Chicken casserole

Ingredients

4-6 tbsp olive oil
1 x 1.8kg chicken, jointed
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp thyme leaves
100ml white wine
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Method

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan on high heat and brown the chicken pieces in batches. Add more oil to the pan as required. Remove and set aside the chicken in a warm place.

Reduce the heat to medium and gently fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or so.

Pour in the wine and tomatoes and return the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. At this point, remove the chicken breasts so they don’t over-cook and dry out.

Cook for a further 15 minutes then return the breasts to the pan and remove from heat.

Serve with mashed potato, polenta or just some great bread.

Notes:

Variations-
- At the end of cooking, add one cup of cooked cannellini beans and heat through.
- Add a cup of sliced mushrooms before simmering for 30 minutes.
- Add a cup of diced carrots and celery to cook with the onion.
- Add a cup of black olives and browned chorizo before simmering for 30 minutes.
- Add some peeled and chopped potatoes (cut into fairly small pieces) just before simmering for 30 minutes.
This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.