Herby chicken, leek and mushroom casserole – the ultimate no-fuss Sunday dinner

This one-pot wonder from ‘The Batch Lady: Rapid Dinners’ is packed with flavour, preps in minutes and can be made fresh or straight from the freezer – no stress, no mess

All the flavour of a slow-cooked Sunday dinner, without the hours in the kitchen (Andrew Hayes-Watkins/Ebury)

“This delicious meal is perfect for a Sunday dinner, served alongside some buttery mash and seasonal veggies. It’s a super-easy one-pot dish that is great at any time of the year,” says The Batch Lady, aka Suzanne Mulholland, whose new book is designed to have nutritious meals on your plate super quick, with minimum effort involved. “This is fresh, packed full of goodness and totally delicious!”

Herby chicken, leek and mushroom casserole

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

100g unsmoked diced pancetta

100g sliced mushrooms

120g frozen chopped leeks

3 tsp frozen chopped garlic

Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

Handful fresh tarragon, finely chopped

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

100g cream cheese

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

If making ahead for the fridge or freezer:

1. Place the chicken and pancetta in a large labelled freezer bag.

2. Put the rest of the ingredients into a medium freezer bag and seal.

3. Slide the smaller bag inside the large bag and seal. Freeze flat.

HOB: Remove the bags from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Place a large, deepsided casserole dish on a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and pancetta and brown all over. Add the rest of the ingredients and 240 millilitres of water and mix well. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is cooked through.

SLOW COOKER: Remove the bags from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Turn the slow cooker to the sauté setting and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and pancetta and cook until browned all over. Tip in the rest of the ingredients, pour in 120 millilitres of water and mix well. Pop on the lid and cook for three hours on high, or six hours on low, until the chicken is cooked through.

If cooking now:

HOB: Place a large, deep-sided casserole dish over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and pancetta and brown all over. Add the rest of the ingredients and 240 millilitres of water and mix well. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is cooked through.

SLOW COOKER: Turn the slow cooker to the sauté setting and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and pancetta and cook until browned all over. Tip in the rest of the ingredients, pour over half a cup 120 millilitres of water and mix well. Pop on the lid and cook for three hours on high, or six hours on low, until the chicken is cooked through.

Recipe from ‘The Batch Lady: Rapid Dinners’ by Suzanne Mulholland (Ebury Press, £22).