Add the rosemary and lemon zest, cover with the lid and cook for 2.5-3hr on high until the chicken is tender. Check seasoning, add lemon juice to taste, and sprinkle over the parsley before serving.