Rustic Farmhouse Chicken Casserole

The Recycled Cook

Rustic Farmhouse Chicken Casserole 

Not all food needs to be fancy and there is nothing quite as satisfying as a good rustic casserole. 

 For this one I used a whole chicken with absolutely nothing wasted, making food go further is not just about recycling it is about not wasting too.

 I only ever buy free range chickens, and always make sure to only buy meat that has been reared well and treated humanely. 
The first thing to do is of courses to joint the chicken, removing the breasts, drumsticks and wings. The carcass I cut up and put into a large saucepan just covered with water, with a mixture of vegetables, onions, garlic, celery and herbs. This is a great way to use vegetables that are past their best but make sure to throw away any that have rotted.

 Chop all of your vegetables into chunky prices, I used a mix of leeks, carrots. shallots and potatoes (which I par boiled first). In addition to which I added freshly chopped Rosemary, thyme and fresh bay leaves from  the garden. If you don't have any fresh herbs dried herbs will be fine.





Put on your stock early as it will need time to reduce and develop flavour, don't be afraid to add a chicken or vegetable stock cube to the stock, it all adds flavour. 

 I used both which I often do to bring out the flavours of the meat and the vegetables.
Make sure the chicken stock is well cooked before you start tasting it as you are cooking a raw carcass. 

 Once you are happy it is cooked through you can start to taste and adjust the seasoning.
Season well with black pepper but watch the salt if you are using stock cubes which can be quite salty. 

Once the stock is well on the way you can sear the chicken pieces, skin side down in a very hot pan with a generous amount of Olive oil.

 Once browned they can then be kept warm as you want to add the vegetables to the casserole first.

pour a generous amount of olive oil into the casserole or slow cooker, which is what I used. 

 Add the chopped vegetables, shallots, the blanched potatoes, bay leaves, herbs and a whole garlic split into cloves with the skins left on 
Season well to taste.

 I added 75cl of Belgian cider and two ladles of the sieved stock but you could also use white wine.

 Cook slowly until the chicken is very tender and falling apart, you can test with a skewer in the thickest part of the chicken breast. When ready to serve remove the chicken pieces and serve the vegetables first with the broth. 

 Top with the sliced chicken breast, you can of course serviette other pieces too if you have a big appetite but I decided to reserve them for another dish. For the varnish I used my home grown pea fronds but you can use any fresh herbs too. 



Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx

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