Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole
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This Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole is healthy and hearty comfort food perfect for these cooler days. A family favourite which is simple to prepare and full of tender chicken, fresh tasty vegetables and a flavourful gravy.
This is a simple easy everyday dinner which is like home comfort in a bowl. A traditional chicken casserole might call for a roux made with flour and fat at the beginning of the recipe to achieve a gravy with substance. However, this recipe cooks the casserole without flour and then uses a simple cornflour slurry at the end of the cooking process to thicken it. Cornflour gives the dish a lovely silky shiny sauce.
A good rustic Chicken Casserole suits every occasion from feeding a family of 6 (that's us!) with a mound of mashed potato, to enjoying leftovers as a simple bowlful for a quiet solo lunch. Plus its restorative properties can also not be dismissed. If you’re feeling a little jaded then a serving of healthy Chicken Casserole will certainly go some way to making you feel so good about yourself.
Does anything beat the homely comforts of a heart-warming chicken stew baking in the oven? My mum always used to serve us a great version as children – although she does admit that she used a packet. However, it’s so easy to make a chicken casserole from scratch that I know even my Mum would find this one a cinch, even if it is gluten-free.
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole
- We use chicken thighs for the juiciest most flavourful chicken pieces which fall apart to the fork.
- Plenty of chunky veggies for flavour and texture – carrots, swede, celery, onion and green beans.
- All the herbs – bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. These woody herbs infuse your casserole with deep flavour. Then parsley is scattered over at the end for a fresh grassy hit.
- This naturally dairy-free Chicken Casserole has a gorgeously silky gravy which is perfect for mopping up with thick and velvety mashed potato.
- Using a cornflour slurry to thicken the stew at the end makes it gluten-free (and easier than a traditional flour roux).
- An absolute winner for the whole family – it makes all the kids and grown ups happy and satisfied. Plus eliminates all squabbling, shrieking and drink spillages at the dinner table (ah, if only).
Ingredients Needed
Olive oil. You just need a splash of olive oil to start browning the chicken, if you wanted to add a little cube of butter here as well for flavour then I'm not going to stop you.
Chicken thighs. You can use chicken breasts but the results can be a little drier. I prefer chicken thighs for this recipes as they retain their juiciness.
Seasoning. We're getting the chicken seasoned immediately with salt and pepper.
Vegetables. We start by cooking off some onion and celery to get some aromatics in. Once they are translucent then we add in the main veg which here I like to use carrots and swede. Keep it to root vegetables for the main cook. Towards the end of the cooking I like to add in some green beans. They are not cooked for long as we want them to retain their crunch.
Herbs. These are cooked in the casserole to deepen the flavour, keep it to fresh herbs as I find dried herbs can taste a little dusty. Fresh bay, thyme and rosemary is my perfect triumverate. A little fresh parsley scattered over the finished casserole also adds some nice final flavour.
Other flavourings. I don't go too crazy with this simple casserole, just a touch of fresh garlic, dijon mustard, redcurrant jelly (it so lovely to add that sweetness and using jelly melts into the sauce), gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (check your labelling).
Fresh chicken stock. At a push you can use a stock cube but if you can get some fresh stock from the butcher or you can make your own chicken stock - well then - that is serious flavour. It makes for a deeply rich casserole. Stock cubes are fine but can be a little salty and thin in actual taste.
Cornflour (cornstarch). Make it into a slurry (i.e. whisk with a little cold water to make a loose paste) and then add right at the end of the cooking to thicken up the sauce. You can substitute for tapioca flour or arrowroot powder.
How do you make Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole?
- Brown chicken thighs seasoned with salt and pepper in a large casserole pot then remove for a moment.
- Add in diced onions and celery and cook for 10 minutes until translucent.
- Add in the carrots, diced swede, fresh herbs, garlic, Dijon mustard, redcurrant jelly, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock and the browned chicken.
- Place the lid on the pot and bake in an oven pre-heated to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5 for 50 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and shred it into bite-sized pieces.
- Make a cornflour slurry then pour into the casserole along with the green beans. Bring to a gentle boil on the stovetop until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the chicken back in and cook for a final 5 minutes.
- Serve with the parsley scattered over.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Skinless, boneless chicken thighs – try to use thighs rather than chicken breast. The meat will be so tender and juicy. If you can’t get boneless then you can cook the casserole with the skin in the chicken thighs. There is no difference in cooking time. When you remove the chicken at the end of the cooking process, just shred off the bone and discard the bones before adding the chicken back in at the end.
Wait until the oil has completely heated up before adding the chicken into the pot – this will prevent the chicken from sticking.
Fresh organic vegetables – this casserole is so simple that every ingredient matters. Use good farm grown carrots if you can. The small chantenay carrots you can buy from the supermarket lack flavour.
Use fresh chicken stock. I urge you if you can to use fresh chicken stock, this is what will elevate your chicken casserole into sublime status. The sauce will be so much more velvety and deep with flavour. Of course if you have run out then using stock prepared from a stock cube works too, don’t worry your stew will still be delicious! Although check the label to make sure your stock cube is gluten-free.
Redcurrant jelly – you only use a teaspoon but the sweet fruitiness that the jelly provides is absolutely worth it. If you have homemade jelly then all the better. However, if you are avoiding sugar then you can leave out or use a teaspoon of date paste.
How thick do you like it? – This casserole gives a silky sauce which is perfect to mop up with a mound of buttery mashed potato or a lovely hunk of soda bread. If you want a thicker sauce though just use 1-2 more tablespoons cornflour mixed with an additional 1-2 tablespoons water.
Recommended Equipment – Le Creuset Large Casserole Dish, Garlic Mincer
Vegetable Variations
Like to mix things up? Me too - these are some alternative veggie options for your casserole.
- Butternut Squash, cubed
- Courgette – dice and add in at the same time as the celery and onions
- New Potatoes – halved
- Parsnips, cubed
- Leeks – add in the same time as celery and onions
- Shredded kale – add in the end for 5 minutes in the same way as the green beans.
What to serve with it?
- Buttery Mashed Potato – the classic!! But Cheesy Mash - even better!
- Long Grain Rice - I love a bit of rice with my casserole
- Roast Potatoes - ooh, such a treat!
- Buttered new potatoes – I actually love this simple accompaniment if I’m short on time.
- A huge hunk of fresh bread – You'll love my very easy (especially for first time bread bakers) Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread.
Next Level Chicken Casserole
You can add a touch of luxury to this homely casserole by adding in cubes of pancetta or smoked bacon for a minute or so just before you add in the onion and celery. It will add a lovely smoky meatiness to the end result.
Add in 100ml of double cream or crème fraiche for the final 5 minutes of cooking to create a really creamy chicken casserole. You could even use coconut cream (the thickened part of your tin of coconut milk) if you want to keep this meal dairy-free.
FAQs
Yes you can, or rotisserie chicken. The flavour won’t be as pronounced as the chicken won’t have cooked in the gravy so it’s even more important to use fresh chicken stock. You won’t need to brown this chicken at the start so just begin making the casserole from frying the onions and celery. Add the shredded leftover chicken in at the end as per the original recipe.
Leave the casserole to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days. You can re-heat on the stovetop in a large saucepan or pot with a lid. It will take about 15 minutes to re-heat.
It will keep up to 2 months stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Defrost thoroughly in the container overnight. You can re-heat on the stovetop in a large saucepan or pot with a lid. It will take about 15 minutes to re-heat.
More Delicious Gluten-Free Chicken Recipes
Devilled Chicken is a quick and simple mid-week dinner perfect for the whole family. Oven baked in a rich sweetly savoury sauce with umami vibes this Devilled Chicken is mildly spiced with as much heat as you please.
This Gluten-Free Chicken Schnitzel skips the breadcrumbs in favour of perfectly seasoned almond flour for a light and crisp and juicy 15 minute wonder meal.
Gluten-Free Chicken Stir Fry is the perfect quick weeknight dinner ready in under 30 minutes. Freshly made with colourful vegetables and a homemade stir fry sauce. Delicious with rice or noodles.
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Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 skinless and boneless chicken thighs - about 500g
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion - peeled and diced
- 2 celery sticks - chopped finely
- 2-3 carrots - (200g), peeled and sliced to a medium thickness
- ½ swede - peeled and chopped into small cubes (about 300g once cubed)
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 large sprig fresh thyme
- 1 stem fresh rosemary
- 1 garlic clove - crushed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 litre fresh chicken stock - homemade chicken stock
- 120 g green beans - chopped into 3rds
- 4 tablespoons cornflour
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley - to serve
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5.
- Pour the olive oil into a large casserole pot or saucepan and heat until the oil starts smoking.
- Season both sides of the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper and place into the pot in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides until the chicken has browned. Then remove the chicken and set aside for now.
- Add the onions and celery into the cooking pot and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables start to turn translucent.
- Add in the carrots, cubed swede, herbs, garlic, mustard, redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock and stir together. Add the chicken back in, tucking under the liquid. Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake for 50 minutes. Then remove from the oven and place back on the hob on a very low heat.
- Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the casserole pot using a pair of tongs and place into a bowl.
- Make the cornflour slurry by whisking the cornflour with the cold water until smooth.
- Add the slurry into the casserole along with the green beans and bring the casserole up to a gentle boil.
- Shred the chicken with two forks into the bowl until you achieve bite sized pieces.
- Add the chicken back into the casserole, the sauce should now have thickened because of the cornflour, and cook for a final 5 minutes.
- Remove the stems of fresh herbs and the bay leaves.
- Serve the casserole sprinkled with fresh parsley.
Notes
- You can use bone-in chicken thighs and just shred the chicken off the bone at the end of the cooking process.
- For the vegetables you can substitute (or use as well as) leeks, courgette, butternut squash, parsnips, new potatoes or shredded kale.
- You can use stock prepared from a stock cube if you don’t have fresh stock to hand but make sure to check the label that it’s gluten-free.
- For the cornflour you can substitute tapioca flour or arrowroot powder.
- Wait until the oil has completely heated up before adding the chicken into the pot – this will prevent the chicken from sticking.
- You can cook this casserole completely on the hob without using the oven, I find the gravy is a little thinner this way so you may need some more cornflour at the end to thicken.
- For a thicker gravy add 1-2 tablespoons more cornflour and 1-2 tablespoons more water when making your slurry.
- Mashed potato
- Long grain rice
- A hunk of fresh bread
A go-to meal when we need to reset! We used your recipe again tonight after a week of illnesses & pre-Christmas chaos. Perfect, home-cooked, happiness in a bowl
I'm so happy you are using my recipes!! This is such a great one for a re-set it's so true.