Chicken casserole is a classic comfort meal, but today I’m sharing a slightly different take on it. Juicy chicken with plenty of green vegetables in a creamy sauce with a hint of thyme, topped with crisp, golden puff pastry. It’s a dish that everyone will enjoy and works perfectly for a family dinner. What’s more, it’s a great way to sneak more vegetables into your meal.
Chicken Casserole — use up leftovers
You can use pre-cooked chicken or turkey for this casserole — for example, meat left over from broth or roasted drumsticks from the day before. Simply shred the meat and add it to the sauce along with the vegetables. This way, you’ll prepare dinner even faster while using leftovers in a tasty and thoughtful way.
A casserole full of green vegetables
Although the recipe includes green peas and broad beans, you can make this dish all year round. Frozen vegetables work very well here — they’re convenient, available regardless of the season, and retain most of their nutritional value.
You can swap the vegetables depending on what you have on hand. Try broccoli, green beans, or zucchini. The key is not to overcook the vegetables before baking — they should remain al dente, as they will soften further while cooking in the sauce.
How to get perfectly crisp puff pastry
To ensure the puff pastry turns golden and crisp, remember a few simple rules. First, do not cover the casserole while it’s in the oven — steam will cause the pastry to soften rather than turn golden and crisp.
For a deeper golden color, brush the top with beaten egg or just the yolk.
Another useful trick is to move the dish to the upper part of the oven for the last few minutes — if the pastry isn’t already sufficiently browned.
Below are a few additional recipes for delicious dinners that you can easily adapt to whatever you currently have in your fridge:
- Chicken with spinach | Baked
- Pasta with pesto and chicken
- One-pot sausage stew
- Stuffed bell peppers - meat and lentil | Gluten-free
Chicken and puff pastry casserole
Ingredients
- 500 g cooked chicken (e.g. from broth or steamed)
- 1 large leek (white and light green parts)
- 2 potatoes
- 200 g broad beans (fresh or frozen)
- 150 g green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ sheet puff pastry
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- salt to taste
Sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tbsp plain flour
- 150 ml milk
- 150 ml broth
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the broad beans in salted water, drain, and peel off the skins (you should have about 150 g peeled beans). Meanwhile, shred or cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan and sauté the finely chopped leek. Add the potatoes cut into small cubes and the green peas. Cook for a few minutes, until the vegetables are al dente. Add the cooked chicken, broad beans, and thyme, stir to combine, and remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and stir briefly. Gradually pour in the broth and milk, whisking constantly. Season with salt and cook over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Combine the sauce with the chicken and vegetables, then transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish. Trim the puff pastry to fit the dish and place it over the top. Cut a small slit in the center and brush the pastry with beaten egg.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp.
tips
- Calories: 650 kcal
- Protein: 52 g
- Fat: 28 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
www.goodbalancedfood.com
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szabotamas088
I love it!