I’m really enjoying my slow cooker at the moment, quick preparation and then the house fills with lovely cooking smells for hours. (My wife says it smells like her grandparents house when there’s something in the slow cooker.) This is a simple chicken casserole I knocked up the other day, slightly spiced with the chilli. Next time I’m under instructions to remove the skin, and use separate bones which can be removed before serving… then it’ll bump up the approval rating to 3 apparently.
Serves 4, preparation time ½ hr, cooking time 6 hrs, 2/4 (marred, for my wife, by the skin and bone fiddling).
Ingredients
- 6 free range chicken legs/thighs
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 small to medium potatoes, sliced
- 1 sml leek, chopped
- 2 small onions, chopped
- Red chilli, deseeded
- Small bunch of thyme twigs, tied with string
- 1 bulb fennel, chopped
- ½ bottle white wine
- ¼ pint chicken stock
Preparation
- (I had large chicken leg and thigh pieces, so halved them with a cleaver)
- Wash and cut the potato into slices the thickness of a pound coin
- Wash and chop carrots into rounds the thickness of a couple of a thumb
- Wash and roughly chop the leek into rounds about the thickness of a thumb
- Peel and finely chop the onion
- Deseed and chop the chilli into four or so pieces lengthways and crossways to expose the flesh into the casserole
- Lay the potato slices into a layer at the bottom (I read somewhere that the bottom of a slow cooker can overheat meat at the bottom, so I like to think of this as a layer of insulation)
- Brown off the chicken in a pan, with the garlic and onion
- Put the chicken in the slow cooker on the layer of potato, and tuck the chilli and thyme in around it
- Pop the rest of the vegetables on top
- Drain the oil out of the pan
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up any caramelised chicken from the bottom
- Pour the wine into the slow cooker and top up with chicken stock
- Put the slow cooker on high for 2 hours, then switch to low for 4 hours (or more)
i will defo be trying this recipe sounds gorgeous. i bought a slow cooker just after xmas ive made 3 beefs stews before i got thumbs up a sausage casserole they loved and my first and only attempt at chicken casserole was bland according to gordan ramsey (my bf) lol so il try this one sounds yummy
Hi Andrea, good luck with Mr Ramsay!
I tried beef stew with a dark ale, which turned out nicely. I also pleased with a nice chicken curry the other weekend, which I’ve written up on Fork’d.
You are using free range chicken, aren’t you?
hi simon ! yes im using free range chicken wouldnt use anything else after i watched about them poor chickens on tv not long ago.
andrea
Simon,
Trawling on the net for a chicken casserole recipe for a slow cooker and found yours. Was given one for my birthday, will be trying this over the week end. Done a beef and a sausage casserole in it so far, both OK.
Thanks for tip about skin - women always comment on chicken skin.
Roger
Hi folks, new to all of this, love anything quick and tasty but do we really have to brown the meat before we place it in the slow cooker?
After all, it will cook in the slow cooker won’t it?
Hi folks, new to all of this, love anything quick and tasty but do we really have to brown the meat before we place it in the slow cooker?
After all, it will cook in the slow cooker won’t it?
Hi Kevin. There’s no obligation to brown the meat; as you say, it will cook if you don’t. What I feel you get from browning the meat is some lovely caramelised meat bits, which will give a more savoury flavour, whereas without you get a more subtle flavour.
Wow! Thanks for the super quick reply, I will try both ways - my kids will tell me which they prefer-they dont hold much back!
Incidently, with regards to chopping veg, I find this a real drag and very time consuming, is there a gadget available to do this, My mother had a chop-o-matic thing but I considered this too small, any Ideas/recommendations
Sorry Kevin, I stick to knives for this kind of thing
Got a WOW! factor from the wife and kids!
Brilliant recipe. Is it ok to freeze left overs, if so how do I re-heat? Can I do the defrosting and re heat in the slow-cooker, say, over night?
Still a drag to chop veg with a knife (Guess I am lazy) will any readers offer help / suggestion with a tool.
Incidently, is there anything one can do with the chicken skin, My father always considered the skin as a luxury (when roasted)and we all had a small piece (Sounds a bit absurd I know)but I hate waste!
Hi Kevin, re freezing left overs… I’ve never reheated something from frozen in a slow cooker, and so couldn’t recommend anything. What you suggest sounds reasonable though, and I guess you could test the internal temperature of the chicken pieces with a meat thermometer (google around for a suggested temp).
I know what you mean about crispy roast skin; how about seasoning, then frying the skin in as small an amount of oil as you can get away with, or put it in the casserole and “rescue” it before serving? The problem is not so much taste, as that in western cuisine we don’t like that casseroled skin kind of texture.
Hi Simon, I don’t have a slow cooker, but love the sound of the recipe, can I use this recipe with a normal casserole dish in the oven? If so, for how long and at what temp?
Hi Andy, I see no reason why this can’t work in the oven… pick a “normal” casserole temp and cooking time and apply it to this receipe. Check the meat is cooked through before you serve, though.
Hi guys was just looking for a chicken casserole recipe for my slow cooker as all I seem to do in mine is beef stews. Anyway, just thought you should know that my booklet says you shouldn’t reheat in a slow cooker as it does not get up to the highest temperature needed quick enough so best to defrost (if freezing) and reheat in a casserole dish in the over. Usually about 30 mins on gas 6 does it but need to check if sauce is bubbling and meat hot enough before eating. Hope this helps! Going now to try this recipe for the in-laws!! (Oh also it says you should really brown meat before using in the slow cooker.)
Hi Susan, thanks for popping by. Thanks for the reheating tip. Does your book state why it’s best to brown the meat? I’ve always assumed this was for taste, but would be interested to hear otherwise.