Chicken and Bacon Casserole

To make this delicious meal you need:

• 1.5 kg chicken pieces – I used breast fillets and thigh fillets
• 60g butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 420g of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups of hot water
• 1/2 cup thickened cream
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 200g button mushroom
• 1 medium size onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• 400g artichoke hearts
• 500g streaky bacon rashers
• 2 chopped shallots

Cooking steps:

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper
2. Heat butter and oil in frying pan, add chicken pieces, cook gently until chicken is golden on all sides
3. Remove chicken pieces from pan and arrange them into ovenproof dish
4. Add chopped onion and mushroom into the frying pan, saute gently then add flour and rosemary, stir until combined
5. Reduce heat and add undiluted chicken soup and water, stir until combined
6. Increase heat and stir ingredients until sauce boils and thickens
7. Taste the sauce and season to perfection with salt and pepper
8. Pour the sauce over the fried chicken pieces
9. Cover and bake in moderate oven for around 20 minutes or until chicken is tender
10. In the meantime, roll bacon rashers and secure with small wooden skewers
11. Remove the casserole from the oven, add drained artichoke hearts, chopped shallots and bacon skewers to the casserole, do not stir bacon rashers in the sauce so they will be exposed to oven heat and crunch
12. Return the casserole to oven for further 5 minutes or until bacon crunch
13. Remove skewers and serve

Tip:

• You can cook bacon skewers separately on different tray or pan then add them to the casserole