Go Back Email Link
Mary Berry Chicken and Bacon Casserole Recipe

Mary Berry Chicken and Bacon Casserole Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken and bacon casserole is a rich, smoky one-pot supper with tender chicken, crispy bacon, and a deeply flavoured sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 chicken thighs skin on, bone in
  • 200 g smoked bacon lardons roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots roughly chopped
  • 2 celery sticks roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 200 ml dry white wine
  • 400 ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 200 g chestnut mushrooms halved
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • Salt and pepper

Method
 

  1. Cook bacon lardons in a large casserole 4–5 minutes until crispy. Remove — leave fat in pan.
  2. Increase heat. Season chicken. Brown skin-side down in bacon fat 4–5 minutes until deeply golden. Turn — 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  3. Reduce heat. Cook onion, carrots, and celery 8–10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme — 1 minute.
  4. Add flour — stir 1–2 minutes. Add wine — bubble and scrape base. Add stock, tomato purée, and bay leaves. Stir.
  5. Return bacon and chicken (skin-side up). Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on low heat or in 160°C oven for 50 minutes.
  6. Add mushrooms. Cook uncovered 15–20 minutes until mushrooms are tender and sauce has reduced. Remove bay leaves. Season. Scatter parsley. Serve.

Notes

Cook bacon first and use its fat — this is the flavour foundation of the dish.
Keep chicken skin above the sauce throughout — it goes soft if submerged.
Add mushrooms in the final 20 minutes only — they dissolve if added earlier.
Simmer gently — a vigorous boil makes the chicken stringy.
Make the day before — this casserole improves dramatically overnight.
Stores in fridge 3 days. Freezes 3 months.
QR Code linking back to recipe