Batch cooking is a brilliant way of stretching ingredients, cutting down on food waste and adding an easy meal to a busy week.
This comforting chicken casserole is perfect served with mash and veg – and the leftovers can be used to make a tempting chicken and bacon tettrazini. Double bubble without the trouble!
What makes this dish even better is the fact that you simply throw everything in the slow cooker and leave it to work its magic. Brilliant for those hectic days when you don’t fancy cooking – and you’ve got the basis of an easy pasta dish for the following day, too.
Slow-cooker chicken casserole
Serve with mash and your favourite vegetables for a cosy, satisfying meal.
serves 8 (or 4, if you use half to make the tettrazini)
ready in 3 hours 30 mins
Free
What you need:
low-calorie cooking spray
1kg skinless and boneless chicken thighs, visible fat removed, cut into chunks
3 large onions, chopped
2 chicken stock pots
500g carrots, sliced
2 medium leeks, sliced
4 celery sticks, sliced
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1kg floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, mashed, to serve
What you do:
1. Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and put it over a high heat. Brown the chicken in batches, then tip it into a 3-litre (or larger) slow cooker. Repeat with the onions (browning the chicken and onions first really boosts the flavour, but if you’re short of time you can skip this step).
2. Stir the stock pots into 300ml boiling water and add to your slow cooker with all the other ingredients and a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Serve hot with the mash and your favourite Speed veggies.
Fancy a roast? Try our air fryer roast chicken dinner
Chicken and bacon tettrazini
Add bacon, mushrooms and filling pasta to totally transform your leftover chicken casserole.
serves 4
Free
ready in 25 mins
What you need:
½ of your chicken casserole
500g dried tagliatelle pasta
low-calorie cooking spray
8 back bacon rashers, visible fat removed, cut into thin strips
300g mushrooms, quartered
6 tbsp fat-free natural Greek-style yogurt
½ small pack fresh parsley, chopped, plus parsley sprigs to serve
What you do:
1. Roughly shred the chicken from the casserole and stir it back into the sauce. Tip into a saucepan over a medium-high heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. At the same time, cook the tagliatelle according to the pack instructions.
3. Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and put it over a high heat. Add the bacon and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crispy. Transfer to a plate.
4. Wipe the frying pan with kitchen paper, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown and tender.
5. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Stir through the casserole, mushrooms, yogurt and parsley, and season to taste. Toss well, scatter over the bacon and serve with the parsley sprigs.
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