This chicken and leek casserole recipe promises a delightful blend of tender chicken, aromatic leeks, and savoury flavours that will tantalise your taste buds. This dish is perfect for a cosy family dinner with its comforting warmth and hearty appeal.
Chicken and leek casserole recipes are yummy. This one is creamy and comforting, with a slightly tangy flavour from the wine and mustard.
It’s actually an update to an old recipe, which was a little simpler.
We always added carrots to the original recipe when we made it at home because the kids don’t like mushrooms.
But the earthy flavour of chantenay carrots meant that the reasonably subtle sauce just tasted like carrots, so I also added wine and mustard to give it some more flavour.
We prefer the version with carrots and flavour, so it was absolutely time for a recipe update to reflect this better flavour.
Why I Love Chicken and Leek Casserole
Simple chicken and leek casserole is one of my favourite family dinners. I love it because:
- A Creamy chicken casserole is super comforting and perfect for winter dinners.
- This new version has plenty of veggies.
- I love the tangy flavour.
- It’s great with bread or potatoes.
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Ingredients For Chicken and Leek Casserole
When I make this Chicken breast and leek casserole, I use:
Cooking Spray
Chicken Breasts – You could also make this casserole with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or smaller chicken breast portions.
Pinch Salt and Pepper
Tablespoon Butter – I love the flavour that butter adds, and leeks fried in butter smell incredible, but you can use more cooking spray, a tbsp olive oil, or another cooking oil if you prefer.
Leeks
White Wine
Shallots
Chantenay Carrots – You can also use peeled and sliced big carrots.
Button Mushrooms
Tarragon
Chicken Stock
Double Cream – This is a creamy chicken stew.
Wholegrain Mustard
Cornflour
You’ll Also Need
I make my Chicken and leek stew (yes, it’s technically a chicken leek stew because it’s made on the hob, but I always call it a casserole, so that’s that) in my large cast iron Dutch Oven.
You can use any flameproof dish or pan.
You’ll also need a sharp knife, a chopping board, something to stir, and a jug and whisk for the stock.
How to Make Chicken and Leek Casserole – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Spray a flameproof dish or pan liberally with cooking spray and warm over medium heat on the hob.
I use a Dutch Oven. It’s a big casserole, so you’ll need something big.
Step Two
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Season Three
Fry the chicken for around 5 minutes on each side until brown.
If you prefer, you can brown the chicken in the oven while preparing the other ingredients. I do this regularly. But it does mean that it’s not a one-pot dinner anymore!
Step Four
Remove from the pan and set to one side.
Step Five
Melt the butter in the same dish. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the dish if there’s any stuck chicken.
Step Six
Add the leeks and fry for 10 minutes until soft, stirring often. During this time, most of the rounds will break up; if some don’t, don’t worry about it.
Step Seven
Pour in the wine and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. If you don’t want to use wine, skip this bit.
Step Eight
Add the mushrooms, carrots, and shallots.
Step Nine
Return the chicken to the pan.
Step Ten
Pour in the stock and cream, retaining about 50 ml of stock.
Step Eleven
Add water to cover all of the ingredients if needed. I tend to need to add a good cup.
Step Twelve
Add the tarragon and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Step Thirteen
Stir well and bring to a simmer.
Step Fourteen
Reduce the temperature if needed to maintain a steady simmer.
Step Fifteen
Add the mustard and cornflour to the stock and whisk together well.
Step Sixteen
Pour this mixture into the casserole and stir well.
Step Seventeen
Simmer for 45 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the carrots are cooked.
Serve your Leek and chicken casserole straight away.
Top Tips
Chicken and leek casserole recipe is really easy, and there are plenty of tips above.
If after 45 minutes it’s still watery, cook for a little longer. If it’s thick much sooner, add a cup of water.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken casserole with leeks is just chicken and veg, so I like to add a carb.
We often serve with boiled baby potatoes or crusty bread.
You could serve it with things like mashed potatoes or just on its own straight from the cooking dish.
Variations
When you make this recipe for chicken and leek casserole, there are a few things that you could do differently.
Add Bacon
Chicken and bacon are an excellent combination. Leek and bacon is an excellent combination. So, adding bacon works well.
Add it to the leeks and fry until browned before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Skip the Wine
If you prefer not to cook with wine, you can skip it entirely and replace it with stock. You will lose a little flavour, though.
Skip with Carrots
As I said, the original recipe didn’t have carrots, and you can skip them if you want to.
Chop the Shallots
In the original recipe, I also diced the shallots, which you can do if you want to. Just soften them with the leeks. I like them in big chunks, though.
Dice the Chicken
I love a chicken stew with whole chicken breasts. You could dice them if you prefer, though.
Dice raw, and follow this recipe as it is.
Leftovers
Leftover Chicken leek casserole can be reheated in the hob and eaten with bread to mop up the sauce the next day.
Add extra stock or water if needed and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is piping hot in the middle.
I recommend using a meat thermometer if you have one.
Storage
Disclaimer: While I aim to be as accurate as possible, any advice in this post, including but not limited to, cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing guidance is based on my own experience. Please use your own skills, knowledge and judgement, and get up to date food safety information.
If you want to save leftovers, remove them from the cooking pan and place them in a clean tub or bowl on the side to cool quickly.
Cover and place in the fridge as soon as they are cool (don’t leave them out for more than two hours).
Eat the next day.
FAQ
Yes, I often brown chicken in the oven.
Yes, you can reduce the cream or skip it entirely. You can also swap for creme fraiche.
You can, as long as it simmers long enough to cook through. Use a meat thermometer to check. I do recommend browning first, though. It looks nicer, is safer, and helps retain its flavour.
No, vegetables will usually cook in a casserole.
Other Recipes
If you like this Chicken and leek stew, you might also like:
- Chicken and Leek Pasta Bake
- Chicken and Leek Traybake
- Pork and Cider Casserole
- Chicken and Cider Casserole
Recipe Card
Chicken and Leek Casserole
Ingredients
- Cooking Spray
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Leeks (Sliced)
- 200 ml White Wine
- 400 g Shallots (Top and Bottomed and Peeled)
- 500 g Chantenay Carrots (Top and Bottomed and Scrubbed)
- 200 g Button Mushrooms (Big ones chopped in half)
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Tarragon
- 500 ml Chicken Stock
- 100 ml Double Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Cornflour
Instructions
- Spray a flameproof dish or pan liberally with cooking spray and warm over medium heat on the hob.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Fry the chicken for around 5 minutes on each side until brown.
- Remove from the pan and set to one side.
- Melt the butter in the same pan.
- Add the leeks and fry for 10 minutes until soft, stirring often.
- Pour in the wine and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the mushrooms, carrots, and shallots.
- Return the chicken to the pan.
- Pour in the stock and cream, retaining about 50 ml of stock.
- Add water to cover all of the ingredients if needed.
- Add the tarragon and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir well and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the temperature if needed to maintain a steady simmer.
- Add the mustard and cornflour to the stock and whisk together well.
- Pour this mixture into the casserole and stir well.
- Simmer for 45 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the carrots are cooked.
Notes
- Read the post above for more tips and advice.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
