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This Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetable Casserole is comfort food at its absolute best. It always makes me think about Moms a couple generations before me. I’m sure that this is a meal that has been served at the family dinner table for hundreds of years. OK, so maybe they made it on an open fire with homegrown vegetables and a wild caught, hand plucked turkey. Hmmm. Close enough, I’m sure :)
Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
We had a surprisingly cold day today. The wind was freezing. The only thing I felt like eating for dinner was this super tasty, chicken and vegetable stew. I got it in the oven before school pick up, so when I got back home with a swarm of hungry kids, the home smelled amazing and dinner was ready to go.
I normally thicken up my casserole gravy with a bit of all purpose flour, but with this dish I leave the gravy thin and ‘broth-y like’, similar to that of a traditional Irish Stew. And the other bonus? Minimal prep time!
It means that the kids get to slurp it up with a spoon or soak it up with some fresh bread.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Easy oven baked BBQ Chicken breasts
- Kid friendly one pan Chicken fajita rice
- The BEST honey soy chicken stir fry
- Healthy chicken enchiladas
- Quick Clean eating Chicken Parmesan
The Best Chicken For A Chicken Casserole
I’m a big fan of using chicken thighs in a casserole, when they’re cooking in juices and with other ingredients.
While you can of course use chicken breast meat, I find it can become dryer than thighs do, and because of the higher fat content, chicken thighs have more flavor. They’re also way cheaper to buy where I live and so while it’s not the main reason, it’s as good as any!
One you’ve poured your broth on the casserole before it goes into the oven the thighs become super tender, and once you add the veggies all the flavors start to mingle giving you the most amazing pretty easy chicken dinner!
Couple of things you need to know:
- It isn’t an elegant dish. This is a hearty, nourishing family favourite that just tastes so damn good
- You will find yourself cooking it with (almost embarrassing) regularity
- Make loads because your kids will want seconds
- It’s even better the next day
- Its fool proof. Chicken + Vegetables + Stock. Simple, but perfect
- Great way to use up vegetables odds and ends
Chicken Casserole Vegetables
You’ll see I’ve used red bell peppers, celery and sweet potato plus some leeks to add to my casserole, but the beauty of this casserole is that really you can add what you like.
I’d recommend using potatoes, onion and carrots as your base vegetables but feel free to switch up the rest, try some mushrooms, zucchini, even some broccoli (add this 20 minutes before the end of cooking). I’ve added cauliflower before but unless your gang are huge cauliflower fans, the flavor can overpower the casserole so perhaps add this as a side if you’d like to include it.
Can You Cook Raw Meat And Potatoes Together?
I’ve added the potatoes to this chicken and vegetable casserole after an hour of cooking, but you can absolutely add potatoes with raw chicken and cook the whole lot together.
The reason I waited an hour to add the potatoes is so that they don’t ‘crumble’ too much and keep their shape, but between you and I, there are many times when I throw the whole lot in together and let it all cook for the same length of time.
If you chose to do this you’ll find the chicken broth is a little thicker where the potatoes have broken and thickened the gravy mixture, but there’s nothing wrong with this at all, in fact a couple of the kids prefer it this way!
How Long And What Temperature Do You Cook Casserole?
You can cook your chicken and veggie casserole fast or slow. Either way is great and really is decided buy how much time you have.
For this recipe I’ve added the instructions for faster cooking as we all know there’s not a lot of time on those busy week day nights. But if you’re home and want to cook this slow, then turn the heat down to 150c and cook it for 3-4 hours in the oven, checking it half way through and giving it a good stir.
Storing Leftover Chicken And Vegetable Casserole
If you find yourself with leftovers, you can store the (cooled) leftovers in a dish covered with food wrap in the fridge for up to 2 days.
The flavors develop and this, some say, becomes even yummier than it originally was when reheated and eaten with some crusty bread for next day lunches!
How To Make Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients
- 800 g 1 ½ lbs chicken breasts or thighs I like to use thighs as they have more flavor
- 2 Onions finely diced
- 1 Large Leek thinly sliced
- 3 Medium Potatoes Peeled and quartered
- 2 Large Carrots Sliced
- 2 cups Mixed vegetables I used butternut, celery, red pepper, sweet potato
- 2 Cups Chicken or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper To taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F / 180 Celsius
- In a large, oven proof dish, place chicken, leeks and onions. Bake in oven for 15 minutes until chicken has turned white
- Add remaining vegetables and stock
- Bake for 1 hour (use an oven dish with a lid). This keeps the moisture in to produce a tasty broth like gravy.)
- NOTE: If you prefer a thicker gravy, stir in one large tablespoon of plain flour when you add the stock)
Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetable Casserole Recipe
Oven Baked Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients
- 800 g 1 ½ lbs chicken breasts or thighs I like to use thighs as they have more flavor
- 2 Onions finely diced
- 1 Large Leek thinly sliced
- 3 Medium Potatoes Peeled and quartered
- 2 Large Carrots Sliced
- 2 cups Mixed vegetables I used butternut, celery, red pepper, sweet potato
- 2 Cups Chicken or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper To taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F / 180 Celsius
- In a large, oven proof dish, place chicken, leeks and onions. Bake in oven for 15 min until chicken has turned white.
- Add remaining vegetables and stock.
- Bake for 1 hour (use an oven dish with a lid). This keeps the moisture in to produce a tasty broth like gravy.)
- NOTE: If you prefer a thicker gravy, stir in one large tablespoon of plain flour when you add the stock)