Simple 5-2 Recipes.CHICKEN & BACON CASSEROLE

249 calories

Lovely hearty comfort food.

The great thing about this recipe is that you don’t add the chicken until near the end of the cooking time, keeping the chicken beautifully tender. The sauce freezes well before the chicken is added.

Serves 4  •  Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes

4 slices streaky bacon, roughly chopped (140 cals)

1 onion, peeled and chopped (65 cals)

1 carrot, peeled and diced (35 cals)

1 parsnip, peeled and diced (45 cals)

4 small leeks, washed and sliced (104 cals)

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped (51 cals)

salt and pepper to taste

250g chestnut mushrooms, washed and sliced (32 cals)

200ml dry white wine (66 cals)

500ml chicken stock, fresh or made with one cube (35 cals)

2 bay leaves

400g chicken breast, diced into approx 1 inch cubes (424 cals)

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan.

• Heat a large lidded frying pan or oven-proof casserole on a med-high heat on the hob. When hot add the streaky bacon. Fry for 2-3 minutes until just turning brown. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and set aside.

• Add the onion to the pan and immediately reduce the heat. Leave the onion to cook slowly in the bacon fat for about 5 minutes.

• Add the carrot, parsnip, leeks and pepper to the pan. Stir thoroughly and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat up a little and continue to cook for a further 3 minutes.

• Stir through the mushrooms and add the wine and chicken stock. Add the bay leaves and put the bacon back in. Bring to a gentle simmer.

• Transfer to an oven-proof dish if necessary.

• Place the lidded dish in the pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 2 hours. You could also cook this dish in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours.

• When you are ready to eat, heat the dish on the hob and bring up to a gentle simmer. If necessary, add a little extra water at this stage. Add the diced chicken and bring back to simmering point. Then cook gently for 12 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through before serving immediately.

Source:

http://www.52recipes.co.uk/2014/02/10/chicken-bacon-casserole/