French Farmhouse Chicken Casserole
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Total: 50-55 mins
A rich, rustic casserole that bubbles organic chicken thighs and drumsticks in a fragrant cream sauce full of French flavours from fresh herbs, hearty seasonal veg and a tangy dollop of wholegrain mustard.
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Ingredients you'll need
  • 8 shallots
  • 2 carrot
  • 2 celery stick
  • 400g white mushrooms
  • 4 chicken thighs & 2 chicken drumsticks
  • 800g potatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 chicken stock cube
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 2 bouquet garni
  • 8 tbsp single cream
  • A handful of flat leaf parsley
From your kitchen
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 450ml boiling water
You'll need
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Large casserole dish
  • Measuring jug
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Fill and boil your kettle. Peel and halve the shallots. Peel and roughly chop the carrot. Trim the celery stick and slice it. Slice the mushrooms, or quarter or halve them if they’re small.

  • 2.

    Warm a casserole dish or deep frying pan over a medium heat for 2 mins. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, the chicken thighs and drumsticks (skin side down). Fry for 5 mins till the skin is golden brown. Turn the thighs and drumsticks over and fry for 2 more mins. Lift the chicken out of the pan and pop them on a plate.

  • 3.

    Add the shallots, carrot, celery and mushrooms to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over a medium-low heat for 5 mins, stirring a few times, till the veg are soft and glossy looking.

  • 4.

    While the veg are cooking, peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Peel and crush the garlic. Finely chop the parsley stalks and set the leaves to one side. Crumble the stock cube into a measuring jug and stir in 450ml boiling water.

  • 5.

    Stir the potato, garlic and parsley stalks into the veg with 1 tbsp mustard. Add the bouquet garni. Pop the chicken back into the pan. Pour in the stock. Cover and turn up the heat. Bring the casserole to the boil, then turn the heat back down and simmer for 30 mins.

  • 6.

    The chicken should be cooked through and the veg tender. Turn off the heat. Lift out the bouquet garni and discard it. Stir in 4 tbsp cream.

  • 7.

    Taste the casserole and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle the chicken casserole into 2 warm bowls, scatter over the parsley leaves and serve.

  • Tip

    A lovely bouqet
    Bouquet garni is French for 'garnished bouquet' and it's a little bundle of herbs used to add flavour to dishes in traditional French cooking. You can tie them together to make them easier to find and fish out once the casserole has finished cooking.

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