Description
A comforting slow cooker chicken casserole featuring tender boneless chicken thighs cooked with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and a creamy herb-infused sauce. Perfectly paired with mashed potatoes and green beans for a hearty family meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meat & Protein
- 8 boneless chicken thighs trimmed of fat
Vegetables
- 2 brown onions peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 16-20 baby chestnut mushrooms
- 16-20 chantenay carrots
- 3 sticks celery roughly chopped
- small bunch parsley chopped
Dairy
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) double (heavy) cream
Pantry Items & Spices
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 480 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Browning the Chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and lightly brown them on both sides, approximately 5 minutes in total. Once browned, remove from the pan and place into the slow cooker.
- Sautéing Onions and Garlic: Add the unsalted butter to the pan and melt it over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Then, add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute to release its aroma.
- Making the Sauce Base: Stir in the all-purpose flour, salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and celery salt. Cook this mixture for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste while stirring continuously.
- Adding Liquid and Simmering: Pour in the chicken stock and freshly squeezed lemon juice, stirring well and bringing the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Adding Vegetables: Add the baby chestnut mushrooms, chantenay carrots, and chopped celery into the slow cooker. Stir everything together to combine evenly.
- Slow Cooking: Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours, or on high heat for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- Finishing Touches: Once cooked, shred the chicken slightly using two forks. Stir in the double (heavy) cream to add richness to the casserole.
- Serving: Serve the casserole topped with freshly chopped parsley. This dish pairs wonderfully with mashed potatoes and green beans for a complete meal.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Prepare the casserole in advance, cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a large saucepan over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until piping hot. Add a splash of cream or milk if it seems too thick.
- Freezing: Cool the prepared casserole, cover, and freeze. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator before reheating in a saucepan on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until hot throughout. This method also works well for leftovers.
- Ingredient Swaps: Chicken thighs are preferred for tenderness and shredding but can be replaced with chicken breast or bone-in pieces. For variation, add vegetables like baby potatoes, leeks, shallots, or butternut squash. For extra flavor, stir in crispy bacon or pancetta at the end of cooking.
- Scaling the Recipe: The recipe doubles easily without changing ingredient ratios. To halve, reduce chicken and vegetable quantities by half but keep sauce ingredients the same to prevent drying out.
- Oven Cooking Option: This casserole can be baked in a covered casserole dish at 175°C (350°F) for 45-60 minutes until carrots are tender. Add 120 ml (1/2 cup) extra chicken stock to compensate for evaporation and stir occasionally while baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximate)
- Calories: 422 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 1597 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 172 mg
