COOKING FOREVER

Cooked in a slow cooker, the chicken casserole is an everyday thing for our dinners. It is not a very hard or time taking process to cook it and hence one of those suppers that you can truly toss in whatever vegetables you have going extra, and it works wonders!

Among all my slow cooker recipes, this chicken casserole is certainly the go-to-dinner for us!

What to add in your Chicken Casserole?

Since its “Chicken Casserole” you know the main ingredient already!

My fondness is for boneless chicken thighs. Though I prefer working with whichever chicken I have. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are less expensive than the heavy breast pieces and can certainly be left in for more. However, you can make use of anything as per your preference.

Add in your veggies!

We've included a wide range of vegetables to our famous chicken casserole meals every now and then such as leeks, carrots, parsnips, celery, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, onions – and so on, we've probably attempted all of them!

The fineness of a casserole or stew, which is almost equivalent to our slow cooker beef stew, is that you can add in any ingredients that are waiting at the corner of your refrigerator or vegetable rack (we are sure you have at least one of these lying in your kitchen) and prevent any of that feared food waste.

Spice it up!

Add in any blended spices; actually, I generally use dried spice blends in all of my meals and stews. It usually includes a group of spices that go together such as thyme, parsley, sage, basil, and oregano – all incredible spice additions to any casserole. I also like to add several bay leaves.

Mustard a MUST-ADD!

Many people may not be great fans of Mustard but I must state, it tastes astonishing in our slow cooker chicken casserole formula! I as a rule include 1 tablespoon of mustard; however you can include less in case you are concerned it may be over heavy.

Chicken Stock

I personally do not include an excessive amount of chicken stock as the chicken and vegetables will already release a lot of liquid during the cooking time. In any case, I do include a few as it is a chicken dish, all things considered, and chicken tastes incredible in the event that it is whirling in thick chicken seasoned sauce or stock!

I generally include 2 stock pots in my casserole. After simply placing them in with the chicken, vegetables, and spices, I add around 300ml of bubbling water to it for it to slow cook.

It takes about 4 to 6 hours for the chicken casserole to be fully cooked in a slow cooker, on high flame. However, it takes about 8 to 10 hours for it to be fully done on low flame.

If you are in any doubt about the chicken being thoroughly cooked or not, add in a meat thermometer for your satisfaction and clarity.

Moreover, if you are not a fan of chicken stock so much, you can always use vegetable stock or any gravy that you have in your fridge.

How to thicken up the gravy or stock before serving?

Almost certainly, the fluid in the slow cooker towards the finish of the cooking time will be excessively flimsy or just “too thin”. On the off chance that you have the opportunity to wait at least for 30 minutes before eating, you need to take the cover off, turn the slow cooker up to high and mix in a couple tablespoons of chicken gravy granules.

And if you don’t have the time to wait then simply mix in the sauce granules, you would possibly need to include some extra if it isn't thick enough for you. Simply ensure you do slowly so you don't get chunks of sauce hanging about in the dish.

What can you serve with your chicken casserole on the side?

My preferred method to serve the chicken casserole meal is to cook everything together, so I usually include a couple of new potatoes, cut in big pieces, right at the start. This eliminates any requirement for additional cooking of the dish afterward!

However, some of the time, depending on our moods and how hungry we are at the table, my family and I would prefer eating it along with mashed potatoes. This is because the mashed potato covered in yummy chicken casserole and sauce is extremely delicious.

On the other hand, if you are not a fan of potatoes and not in the mood to have a typical meal, then you always have the option to go with sweet potato mash. Sweet potato works just as fine as mashed potatoes.

Oh and I nearly forgot to mention adding dumplings. Adding any dumplings that you like to your slow cooker casserole is also a great choice! Even though the options are unending, you can see why we make it to such an extent – just because it’s THE CHICKEN CASSEROLE!

Make sure to add your dumplings 30 minutes before the cooking time ends. This is because dumplings don’t take much time to be fully cooked so half an hour is all they need to get fully cooked.

A few time and money-saving tips for making Chicken Casserole for you

Who does not like to pay less for more? I personally like to watch out for any grocery store offers to get things in a budget.

Discounts on vegetables by the end of the day

Vegetables that you get at the end of the day are perfect to toss in a stew or dish as they are typically far from going off, and still absolutely alright to be used.

The equivalent goes for meat. I have discovered some incredible proposals toward the day's end. At this time, you can buy meat at a very considerable price, go home and cook it for dinner. It is still in perfect condition for any of your recipes.

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