One-pot Creamy Chicken Casserole
User Reviews
4.6
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
50 mins
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Total Time
1 hr
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Servings
6
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Calories
694 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
French
One-pot Creamy Chicken Casserole
Description
The One-pot Creamy Chicken Casserole centers on skin-on chicken legs browned to develop color and flavor, partnered with smoked bacon that adds savory depth. Baby potatoes and shallots are gently cooked before a sauce is built from apple cider, Dijon and English mustards, honey, and single cream. The sauce combines acidity from the cider with creamy and tangy mustard notes balanced by mild sweetness from honey. Dried tarragon and fresh thyme sprigs lend herbal undertones. Baking the covered dish allows the flavors to blend and the potatoes to become tender.
Cooking the casserole covered in the oven integrates the ingredients while preserving moisture and encouraging tender chicken legs and infused potatoes. Uncovering near the end enables slight evaporation, thickening the sauce. The combination yields a creamy, slightly sweet, and herb-infused sauce that clings to the soft potatoes and chicken. It also highlights bacon’s smoky richness.
This dish suits a full dinner plate on its own thanks to the protein and starch, but can be paired with a simple green salad or steamed vegetables to cut through richness. The recipe’s one-pot nature simplifies cooking and cleanup, making it practical for weekday meals or weekend family dinners.
For variation, consider adding mushrooms by frying with the bacon or substitute some potatoes with other firm vegetables like carrots or squash for different textures. Using bone-in, skin-on chicken legs intensifies flavor and maintains juiciness. The cream can be swapped with half-and-half or crème fraîche if desired, and cider replaced by chicken stock or a mix of stock and apple juice with vinegar for adjusted acidity.
Ingredients
- 200 g smoked bacon 7oz, lardons or chopped streaky bacon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 6 chicken legs skin-on
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
- 6 shallot quartered
- 2 garlic sliced, large cloves
- 800 g baby potatoes halved, 1.7 pounds
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 tbsp honey runny
- 280 ml apple cider medium-dry, 1 1/8 cups
- 250 ml single cream pouring, 1 cup
- 1/2 tsp tarragon dried
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 lemon zest only
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (400F) and setting the shelf to the lower third of the oven.
- Pat the chicken dry using paper towels (do not rinse) and season with salt and pepper.
- Dry fry the bacon in a large lidded non-stick pan until it starts to crisp and render some of its fat. Set aside on a kitchen towel lined bowl.
- Add a the olive oil and butter to the pan and pan fry the chicken legs, in batches if necessary, for 4 minutes per side or until nicely browned. Set aside.
- Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic and cook for a further four minutes.
- Add the cider and stir in the mustard, honey and cream. Sprinkle with the dried tarragon and stir in the bacon.
- Return the chicken to the pot, nestling it in the creamy sauce. Add the thyme sprigs, cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and cook for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Check the seasoning, add the lemon zest and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce and a green salad on the side.
Notes
- Browning the chicken legs before baking develops deeper flavor and enhances appearance.
- Using skin-on, bone-in chicken legs ensures moist meat and richer taste; thighs can also be used but avoid breasts to prevent toughness.
- Adding mushrooms is optional by frying with bacon initially and returning later to the sauce.
- Substitute single cream with half-and-half or half-fat crème fraîche; add dairy on low heat to avoid curdling.
- Apple cider can be replaced with chicken stock or a combination of chicken stock and apple juice plus a splash of apple cider vinegar for balanced acidity.
- Potatoes may be partially replaced with squash, carrots, or parsnips, adjusting cooking time until tender.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 694 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 694kcal | 35% |
| Carbohydrates | 34g | 11% |
| Protein | 27g | 54% |
| Fat | 48g | 74% |
| Saturated Fat | 18g | 90% |
| Cholesterol | 181mg | 60% |
| Sodium | 797mg | 33% |
| Potassium | 989mg | 21% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 575IU | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 29.6mg | 33% |
| Calcium | 70mg | 7% |
| Iron | 2.4mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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