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Mary Berry Chicken Casserole Recipe

Mary Berry Chicken Casserole Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken casserole is a one-pot dish packed with tender chicken, vegetables, and a rich gravy.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 430
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 chicken thighs and drumsticks skin on, bone in
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion roughly chopped
  • 3 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 parsnips peeled and cut into chunks
  • 3 celery sticks cut into chunks
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 500 g baby potatoes halved if large
  • 500 ml chicken stock
  • 150 ml white wine or extra stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato purĆ©e
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 ā€“4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped, to finish

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 160Ā°C / 140Ā°C fan / Gas 3. Pat chicken dry, season flour, and dust chicken lightly.
  2. Brown chicken in batches in hot oil, skin-side down first, 3ā€“4 minutes per side until golden. Set aside.
  3. In same pan, cook onion, carrots, parsnips, and celery for 8ā€“10 minutes until softening. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
  4. Add potatoes. Add wine if using, bubble 1 minute, scraping pan. Add stock, tomato purƩe, bay leaves, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.
  5. Nestle chicken into the casserole. Bring to a simmer, cover, transfer to oven. Braise 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes until tender.
  6. Remove bay leaves and thyme. Season to taste. If sauce is thin, simmer uncovered on hob for 5ā€“10 minutes to thicken.
  7. Scatter with parsley and serve from the dish.

Notes

Brown the chicken properly before braising ā€” this builds the foundation of flavour.
Cut vegetables into similar-sized chunks for even cooking.
Use bone-in, skin-on chicken for the best texture after a long braise.
Reduce the sauce on the hob at the end if it needs thickening.
Genuinely improves overnight ā€” making it a day ahead is recommended.
Stores in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezes for up to 3 months.
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