Description
This Creamy Chicken Casserole is a comforting and hearty dish featuring tender chicken breast cooked in a rich, creamy sauce with vegetables, served over mashed potatoes and garnished with fresh parsley. Perfect for a family dinner, it combines savory flavors and a satisfying texture, baked to perfection in a casserole dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 750 ml chicken stock
- 1 kg boneless chicken breast, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup cream
- 3 Tbsp cornflour
To Serve
- Mashed potato
- Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius with fan bake setting to prepare for cooking the casserole.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat a large cast-iron casserole dish over medium heat. Add olive oil, then the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for five minutes until the onion begins to soften.
- Add Garlic and Make Roux: Stir in the crushed garlic. Make a gap in the center of the vegetables, add butter, and once it bubbles, sprinkle the flour over it. Stir to combine and cook for two minutes to form a roux.
- Deglaze and Add Stock & Chicken: Pour in half of the chicken stock to deglaze the base, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining chicken stock, then add the diced chicken breasts.
- Bake Covered: Place the lid on the casserole dish and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to cook the chicken through and develop flavors.
- Add Peas, Cream, and Thicken: Remove the casserole from the oven. Add the thawed peas and cream. Mix cornflour with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, then stir this mixture into the casserole to thicken it.
- Bake Uncovered and Season: Return the casserole to the oven uncovered and cook for another 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Serve the creamy chicken casserole hot on top of mashed potato and garnish with chopped Italian parsley for freshness.
Notes
- This casserole can also be used as filling for a chicken pot pie by placing half the mixture in a pie dish and topping with puff pastry before baking.
- You can substitute store-bought chicken stock with homemade stock or use stock cubes dissolved in boiling water for convenience.
- This dish freezes well; allow it to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat thoroughly on the stovetop or microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
