Mary Berry’s chicken Valencia dish has ‘lots of flavoursome sauce’

A casserole is the ultimate winter-warmer dish and can be made so easily from scratch.

When cooked with chicken as the main ingredient, it makes for a protein-packed meal that’s rich in flavour and has a tender texture.

Those looking to switch up their usual casserole recipe should look no further than this hearty “chicken Valencia” by Mary Berry.

Sharing the recipe from her book, Mary Berry Everyday, the British chef said: “Simple but tasty and with lots of flavoursome sauce, this is a casserole that you will come back to again and again.

“You could make it with chicken breasts, too, which would reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes.”

Method:

Start by preheating the oven to 160C/140C fan/ Gas 3, then peel and thinly slice the onions, slice the mushrooms and crush the three garlic cloves.

Set everything aside before removing the skin from the chicken thighs and chopping the bacon into small pieces.

Next, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large casserole dish with a lid, then season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper before adding them to the pan.

Fry on high heat for two minutes on each side until golden all over. Next, remove the chicken, cover it with foil and set aside for later.

Add the bacon and onions to the same dish, and fry for four minutes over high heat until the bacon is crispy. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

Weigh out the flour into a bowl, then gradually add the wine in small intervals while simultaneously whisking it into a smooth paste.

Add this to the pan with the tomatoes, rinsing out the tin with a little of the wine to ensure every drop is used. Add the sugar and stir well before bringing everything to a boil.

Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices and bring back to the boil while stirring. Cover the dish with the lid and cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Shortly before the chicken is ready, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and cook for four minutes until golden. Add these to the casserole dish along with the chopped thyme, then serve everything hot with mashed potato and green vegetables.