Mary Berry Chicken Casserole Recipes

CHICKEN CASSEROLE WITH HERBY DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss the chicken pieces with the flour and some salt and pepper, to coat them - it's easy to do this in a plastic food bag.
• Heat the oil in a casserole with a lid. Brown the chicken pieces well on all sides - you'll need to do this in batches. Remove all the pieces to a plate, and tip the onions, carrot, lardons, bay and thyme into the pan. Cook gently for 10 mins until the onion is softened.
• Return the chicken pieces, with any juices that have collected on the plate. Then pour in the red wine, 250ml water and tomato paste and crumble in the stock cube. Add a splash more of water if you need, until the chicken is almost covered. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 20 mins. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 mins while you make the dumplings.
• Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it feels like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the herbs with ½ tsp salt and some pepper. Drizzle over 150ml water, and stir in quickly with a cutlery knife to form a light dough. Use floured hands to shape into ping pong sized balls.
• Place the dumplings on top of the stew and bake for 20 mins more until the dumplings are cooked through.

CREAMY TARRAGON CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Heat the oil in the casserole over a medium heat. Add the chicken and brown for 5 minutes on each side until golden all over. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Add the lardons to the pan and fry until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the chicken.
• Add the shallots, celery and garlic to the pan, fry for a few minutes, then stir in the flour with plenty of salt and pepper. Stir in the wine until the sauce is smooth, then add the potatoes, stock and mustard. Stir well and return the chicken, bacon and any resting juices to the pan.
• Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the lid and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, then stir in the crème fraîche and most of the tarragon. Adjust the seasoning and serve sprinkled with the remaining tarragon and cracked black pepper.

CHICKEN AND RED WINE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Put the shallots in a large bowl with the garlic, herbs and wine. Mix, then add the chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper and marinate for at least 1 hour. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
• Sit a colander over a large saucepan and strain the marinated chicken, reserving the shallots, bay leaves and thyme. Dab the chicken with kitchen paper to dry it.
• Heat the oil and 50g/1¾oz of the butter in a deep ovenproof frying pan or casserole dish. Add the chicken breasts and fry on a medium-high heat, for 5-10 minutes each side, or until browned all over - you may need to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Meanwhile, set the pan with the wine marinade over a high heat and boil, for 5-10 minutes, until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third. Add the flour to a bowl with 150ml/5fl oz water and whisk until smooth. Stir in a little of the hot wine, and add this mixture to the rest of the wine in the pan. Keep hot.
• Add the bacon to the frying pan or casserole dish and fry over a high heat for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Add the reserved shallots and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until they start to soften.
• Add the hot wine sauce and tomato purée to the frying pan or casserole dish with the sugar, reserved bay leaves, thyme, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil. Stir until thickened and add the browned chicken. Bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a medium pan and fry the mushrooms over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until just cooked. Add to the chicken casserole just before serving. Remove the bay leaves and thyme from the casserole and serve the casserole hot with mashed potato and shredded cabbage.

STICKY CHICKEN TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
• Place the chicken thigh fillets and chopped peppers in a large oven tray.
• Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, lime juice, ginger, chilli flakes and salt in a small jug or jam jar.
• Pour the glaze over the chicken and peppers and turn to coat. Spread out the chicken and peppers into a single layer.
• Place the chicken and peppers in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Baste halfway through cooking.
• After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the coriander. Serve with rice and lime wedges.

MEDITERRANEAN ALL-IN-ONE CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7. 2. Place the potatoes in a large roasting tin with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Toss well to coat them. Add the onion, garlic, bacon and chicken pieces and toss together. 3. Add the lemons to the roasting tin. Season everything well and sprinkle with the paprika. Roast for 40 minutes. 4. In a bowl toss the courgettes in the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper, then poke them in among the chicken and scatter the olives over the top. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, until the chicken and vegetables are golden brown and tender. Don't overcrowd the roasting tin, you need everything to be in a single layer or it will not cook evenly - divide between 2 tins if necessary. Preserved lemons can usually be bought in jars in the speciality section of the supermarket. Traditionally from Morocco, the lemons are preserved in salt water and are beautifully soft and citrusy. Use them to flavour tagines and chicken or pork dishes.They will keep in the jar in the fridge for 1 month, or you can freeze them in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months.