This recipe has been a family favourite since I can remember. Now, my own family loves eating the Chicken and Celery Casserole, and so do all of our friends!
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Why My Family (and Everyone We Know) Loves This Chicken and Celery Casserole
I can’t even remember when this recipe first came into my life. I just remember it always being part of the meal rotation as a child.
When I first made it for my now husband, he actually came up with the idea of adding the honey. Adding honey gave it that extra oomph and took this recipe from yum to delicious!
Now that we have our own family, and are always having friends for dinner, we have introduced this casserole to a lot of people. Everyone we have shared this casserole with have become as obsessed with it as we are. Never have I known a dish to produce such quiet dinners, as people are too busy devouring the dish to keep up conversation.
This casserole is fairly straight forward, and is always a crowd favourite. Whenever I am asked to bring along a savoury dish, the Chicken and Celery Casserole is my go-to every time. Served with a simple bed of mashed potatoes and a side of steamed broccoli is always enjoyed by all.
Ingredients
Chicken – thighs are best for this recipe, as you don’t want it to dry out during the cooking process, and they have extra flavour you just can’t get from chicken breast. My parents tend to use cutlets, or thighs with bone-in, when they make it as it produces even more flavour.
Celery – the fresher the better. Cooking the celery off in the stock first, ensures that it is still full of flavour, but you don’t get the crunch.
Bacon – middle rashers help add the extra flavour here as they contain a good amount of fat to render off. Leaving this fat in the pan after cooking off the bacon adds to the overall deliciousness of this dish.
Chicken Stock– I prefer to use my own homemade chicken stock when possible, but if I don’t happen to have any on hand, a shop bought liquid stock is fine as a replacement. Vegetable stock could also be used in place of the chicken stock.
A full list of the ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make the Hearty Chicken and Celery Casserole with Bacon
Step 1: Cook off the celery, bacon & chicken.
Step 2: Build up the delicious sauce with remaining ingredients and add everything to a casserole dish.
Step 3: Bake off the casserole in the oven for around 45 minutes.
Step 4: Serve with mashed white potatoes and steamed greens.
Hearty Chicken & Celery Casserole with Bacon
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or frying pan
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 3 sticks celery sliced
- 3 cups chicken stock liquid
- 6 rashers bacon
- 3/4 cups plain flour (I used gluten free)
- 1/2 tablespoon homemade vegetable powder (optional)
- 1/2 tablespoon celtic or sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 kilogram chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- In a small saucepan, combine chicken stock and celery and bring to a low simmer. Keep on the simmer until required.
- In a large freezer bag, combine the flour, salt, pepper and vegetable powder. Add the chicken thighs and give them a good shake around until they are all covered in the flour mix.
- In a large frying pan or cast iron skillet, fry off the bacon rashers until lightly crispy. Set aside on paper towel to drain, leaving the excess oil in the pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the pan, once it starts to sizzle add in the chicken thighs, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until brown on all sides and add to a casserole dish. Note: the chicken doesn't need to be cooked through at this stage, as it finishes cooking in the oven
- Once all chicken is cooked, set aside to make the sauce and add the remaining butter to the pan and fry off the onion until soft.
- Add flour and combine with the butter and cook until it starts to bubble.
- Slowly add in the stock and stir well to ensure no lumps. Add celery, chopped bacon, honey & combine.
- Pour sauce over chicken, and place into oven, uncovered, to bake for 30-45 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, peel, dice & boil some white potatoes and mash.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, place one thigh per plate with a side of white mashed potatoes & steamed greens.
Notes
If you make this Hearty Chicken & Celery Casserole with Bacon, I would love to hear how it went! Please comment on this post to share your wins!
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