Can anyone help me please with recreating this dish?

[Costaproblemo]

I was at a family get-together recently and had a simple, but nice, chicken casserole. I'm just starting to cook from scratch myself and thought I'd ask your advice before I make something inedible.

The chicken was more like pulled chicken so I guess that was cut lengthways rather than cubed.

It had small diced potatoes and small cut carrots and dwarf beans. I think that may have been it apart from gravy, which seemed to be regular bisto type gravy. It was all cooked in a casserole dish.

So:

• do I pre-cook the potatoes or will they cook in the gravy?

• is gravy ok to use or should I use stock?

• how long (and on what temperature) would you cook this?

• should i add anything else?

Thanks for any advice. I want to get to the stage where I can just throw food together (but want to avoid making things that just don't work!)

Generally if you make a casserole all the ingredients go in raw, with stock not gravy. If the chicken was like pulled chicken it would have been cooked for a long time on a low heat, possibly pieces on the bone and the near then pulled off the bone before serving, and the stock thickened before serving too.

Have you looked up any recipes for chicken casserole? That would be the best place tostart.

Thanks fitzbilly. Yes, I've always used stock and every recipe I've seen does too.

It was an elder relative (distant, so I didn't ask her) and definitely had a bisto type gravy rather than stock. I think it was more frugal cooking that cordon bleu!

What would happen if i just cut up the chicken lengthwise, cut the veg, added it to a casserole covered with gravy? Would it be ok do you think?

I bought this book earlier in the year The Busy Mum's Plan-ahead Cookbook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1845285379/ref=cmswwrcppapi_n5AeybTJFQ4NJ

There's loads & loads of chicken casserole recipes. All the ones we've tried so far have been delicious & ridiculously easy! My freezer is now full as there's loads of recipes for making double & freezing, and ones that you can cook on a job or slow cooker!!!

I bet it was slow cooked chicken thighs, they do fall apart and taste lovely.
Some people use a can of chicken soup as gravy

The chicken would definitely have gone in big pieces and shredded once cooked- don't try and do the cutting raw!

And even if she's a distant relative ask her or ask another relative who knows her to ask her for the recipe. No one ever minds, least of all family and elderly.

I think it probably also had onion in, although they are normally disintegrated once it comes to serving.

I use chicken drumsticks and a Coleman's chicken casserole mix, plus whatever veg and spuds are about. The mix makes the right kind of sauce, and the drumstick meat falls off the bone.

The texture of the chicken sounds like it was made from left over roast chicken.

Thanks. I'm not sure I can ask her before tonight. Nancy, I think you're right that it was left over roast chicken. It wasn't as succulent as freshly cooked. But she also had a jug of gravy which looked and tasted identical, which is why I think it was cooked in bisto!

My very easy casserole would be couple of oxo cubes either beef or chicken, water, meat and any veggies i.e. carrots and onion. Stick in slow cooker all day then stir through some gravy granules to thicken just before serving. I'd cook green beans and baby pots separate then add to it or chuck a tin of potatoes in casserole has worked too.

Ok, thanks. I may well use the slow
cooker and use chicken stock.

Thanks very much everyone!

Bisto make chicken flavour gravy granules

I usually make chicken casserole with left over roast dinner, so it's chicken, left over gravy and then I put in carrots, onion potato ( left over roast ones if there are any but if not just raw ones) I usually chuck in some chicken stock & red wine too. Bung it in the oven and cook for a couple of hours