Description
This creamy chicken and mushroom one pan casserole is a comforting British dinner perfect for feeding a crowd. Succulent chicken breasts are coated in seasoned flour, browned, then simmered in a luscious creamy mushroom sauce infused with garlic, thyme, and lemon juice. It can be cooked on the stovetop or finished in the oven, and is ideal for make-ahead meals and freezing. Serve with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables for a hearty meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 5 chicken breasts (1 kg/2.25 lb) chopped into big chunks or strips
- 45 g (6 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 small-to-medium onions peeled and finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp celery salt (optional)
- 25 g (3 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 litre (4 1/4 cups) chicken stock
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk (whole milk or half-fat)
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of approx. 1 lemon)
- 20 chestnut mushrooms thickly sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 240 ml (1 cup) double (heavy) cream
- 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 5 tbsp cold water (to make a slurry) – optional
- small bunch parsley chopped
Serve With
- mashed potatoes
- sprouts
- peas
- sweetcorn
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Place the chicken in a bowl with the flour, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat the chicken evenly with the flour and seasoning.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. In two batches, add the chicken and brown all over, but do not cook through. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Cook Aromatics: In the same pan, melt butter over low-medium heat. Add diced onions, minced garlic, dried thyme, and optional celery salt. Cook for 5 minutes until onions soften.
- Add Flour: Sprinkle flour over the softened onions and stir continuously for one minute. The mixture will become lumpy at this point.
- Create Sauce Base: Pour a splash of chicken stock into the pan and whisk to combine, then gradually add the remaining stock, stirring continuously to avoid lumps, until you have a smooth sauce with onions suspended in it.
- Thicken Sauce: Add milk and stir over heat until the sauce thickens. Then add the freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Add Mushrooms and Chicken: Stir in the sliced mushrooms, browned chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently on the hob for 20 minutes.
- Oven Option: Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake in the oven at 175°C/350°F (fan) for 30 minutes.
- Finish Sauce: Remove the lid and stir in the double cream. Heat through for another 5 minutes on the hob or in the oven.
- Adjust Thickness: If desired, stir in the cornflour slurry gradually to thicken the sauce further, adding a little at a time until the preferred consistency is reached.
- Serve: Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the casserole and serve hot with mashed potatoes, sprouts, peas, and sweetcorn.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Prepare the dish in advance, cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Reheat covered in the oven at 175°C/350°F for 20-25 minutes or on the hob over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, adding cream or milk if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Freezing: Cool the casserole completely, cover and freeze. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven covered at 175°C/350°F for 20-25 minutes or on the hob for 10-15 minutes until piping hot.
- Reduce Quantities: You can halve all ingredient quantities without altering cooking times.
- Slow Cooker: The recipe has not been tested in a slow cooker. Feedback on slow cooker adaptations is welcomed for future updates.
