Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 500 gr. (1 lb. 2 oz.) chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion, chopped small
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ doz. button mushrooms, quartered or halved
- 1 heaped tbsp. flour
- 2 carrots, cut into batons
- 2 heaped tbsp. chopped tinned tomatoes
- 1 tsp. tomato purée
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 10 ml. (1 dstsp.) vegetable stock powder
- ½ pt. water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ red pepper, chopped into pieces
- 2 tbsp. frozen peas
- 1 tbsp. chicken gravy ganules
- Salt
- Preheat oven to 180ºC
Method
This can be cooked in a pressure cooker first and then finished in the oven. Or simmer in a pan on the hob for 15 minutes, then bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes.
Cut the chicken thighs into bite size pieces.
Fry the onions in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until softened. Stir in the mushrooms and leave for a further minute.
Add the chicken pieces and stir round until they change colour and whiten a little. Sprinkle over the flour and coat the chicken well stirring it round until well covered.
Now add the carrots, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and parsley. Sprinkle over the stock powder and pour over the water. Add some freshly ground black pepper and stir everything round gently.
Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Place the chopped red pepper and the peas into a casserole dish and pour the cooked chicken over the top. At this stage, stir in 1 tbsp. of chicken gravy granules (depending on how thick you would like the sauce) and mix in thoroughly.
Put on the lid, transfer to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Check the seasoning, remembering that the stock powder and gravy granules are quite salty.
Serve with mashed potatoes and fine green beans.
Chicken Pie:
Place cooked filling in a deep pie dish and cover with short crust or puff pastry. Decorate with the trimmings, if you like, then brush with egg wash (mixing an egg yolk with a little milk).
Bake in a hot oven 190ºC/200ºC, until nicely browned.
