An incredibly tasty and versatile creamy chicken casserole made from onions, carrots, celery, chicken breast and peas cooked in a creamy sauce. Serve with mashed potato, or, top with puff pastry and bake as a pie.
Here it is! The recipe for my new Creamy Chicken Casserole. A comforting and filling meal made from affordable, everyday ingredients. This is a generous-sized casserole which can be served two different ways if you like. I served half of mine with mashed potato for dinner one night. Then put the remainder in a pie dish, added some puff pastry and baked it for dinner the following night. Too easy!
For a tomato based chicken stew, why not try our Slow Cooker Tomato Chicken Thigh Stew?
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Ingredient notes:
- Chicken: I used chicken breast in this recipe. Breasts are more affordable than thighs and although they can dry out in some recipes, that's not an issue here as they cook in the creamy sauce.
- Vegetables: At the base of this recipe is the Golden Trio as it is referred to in French cooking; onion, carrot and celery.
- Stock: I used liquid, store bought stock for convenience. Feel free to use homemade stock, or stock cubes and boiling water.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Heat a large cast-iron casserole dish to a medium heat. Pour in the oil, then add the onion, carrot and celery. Sauté for five minutes until the onion starts to soften.
Stir in the crushed garlic, then make a gap in the centre and add the butter. Once it starts to bubble, sprinkle over the flour, and stir to combine. Cook for two minutes.
Pour in half of the chicken stock and deglaze the base of the dish with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the chicken stock, then add the diced chicken breasts.
Place the lid on top and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven and add the peas and cream. Mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add to the dish and stir everything together.
Cook for another 15 minutes in the oven, uncovered, until the casserole starts to thicken up. Season well to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on top of mashed potato and garnish with parsley.
Top tip: This tasty chicken casserole can also be served as a pot pie. I like to use the leftovers for this part.
Simply add the cooled casserole to a pie dish. Place a piece of puff pastry on top and brush with an egg wash. Bake at 190°C for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
Either make one large pie as above, or, individual pot pies pies.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes it can. Simply swap the regular flour for gluten free flour. As always, make sure you read the labels on any processed food including your chicken stock to ensure it is 100% gluten free.
Absolutely. Simply allow the casserole to cool to room temperature. Place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. If you want to freeze a chicken casserole pie, simply do this after the pastry has been added, but before baking. Cover well with cling film and tin foil then freeze for up to three months. Allow the pie to defrost completely before cooking as per the instructions above.
Feel free to substitute the vegetables to suit your tastes. The ones I've used are generally some of the most affordable and available all year around. Don't forget about frozen vegetables either - they are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables!
Storage:
Store any leftover chicken casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot.
This casserole can also be frozen. Check out the handy tips in the FAQ section above.
Top tips:
The best thing about this meal is its versatility. The casserole can be served with a side of mashed potato, baked potatoes, steamed rice or freshly cooked pasta. Or, follow the instructions above to make a pot pie. Pot pies are generally not as thick as a regular pie and therefore don't have the extra pastry on the bottom.
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Creamy Chicken Casserole
A versatile chicken casserole made from onions, carrots, celery, peas and chicken breast cooked in a creamy sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 750ml chicken stock
- 1kg boneless chicken breast, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup cream
- 3 Tbsp cornflour
To serve
- Mashed potato
- Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
- Heat a large cast-iron casserole dish to a medium heat. Pour in the oil, then add the onion, carrot and celery. Sauté for five minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Stir in the crushed garlic, then make a gap in the centre and add the butter. Once it starts to bubble, sprinkle over the flour, and stir to combine. Cook for two minutes.
- Pour in half of the chicken stock and deglaze the base of the dish with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the chicken stock, then add the diced chicken breasts.
- Place the lid on top and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and add the peas and cream. Mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add to the dish and stir everything together.
- Cook for another 15 minutes in the oven uncovered until the casserole starts to thicken up. Season well to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve on top of mashed potato and garnish with parsley.
Notes
- In addition to serving this casserole with mashed potato, you can also make a chicken pot pie by placing half of the mixture in a pie dish and topping it with a sheet of puff pastry.
- I used store-bought chicken stock. Feel free to use homemade or replace with stock cubes and boiling water.
- This casserole freezes really well. Simply allow the dish to cool to room tempearture. Place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight then re-heat on the stove top or in the microwave until piping hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 430Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 366mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 44g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Emma Stark says
Hi, you mention both chicken breast & thighs in this recipe....do you recommend one over the other or would they work equally as well? Thks
VJ cooks says
Hi Emma, either will work in this recipe. There are some recipes I would strongly recommend thighs over breasts, but this one isn't one of them as the breasts won't dry out in the casserole. Therefore I use breasts for affordability.
Sarah says
Hi you’ve said about cooking in a cast iron pot…I don’t have one and don’t have a pot suitable to use on the stove to be transferred to the oven. Ok to cook in a deep sided frypan and transfer to an oven safe dish? Thank you
VJ cooks says
Yes of course, that would be fine.
Clare says
Is there a way to make this with milk instead of cream?
VJ cooks says
Hi Clare, yes you could replace the cream with any milk or cream alternative. Milk obviously won't be as creamy, but the recipe will still work.
John says
At no point in the recipe do you put the chicken in
VJ cooks says
Hi John, the chicken gets added right here in step 4:
Pour in half of the chicken stock and deglaze the base of the dish with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the chicken stock, then add the diced chicken breasts.
Let me know if you're still having trouble with the method.
Emma says
Hi, would this recipe work in the slow cooker?
VJ cooks says
Hi Emma, this recipe requires the vegetables to be sautéed before being baked, plus the dish goes in and out of the oven with more ingredients added. You could try it, but that's not how it was designed. Let me know hoe you get on.
Jenny Lawson says
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
VJ cooks says
Hi Jenny, see above.
Hayley says
Really yum! And kids loved it.
I made with coconut cream instead of cream as we don’t have a lot of dairy and worked a treat, needed to thicken slightly more is all
VJ cooks says
Oh that's great to hear! Thanks for the feedback and tip, Hayley!
Leanne says
Is this ok to cook on stove top rather then in oven
VJ cooks says
I haven't tried that sorry Leanne, let me know how you get on.
Kathryn says
This was great, I swapped out the cream with a plant-based cream alternative. Added to regular dinners its so good!
VJ cooks says
That's great to know! Thanks for the feedback, Kathryn.
Kara says
Just wondering if you know the weight of a serving. I enjoy that you pop all the nutritional info at the bottom! I have a Type 1 kiddo, so this is very helpful, but I noticed there is no average serving size.
Thanks 🙂
VJ cooks says
Hi Kara, thanks for your message. Unlike pre-packaged food it is almost impossible to say what the weight of a meal would be. We don't weigh a finished meal here and even if we did, it could be wildly different to what someone else made at home depending on what ingredients they have used or substituted. Sorry I can't be more help 🙁
Linda Markel Boink says
Made this tonight using leftover rotisserie chicken. It was quick and easy. I did add about 1 tablespoon of chicken soup base. I thought that the precooked chicken did not add enough flavor. Family loved it served with fresh biscuits. I'm already planning to add some mushrooms the next time and serve it with rice. Thank you for a great, time saving recipe!
VJ cooks says
Thanks, Linda!
Murray Jessiman says
Evening Vanya I've just had your creamy chicken casserole and it was great, what flavour as well, my wife and I had it with creamy mashed potatoes and puff pastry, and there was enough to put in a pie dish and put it in the freezer for another day1st class, we will definitely be using more of your recipes in the future thanks again.
VJ cooks says
Wow, that sounds amazing! Thanks for the lovely feedback, Murray.
Cherri Craig says
What do you think about substituting cream of chicken soup for the cream since I have that on hand ???
Thank you.
VJ cooks says
Sure give it a go. Let me know how you get on!