Recipes

Mairead Ronan’s chicken, mushroom, bacon and tarragon casserole

Frugal Feasts: Mairead Ronan’s chicken, mushroom, bacon and tarragon casserole

Mairead Ronan
Wed Nov 9 2022 - 05:00
Serves: 4
Course: Dinner
Ingredients
  • A dash of oil
  • 8 chicken pieces (I prefer thighs, but if using breast use one per person and reduce the cooking time by about half)
  • 300g streaky bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, peeled and sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  • sprig of thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Knob of butter
  • 200g mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 200ml cream
  • Handful of fresh tarragon chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
  2. Heat a casserole or medium sized pot over a medium to high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Once the pot is hot, add a little oil and then add the chicken pieces. Allow them to brown, this will take at least five minutes.
  3. Once they have browned, remove them and place on a tray. Add the bacon, onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf to the pot, keep the temperature high but keep stirring. After three minutes or so, add the butter and the mushrooms. Cook this for about five minutes. They should take on some colour. At this stage return the chicken back to the pot.
  4. Add the stock and about half of the tarragon, bring this to the boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven for about 25 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and add the cream. Continue to cook this for another 25 minutes or so. The liquid should have reduced and the chicken should be tender at this stage. Season well with salt and pepper, and add the remaining tarragon.
  6. Serve with either a potato gratin or mashed potato (although I’d never do that because I hate mash. I think I was fed too much of it as a kid). Enjoy!
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