Stews and Casseroles

Cooking Skills: Chicken 1

Chapter 6 · Stews and Casseroles

Skill goal

Brown, simmer and thicken chicken in a pot so the sauce is rich and the meat falls off the bone.

The basics

Chicken thighs and drumsticks are made for stewing: the bone and skin add flavour and the dark meat stays juicy through long cooking. The method follows Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 5 (braising and stews) but is much quicker: brown the chicken well in batches, sweat the vegetables in the same pot, add stock and herbs, return the chicken, and simmer gently for 30 to 45 minutes until it is tender and almost falling off the bone.

Skin gets soft in a stew, so many cooks remove it after browning (the fat has done its work), or leave it on for richness and lift it off before serving. Breasts dry out in a stew, so use thighs. Thicken by reducing, by a spoonful of flour stirred in with the vegetables, or by finishing with cream. For a slow cooker version see Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2, chapter 3. No wine or cider is used here; stock, tomato and mustard supply the depth.

Figure 6. Brown, sweat, simmer and thicken: the layers of a chicken casserole.

The method

Brown the chicken hard in batches, skin-side down first, and set it aside.
Sweat the vegetables in the chicken fat, scraping up the brown bits.
Add stock, herbs and any tomato, return the chicken and bring to a bare simmer.
Simmer, lid ajar, for 30 to 45 minutes until tender, with 75°C well exceeded.
Thicken and season at the end, skimming off the surface fat.

Dish	Cut	Sauce	Time (approximate)
Chicken and vegetable casserole	Bone-in thighs	Stock and herbs	1 hour
Chasseur-style stew	Bone-in thighs	Tomato and mushroom	1 hour
Chicken and leek	Boneless thighs	Cream and mustard	45 minutes
Pulled chicken	Thighs	Sticky tomato	1 hour 15 minutes

Raw chicken, hot casserole, bones and allergens

Raw chicken: the safety rules: raw chicken often carries campylobacter and salmonella. Never wash it (the splashes spread bacteria around the kitchen), keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge, use its own board, knife and tongs, wash your hands, boards and tools in hot soapy water afterwards, and never put cooked food back on a plate or board that held raw chicken. Use it by the use-by date, or freeze it on the day you buy it.

Hot casserole: a covered dish or pot of casserole is heavy, with scalding steam under the lid. Use dry oven gloves, lift the lid away from you, rest the dish on a heatproof surface, and use a ladle to serve.

Bones in stock: strain stock through a sieve before it goes near children or anyone eating from it, because small bones come loose in long simmering. Cooked chicken bones splinter, so never give them to dogs.

Allergens: chicken itself is not a major allergen, but the dishes around it often contain milk, gluten, egg, mustard, celery, soya and sesame. Check stock cubes and sauces, tell guests what is in a dish, and use separate tools for anyone with an allergy.

Try it

Level 1 · Start here

A one-pot chicken and vegetable casserole

1 hour 10 minutes4 portionsbrowning and simmering in one pot

The classic family casserole. Brown bone-in thighs, soften carrots, onion and celery, then simmer everything with potatoes and thyme. Skim the fat at the end and the sauce is light and savoury. Serve straight from the pot.

Ingredients (4 portions)

8 bone-in chicken thighs
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, sliced
3 carrots, chunked
2 celery sticks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
700 ml chicken stock, unsalted
500 g baby new potatoes, halved
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves

Brown the thighs in the oil in two batches for 5 minutes a side until deep golden. Set aside. Soften the onions, carrots and celery in the same pot for 8 minutes, add the garlic and flour for 1 minute.
Add the stock, thyme and bay, return the chicken, and simmer, lid ajar, for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes more until everything is tender.
Skim the fat, check the chicken is well past 75°C and falling from the bone, and season.

Raw chicken, hot casserole and bones

Raw chicken: the safety rules: raw chicken often carries campylobacter and salmonella. Never wash it (the splashes spread bacteria around the kitchen), keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge, use its own board, knife and tongs, wash your hands, boards and tools in hot soapy water afterwards, and never put cooked food back on a plate or board that held raw chicken. Use it by the use-by date, or freeze it on the day you buy it.

Hot casserole: a covered dish or pot of casserole is heavy, with scalding steam under the lid. Use dry oven gloves, lift the lid away from you, rest the dish on a heatproof surface, and use a ladle to serve.

Hot pan and hot oil: roasting tins and frying pans for browning are very hot and fat spits. Use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away.

Bones in stock: strain stock through a sieve before it goes near children or anyone eating from it, because small bones come loose in long simmering. Cooked chicken bones splinter, so never give them to dogs.

Level 2 · Tomato

A chicken chasseur-style stew (no wine)

1 hour 10 minutes4 portionsa mushroom and tomato sauce built without wine

The French hunter's chicken, usually made with white wine. Here the acidity comes from tomatoes and a splash of cider vinegar at the end. Brown the mushrooms hard for depth, and serve with mash or rice.

Ingredients (4 portions)

8 bone-in chicken thighs
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
250 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
300 ml chicken stock, unsalted
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Brown the thighs in the oil for 5 minutes a side and set aside. Brown the mushrooms in the same pot for 6 minutes, add the onion, garlic and tomato paste for 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stock and thyme, return the chicken and simmer, lid ajar, for 40 to 45 minutes until very tender and the sauce is thick.
Stir in the vinegar and parsley, check the chicken is cooked through and season.

Raw chicken, hot casserole and bones

Raw chicken: the safety rules: raw chicken often carries campylobacter and salmonella. Never wash it (the splashes spread bacteria around the kitchen), keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge, use its own board, knife and tongs, wash your hands, boards and tools in hot soapy water afterwards, and never put cooked food back on a plate or board that held raw chicken. Use it by the use-by date, or freeze it on the day you buy it.

Hot casserole: a covered dish or pot of casserole is heavy, with scalding steam under the lid. Use dry oven gloves, lift the lid away from you, rest the dish on a heatproof surface, and use a ladle to serve.

Hot pan and hot oil: roasting tins and frying pans for browning are very hot and fat spits. Use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away.

Bones in stock: strain stock through a sieve before it goes near children or anyone eating from it, because small bones come loose in long simmering. Cooked chicken bones splinter, so never give them to dogs.

Level 2 · Cream

Chicken and leek in a creamy sauce

50 minutes4 portionsfinishing a stew with cream and mustard

Boneless thighs simmered with leeks in stock, finished with cream and a spoonful of wholegrain mustard. It is a one-pan dinner that suits rice or mash. Add the cream at the end and never let it boil.

Ingredients (4 portions)

8 boneless chicken thighs, halved
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
3 leeks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
400 ml chicken stock, unsalted
100 ml double cream
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Brown the chicken in the oil for 4 minutes a side and set aside. Soften the leeks and garlic in the same pot for 6 minutes, stir in the flour.
Add the stock, return the chicken and simmer gently for 20 minutes until cooked through (75°C or higher) and the sauce has thickened.
Stir in the cream and mustard, warm gently without boiling, and add the parsley.

Raw chicken, hot pot, cream and allergens

Raw chicken: the safety rules: raw chicken often carries campylobacter and salmonella. Never wash it (the splashes spread bacteria around the kitchen), keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge, use its own board, knife and tongs, wash your hands, boards and tools in hot soapy water afterwards, and never put cooked food back on a plate or board that held raw chicken. Use it by the use-by date, or freeze it on the day you buy it.

Hot casserole: a covered dish or pot of casserole is heavy, with scalding steam under the lid. Use dry oven gloves, lift the lid away from you, rest the dish on a heatproof surface, and use a ladle to serve.

Hot milk and cream: milk and cream boil over in seconds and burn worse than water. Keep the heat low, stay at the pan, and add dairy at the end. Never boil a soup once it has cream, or it may split.

Allergens: contains milk, gluten, mustard and celery.

Level 3 · Shred

Slow-cooked pulled chicken

1 hour 30 minutes6 portionscooking until it shreds

Thighs simmered in a sticky tomato and paprika sauce until they fall apart and can be shredded with two forks. Pile into rolls or on rice. Works in the oven, on the hob or in a slow cooker on high for 3 to 4 hours (never on low from raw).

Ingredients (6 portions)

8 bone-in, skin-off chicken thighs
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp smoked paprika
200 ml water or stock
6 soft bread rolls

Mix everything except the chicken and rolls in a casserole, add the thighs and bring to a simmer on the hob.
Cover and cook at 160°C (140°C fan, gas 3) for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until the meat falls off the bone.
Lift out the chicken, discard the bones, shred the meat with two forks, return it to the sauce and reduce a little. Serve in rolls.

Raw chicken, hot casserole and bones

Raw chicken: the safety rules: raw chicken often carries campylobacter and salmonella. Never wash it (the splashes spread bacteria around the kitchen), keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge, use its own board, knife and tongs, wash your hands, boards and tools in hot soapy water afterwards, and never put cooked food back on a plate or board that held raw chicken. Use it by the use-by date, or freeze it on the day you buy it.

Hot casserole: a covered dish or pot of casserole is heavy, with scalding steam under the lid. Use dry oven gloves, lift the lid away from you, rest the dish on a heatproof surface, and use a ladle to serve.

Bones in stock: strain stock through a sieve before it goes near children or anyone eating from it, because small bones come loose in long simmering. Cooked chicken bones splinter, so never give them to dogs.

Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away.

Experiments

Experiment

Browned or pale

Flavour.

Make two small stews, one with browned chicken and one put in raw.

Look for: The browned stew has a deep, savoury sauce; the pale one tastes thinner and the skin is greasy and soft.

Experiment

Skin on or off

Richness.

Simmer thighs with skin and without, and compare the sauce.

Look for: Skin on gives a richer, fattier sauce (skim it); skin off is leaner and cleaner-tasting.

Experiment

Thighs or breasts

Tenderness.

Stew a thigh and a breast for 45 minutes.

Look for: The thigh is tender and juicy; the breast is stringy and dry, so use thighs for stewing.

Experiment

Lid on or ajar

Thickness.

Simmer one stew with the lid on and another with it ajar.

Look for: The ajar stew reduces and thickens; the covered stew stays thinner and the chicken stays moister.

Tasting notes

What I tried	Method or amount	What I saw	What I thought	Will I do it again?
Chicken and vegetable casserole
Chicken chasseur-style stew
Chicken and leek in a creamy sauce
Pulled chicken
Browned or pale
Skin on or off
Thighs or breasts
Lid on or ajar

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
Thin, watery sauce	Too much stock or lid on	Simmer uncovered or add a spoon of flour
Greasy stew	Skin or fat left in	Skim the fat; remove the skin
Tough chicken	Breast used or boiled hard	Use thighs and simmer gently
Pale, bland sauce	Chicken not browned	Brown in batches and scrape the pot
Split cream sauce	Boiled after cream	Warm gently
Raw near the bone	Not cooked long enough	Cook longer; the bone should be clean

Hot casserole, leftovers and allergens

Hot casserole: a covered dish or pot of casserole is heavy, with scalding steam under the lid. Use dry oven gloves, lift the lid away from you, rest the dish on a heatproof surface, and use a ladle to serve.

Leftover chicken: cool cooked chicken quickly (within about 1 to 2 hours), cover and refrigerate, and eat within 2 days. Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through. Never leave chicken on the table for more than 2 hours. Cooked chicken can be frozen for up to about 3 months.

Allergens: chicken itself is not a major allergen, but the dishes around it often contain milk, gluten, egg, mustard, celery, soya and sesame. Check stock cubes and sauces, tell guests what is in a dish, and use separate tools for anyone with an allergy.

Checkpoint: can you do this now?

I can brown chicken in batches.
I can build a casserole in one pot.
I can make a sauce without wine.
I can thicken a stew.
I can shred slow-cooked chicken.

Next chapter

Cooking Skills: Chicken 1, chapter 7 is Leftovers and Cold Chicken: using a cooked bird safely.