FEED THE 5000 CASSEROLE!
We had friends over this weekend so I did a vat of chicken casserole to feed everyone.  It did us for lunch today (4 adults, 3 kids) and also for the two of us for dinner tonight.  I've also managed to get a few toddler sized portions frozen for the wee man.


It cost less than a tenner as I used cheap chicken quarters (about £2-3 per pack) and the veg I had knockin' around the fridge.  You can use any veg you have, and as I used a slow cooker the older veg which is on it's way out is fine as you cook it for an age.  These sort of meals are ace if you're a working parent as you prep in the morning (or the night before, and refrigerate overnight) and pop them in the slow cooker on low all day.  It means you come home to some lovely yummy dinner which is hot and smells d.e.l.i.s.h.


So, how do I make it, I hear you cry?


Firstly, you need a slow cooker or a large oven/stove top casserole dish.  I am a total slow cooker convert and use mine all the time.  I have a large Rachel Allen one which is about 6.5 litres.


Ingredients:
3 peppers
6 carrots
2 onions
1 leek
1 pack mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
1 carton passata (500 g)
1 tin tomatoes
1.5 pints chicken stock (or very thin chicken gravy)
6 chicken leg quarters
2-3 tsp cinnamon
3-4 tbsp paprika
3-4 tbsp italian herbs
4 good sloshes of worcester sauce (or to your own taste)
Black pepper
1 tbsp sugar


1) Sear your chicken in a very hot pan with the lid on (it spits like hell).  Get it good and brown.  Leave it to rest on a plate.  Turn on your slow cooker.

Here is some I made earlier...

2)  Chop up your garlic and onions.  Add the cinnamon, paprika, herbs, sugar black pepper (to taste i.e. as much or as little as you like), add the worcester sauce.  Remember that when you're cooking in a slow cooker, the more flavour you add the better as it will diminish over the long cooking period, so... don't be shy with the herbs and spices.  I shove mine in, but I've given you the amounts above as a guide.
3)  Add your veg (chopped up).  Give it a good mix and get it well coated.

4)  Add your chicken on top of the veg.

5)  Pour over the passata, tinned toms and then the stock.  Give it a good stir (but be careful as it will be pretty full).  Push the chicken down so it's half in the sauce.

6)  Start your slow cooker on 'high' for about 30 minutes and then switch to 'low'.  Leave it all day, or for at least 5 hours.

7)  When you serve you can either leave the chicken on the bone, or, take the quarters out, strip the meat off and put the meat back in the saucy veg.  I serve it with crusty bread in a bowl, or with pasta or brown rice.

Tip numero uno: If you do decide to strip the meat off, keep the bones and make a stock with them.  I normally empty my casserole out of the slow cooker dish into fridge containers, pop the bones back in and add a load of boiling water from the kettle (normally two full kettles as I have a big one... fnah, fnah).  Leave them to cook overnight and then freeze your stock for your next casserole (this is also good for toddlers as this stock from the bones will be less salty than using stock cubes/gravy).

My stock simmering post casserole consumption.

Tip numero dos: Use weaning pots (about 50-100 ml size, you can buy bulk lots on eBay) and freeze off toddler sized portions.  These are very handy when you're stuck with nothing to eat in the house, or you're sending your little fella to the childminder/grannies/aunties etc etc so they don't have to worry about prepping a veg filled nutritious meal!

Happy slow cooking!

Nikki

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