I fancy chicken casserole, I think I've got some reasonably suitable ingredients, but I can't find a recipe. Help!

[DeJaVousdoo]

I've got chicken legs, shallots, carrots, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, potatoes and plenty of store cupboard stuff.

It's been a long time since I've made any sort of casserole...

Do I need to skin and brown the chicken first or is it better not to? How do I thicken the sauce, or do I make a gravy to cook everything in?

Erm, what else do I need to know?

Help. Please

Um. This isn't a recipe, but I would:

Brown the chicken with skin on (fattier, but much much tastier) and take it out of the pan. Deglaze the pan with a bit of white wine, pour over chicken.

Then fry the shallots, mushrooms and carrots gently for a bit until soft (and some bacon and garlic if you have some, mmm). Add the chicken back in, and pour some more white wine or dry sherry, a couple of bay leaves and enough water to just cover it - and a stock cube or powder too if you have some, and salt and pepper. Cook for about 40 min and serve with broccoli and potatoes on the side. I wouldn't thicken the sauce myself.

You could do it just the same with some tomatoes too - drain the juice from a can, chop the tomatoes up, add when the chicken goes back in.

hope that works!

Cheers! That's the sort of advice I was after.

I haven't got any bacon, that would have been luverly

I guess I should cook it for about an hour and a half at 180, does that sound right?

Oh, is it alright for my BLWer cooked in wine?

How about rolling the chicken in seasoned flour and then browning it with shallots.

Throw in rest chopped to suitable sizes - carrots, mushrooms (add later in cooking so do not fall apart), tin of tomatoes (or two), herbs, salt & pepper, red wine, tomato concentrate, spoon of sugar, dash of worchestershire sauce.

Cook for about 45 mins - I think - at 170 I reckon. Not that good at directions, as I do things by insting generally, but you want the meat falling off the bone.

I woudl serve with rice and steamed broccoli, but mash could be good as well.

Hope that helps and I am sure others will give you ideas.

I mean by instinct generally, of course.

Cor, that sounds really good too! I'm usually an instinctive cook too, 'tis most confusing not knowing what to do!

It needs to be ready at a set time you see...

Actually, thinking back, if you are doing it in teh oven, would cook for slightly longer, so would aim for about 1hr in oven at 180, unless you are doing loads, in which case aim for 1.5 hours. So 4-5 chicken thighs and veg - 1 hr probably. 5-10 chicken thighs, I would plan a bit longer. How does that sound?

I would use a pressure cooker OR a slow cooker, so not used to only using oven timings....