Country cooking is all about using simple ingredients well to make delicious food the whole family can enjoy. This Creamy Chicken Casserole certainly fits the brief. Tender oven-baked chicken, paired with bacon, mushroom and a creamy sauce–what’s not to love?
It was Father’s Day on the weekend in Australia, and I was enjoying spending some time with my parents and siblings when I mentioned reviving this Creamy Chicken Casserole recipe. It was hidden in the pages of one the the recipe books my late grandma had given me. My mom’s eyes lit up as I began describing it. ‘Is it the one with ginger?’ She asked. Upon my confirmation, she explained how she remembered how tasty it was, and that it used to be a family favourite. Time to bring it back! Maybe it will become one of yours also.
The trick with this recipe is to allow yourself the time to relax and cook slow (or cook with love, as my part Italian husband would say). I rushed browning the chicken pieces, and even though the flavours were there they ended up a bit pasty looking. So, I recommend browning the pieces in two batches to allow enough space for the chicken to fry up in the oil and butter correctly.
Remove the chicken pieces after they are well browned and set aside into an ovenproof dish. Place the onions, bacon and mushrooms in your original the pan and cook until the onion is translucent. Again, be patient and cook with love! We’ve discovered that if you fry onion at a lower heat for a longer period it results in a beautiful sweet flavour that is missed if you sauté it.
Remove this onion mixture from your pan and place over the chicken pieces. Now add the flour and ginger. Stir until smooth (be careful not to burn) and gradually add the water. Confession time, I rushed this part also! But with a 3 month old, do you blame me?? I ended up with some lumps in my sauce, but if you take your time you’ll avoid this. Once you’ve stirred through the water, crumble the stock cubes into the pan. Bring the mixture slowly to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes.
Now your sauce is done! Simply remove from heat and season to taste. Stir through the sour cream and pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and onion mixture. Cover and placevin a 350F (180C) oven in 1 1/4 hours or until your chicken is tender.
I served my Creamy Chicken Casserole with brown rice (you could also use pasta) to make it stretch a bit further. It served 6 adults, rather than 4. The rice also balanced out the richness of the creamy sauce. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
- 3lb. (1.4kg) chicken (or chicken pieces
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2oz. (55gm) butter
- 3 medium onions
- 4oz. (115gm) bacon pieces
- 4oz. (115gm) mushrooms
- 1/3 cup all purpose (plain) flour
- 1 1/4 pints (710mls) water
- 3 chicken stock cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley to garnish
- Cut chicken into serving-sized pieces. Heat oil and butter in frying pan and in two batches, brown chicken well. Remove from pan and place in ovenproof dish.
- Add peeled and sliced onions, bacon pieces and sliced mushrooms to pan. Cook until onion is translucent. Remove from pan and add to chicken in the ovenproof dish.
- Add flour and ginger to pan and stir until smooth. Gradually add water. Add crumbled stock cubes and bring slowly to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in sour cream. Pour over chicken and onion mixture, cover, and bake in the oven at 350F (180C) for 1 1/4 hours or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
