White Wine Chipolata & Bacon Casserole
Autumnal comfort food doesn't get much better than a hot, creamy casserole served with buttery mash. In a twist on the classic French white wine chicken casserole, this recipe uses Welsh chicken chipolatas and dry cured bacon. Infused with fragrant tarragon and rich in crème fraîche, the creamy, velvety sauce pairs beautifully with garlic celeriac or regular mash or perhaps a crusty French baguette for dunking.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 35 g butter
- 12 Edwards of Conwy chicken chipolatas
- 200 g Edwards of Conwy Oak-Smoked Dry Cured bacon chopped
- 1 red onion or 3-4 echalion shallots chopped
- 1 leek washed, trimmed and sliced
- 1 carrot peeled and sliced
- 250 ml white wine
- 400 ml chicken stock (a little more if cooking your casserole on the hob or in the oven)
- 200 g whole button mushrooms washed
- 5 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
- 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water
Instructions
For slow cooker
- Heat the butter in a frying pan, then add the chicken chipolatas, season with salt and pepper and fry for around five minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the chopped bacon to the pan and fry until just crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the onions, leeks and carrots to the pan and fry for a further five minutes or so, until softened.
- Turn the slow cooker on, transfer all the ingredients except for the crème fraîche, tarragon and mushrooms into it and cook on high for around 4 hours. Then, add the mushrooms and continue cooking for a further two hours or until the sausages are cooked and the veg is tender.
- After around six hours of cooking time, stir the crème fraîche and whole tarragon sprigs (no need to remove the leaves from the stems) into your casserole and test the consistency of the sauce. If it’s a little runny, mix some cornflour with some cold water and stir it in to the casserole while still hot. You may need to transfer it to a saucepan or casserole dish and do this over the hob.
- Serve your casserole with creamy mash and/or crusty white bread spread thickly with salted butter. Mmm!
For the hob/oven
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat the butter in a casserole dish, add the chicken chipolatas, season with salt and pepper any fry for around five minutes, until browned.
- In a frying pan, fry the chopped bacon until just crisp (you can dry fry it or use a little oil, whichever you prefer), then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions, leeks and carrots and fry for a further five minutes or so, until softened.
- Add all the ingredients except for the wine and stock to the casserole dish along with the chicken chipolatas, ensuring you add the mushrooms last. Pour in the wine and stock last. Cover the casserole dish and transfer to the oven for around 45 minutes.
- When your casserole has finished cooking in the oven, you’ll probably need to thicken the sauce up a little. Transfer the casserole dish to the hob and place it over a low to medium heat. Mix a little cornflour with cold water to form a paste, then stir this into the casserole whilst still hot.
- Serve your casserole with creamy mash and/or crusty white bread spread thickly with salted butter. Mmm!
Notes
- Your casserole will keep at its best in the fridge for around 3-4 days. If you’re planning on freezing it, don't add the crème fraîche beforehand. Instead, When you’re ready to eat your casserole, defrost it in the fridge for 24 hours beforehand, heat it up and stir in the crème fraîche towards the end.