Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Comfort cooking at its best, this recipe makes a simple yet tasty casserole for family and friends.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 450  g  streaky bacon lardons, cut into 2cm chunks
• 4  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  chicken, jointed
• 4  medium carrots, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks or 12  baby carrots, scrubbed and left whole
• 10  baby onions or 4  medium onions, peeled and halved
• 8  garlic cloves, peeled
• 400  ml  chicken stock or 400  ml water
• 1  sprig fresh thyme or 1  sprig fresh rosemary or 1  sprig fresh sage
• 1  tablespoon  chopped parsley
• 1  kg potato, to serve

Directions

1. Put the bacon into a small saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for three minutes, drain, and dry the bacon on kitchen paper.
2. Heat a frying pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the blanched bacon until golden and crisp.
3. Remove to a casserole, add the chicken pieces to the pan, adding more oil if necessary.
4. Saute the chicken until golden, and remove from the casserole.
5. Saute the carrots, onions and garlic for a minute or so, in the same oil. Return the bacon and chicken to the pan and pour in the stock, adding a sprig of thyme (or rosemary or sage).
6. Simmer in a preheated oven at 160C for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
7. Skim any fat from the top of the casserole and sprinkle with chopped parsley to finish. Serve with mashed potatoes.