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    Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Chicken

    Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

    Published: Sep 27, 2020 · Modified: Feb 20, 2021 by Dannii · This post may contain affiliate links · 30 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe
    Diet: Gluten Free

    A slow cooker chicken casserole is total comfort food, and perfect for a cold night. This is a great batch cooking meal, as it freezes well and the whole family loves it. Chunky vegetables and shredded chicken, all in a deliciously creamy mustard sauce. This slow cooker dish is SO easy to prepare, by just dumping everything in with no pre-cooking needed.

    A bowl of chicken and vegetable casserole next to a striped towel and some bread.

    The beauty of slow cookers is you can just dump everything in and leave it to cook away. That makes this slow cooker chicken casserole perfect for autumn when the new back to school routine has you running around with no time to think about elaborate dinners. Filling, packed full of vegetables and easy to adapt.

    Jump to:
    • Why you will love it
    • Ingredients needed
    • Step by step
    • How to adapt it
    • Creamy vs tomato based sauce
    • What to serve it with?
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More slow cooker recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Why you will love it

    • Total comfort food
    • Easy creamy sauce
    • No prep needed
    • Freezes well
    • Easy to adapt
    • Kids love it

    Ingredients needed

    Ingredients needed to make this casserole.
    • Chicken thighs - We used boneless and skinless chicken thighs, as we find that they have the most flavour. They are moist and juicy, and perfect for slow cooking. You could use chunks of chicken breast, however this doesn't have the same flavour.
    • Shallots - We added these whole (or halved if they were large) and they add a lovely sweet flavour to the dish. You could fresh a chopped brown onion instead.
    • Carrots - An easy way to give this dish a vitamin boost and a little colour (slow cooker dishes can look a little beige and boring). We used baby carrots and kept the skin on to save some time, however you could slice up larger carrots.
    • Celery - This adds lots of flavour to the dish, and if it is chopped up really small then you don't even know it is there. We like it nice and chunky though.
    • Potatoes - This is an easy way to make the dish really filling, and that way you don't need to serve it with everything as it's a whole meal in one. We used baby potatoes and cut them in half - you could keep them whole if they are smaller ones.
    • Mushrooms - A nice way to bulk out this slow cooker chicken casserole, and chicken and mushroom is such a delicious combination. We used whole button mushrooms, however you could just slice up some regular white or brown mushrooms.
    • Stock - Homemade chicken stock is the best option here, however if you don't have any already made, then a good quality stock cube and water will do. Remember to use a reduced salt stock cube if making this for younger kids.
    • Herbs - A mixture of dried oregano and thyme is nice to mix into the stock, then some fresh parsley to finish.
    • Mustard - This adds such a lovely flavour to the dish, and a creamy mustard sauce goes perfectly with chicken. We used wholegrain mustard, however you could use Dijon instead. Use a good quality mustard, as you will really taste the difference.
    • Creme Fraiche - This is where all the creaminess comes from and it is a must in our opinion. You could leave it out, but you would have a fairly watery chicken casserole. You can use reduced fat creme fraiche, or even swap it for extra thick double cream.

    A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

    Step by step

    One: Put the shallots, leek, mushrooms, carrots, celery and potatoes into the slow cooker.

    A slow cooker pot with chopped vegetables in it.

    Two: Add the chicken thighs on top.

    Chicken thighs and vegetables in a slow cooker pot.

    Three: Make the stock, and then add the garlic, mustard, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well and pour over the chicken and vegetables.

    Chicken and vegetables in a slow cooker with stock and herbs.

    Four: Cook on high for 4 hours.

    Cooked chicken and vegetables in a slow cooker.

    Five: Shred the chicken (but keep it chunky) and add the creme fraiche and chopped parsley.

    Shredded chicken, vegetables, cream and herbs in a slow cooker.

    Six: Mix well.

    Chicken casserole in a slow cooker pot.

    How to adapt it

    This is a really forgiving and easy to adapt with other ingredients you have that need using up. You really can't ruin this dish if you use a little less of something or a little extra of something else (apart from the stock as you don't want it to be too watery) and you can cook it for a little longer if you aren't ready to eat it after the 4 hours cooking time.

    You can follow the recipe exactly, or add in different vegetables to suit your own tastes. Other veggies that work well are sweet potatoes, leek, parsnips, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, swede, butternut squash and aubergine. You could even add some spinach towards the end for a bit of a green veggie boost. This is a great recipe to reduce food waste, as you can pretty much add anything.

    An easy way to add some extra flavour is by adding some cooked chopped ham or bacon before serving. It adds a nice saltiness, that compliments the creaminess well.

    Creamy vs tomato based sauce

    Slow cooker dishes either have a creamy based sauce (like this one) or a tomato based one. We love a creamy sauce when we want something comforting. However, you a rich and flavour packed sauce, you could swap the stock for a can of chopped tomatoes. Use a really good quality tinned tomatoes though, as you will really be able to taste the difference.

    Shredded chicken, carrots, potatoes and herbs in a creamy sauce.

    What to serve it with?

    We haven't served ours with anything expect some crusty bread (which is perfect for dipping in the creamy sauce), as this dish has everything in it already. We added chunks of potato, to make it a filling and whole dish.

    However, if you want to leave the potatoes out of the casserole, then we have a few suggestions of what to serve it with:

    • Intant Pot Mashed Potatoes
    • Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
    • The BEST Creamy Mashed Potatoes
    • Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
    • Vegetable Mash
    A bowl of chicken and vegetables in front of a crockpot.

    FAQs

    Do you have to brown the chicken before slow cooking?

    No, there is no need to brown the chicken first in this recipe, which is one of the many reasons why we love it. Frying it a little first does lock in the flavours and give it a crispy outside, and although that does give the dish a little more flavour, we don't find that the meal is missing anything without it. It's more important to seal the meat in something like our Slow Cooker Beef Curry.

    How long does it take to cook a slow cooker chicken casserole?

    We have cooked ours on high for 4 hours, however you can cook it on low for 8 hours. As mentioned before, this is a pretty forgiving recipe though. So if you are cooking it on high, then 6 hours will be fine too and if cooking it on low then it will still be delicious after 10 hours.

    How to thicken a slow cooker chicken casserole before serving?

    The thing with slow cooking, is that the liquid doesn't evaporate the same way it would if you are cooking it on the hob. So, you want to make sure that you don't add too much liquid in the first place as the ingredients release lots of liquid too. But, if you find that it is still too watery once it has finished cooking, then there are a couple of things you can do to help thicken it up.
    You could cook it for about 30-40 minutes longer, on high, with the lid off and then add a tablespoon of chicken gravy granules. You could add a cornflour slurry to thicken it, however this will change the flavour and make it taste floury.
    Coating the chicken in flour before adding it to the slow cooker will help to thicken the sauce whilst cooking.

    Is it gluten free?

    To make sure that this slow cooker chicken casserole is totally gluten free, then make sure that you use a gluten stock and mustard.

    How to store slow cooker chicken casserole?

    Once the casserole has completely cooled, you can put it in an air tight container and it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. It's a great meal to batch cook and keep in the freezer for those busy weeknight evenings. The potatoes can change texture a little after freezing, but that doesn't really bother us.
    To reheat it, defrost thoroughly and then put it in the microwave for 2 minutes, or heat through on the hob (stovetop).

    heart icon

    Extra tips

    • You can swap the creme fraiche for extra thick double cream.
    • Add extra flavour to this slow cooker chicken casserole with some leftover chopped up ham added at the end, or even come cooked chopped bacon.
    • This might not look like a lot of stock to add, but everything releases a lot of liquid when cooking, so you don't want it to be too watery.

    More slow cooker recipes

    • Slow cooker beef curry and rice in a round bowl.
      Slow Cooker Beef Curry
    • Slow Cooker Meatballs on a plate with a fork.
      Slow Cooker Meatballs
    • Two slow cooker jerk chicken thighs on a blue plate with rice and lime wedges.
      Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
    • A bowl of slow cooker pulled pork.
      Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

    If you’ve tried this chicken casserole recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

    Recipe

    Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole in a round blue bowl

    Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

    By: Dannii
    Chunky vegetables and shredded chicken, all in a deliciously creamy mustard sauce. This slow cooker dish is SO easy to prepare, by just dumping everything in with no pre-cooking needed.
    A circular logo saying GF.
    Gluten Free
    4.77 from 52 votes
    Pin Print Save recipe Recipe saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: British
    Prep: 15 mins
    Cook: 4 hrs
    Total: 4 hrs 15 mins
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 316kcal
    Allergens:
    An illustration of a bunch of celery.
    Celery
    An illustration of a carton of milk.
    Dairy
    An illustration of a cow's head.
    Meat
    An illustration of a mustard bottle.
    Mustard
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 600 g (1.33 lb) Chicken thighs - skinless and boneless
    • 5 Shallots - halved
    • 1 Leek - sliced
    • 100 g (1 cups) Button mushrooms - halved
    • 2 rib Celery - sliced
    • 2 Carrot - peeled and chopped
    • 270 g (9.5 oz) New potatoes - halved
    • 2 Garlic clove - crushed
    • 200 ml (0.75 cups) Chicken stock
    • 1 teaspoon Thyme
    • 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
    • 2 tablespoon Wholegrain mustard
    • 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
    • 100 ml (0.5 cups) Creme fraiche
    • 10 g (2.5 tablespoon) Fresh parsley - finely chopped

    Instructions

    • Put 5 Shallots, 1 Leek, 100 g Button mushrooms, 2 Carrot, 2 rib Celery and 270 g New potatoes into the slow cooker.
    • Add 600 g Chicken thighs on top.
    • Mix together 200 ml Chicken stock, 2 Garlic clove, 2 tablespoon Wholegrain mustard, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 teaspoon Dried oregano and 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper. Mix well and pour over the chicken and vegetables.
    • Cook on high for 4 hours.
    • Shred the chicken (but keep it chunky) and add 100 ml Creme fraiche and 10 g Fresh parsley. Mix well.

    Notes

    • You can swap the creme fraiche for extra thick double cream.
    • Add extra flavour to this slow cooker chicken casserole with some leftover chopped up ham added at the end, or even come cooked chopped bacon.
    • This might not look like a lot of stock to add, but everything releases a lot of liquid when cooking, so you don't want it to be too watery.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1portion | Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 1040mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 887IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 3mg
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Manasi

      February 23, 2021 at 11:22 am

      Would you freeze it without the creme fraiche or with it mixed in?

      Reply
      • Dannii

        February 23, 2021 at 3:42 pm

        I have freezed it with the creme fraiche in.

        Reply
    2. D Baker

      January 09, 2021 at 3:57 pm

      Carrots are in the method but not the ingredients, how many do you recommend?

      Reply
      • Dannii

        January 09, 2021 at 4:17 pm

        Sorry about that. We use 2.

        Reply
    3. Lizet Bowen

      October 01, 2020 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      Had a bowl of this slow cooker chicken last night, it was so good! Another meal I can add to our monthly menu. Great for midweek meals.

      Reply
    4. Emmeline

      October 01, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a great comfort food dinner for fall! All the flavors I'm craving right now!

      Reply
    5. Kate

      October 01, 2020 at 10:26 am

      5 stars
      Perfect autumn comfort food, and anything you can leave to do its thing in the slow cooker is a massive bonus!

      Reply
    6. Anjali

      October 01, 2020 at 10:02 am

      5 stars
      Omg this is comfort food at its best, and I love how easy it is to make with the slow cooker!

      Reply
    7. Michelle

      September 29, 2020 at 2:12 am

      A casserole in the crockpot is pretty much the best idea ever. Love the fresh veggies in it

      Reply
    8. Angela

      September 28, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      I am always happy to let my slow cooker do all of the work. This is a great chicken casserole.

      Reply
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