Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole is one of my favourite comfort dinners. It’s a simple recipe that is a real crowd-pleaser, combining chicken and bacon with a rich and delicious gravy. Just add your favourite sides for the perfect dinner.

Why make Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole?

Everyone has a favourite chicken casserole, it’s such a classic dish. I love to make chicken casserole in my slow cooker so that I can prepare it and leave it to cook. The long slow cooking means that the flavours have plenty of time to combine and the chicken is tender and tasty.

What is a Slow Cooker?

A slow cooker or crockpot is a large pot with its own heating element in the base. A slow cooker uses less electricity than your oven and is safe to leave cooking when you are not around. And because a slow cooker cooks at a low temperature, it is ideal to tenderise less expensive cuts of meat.

What kind of slow cooker should I use?

There are many different brands and types of slow cookers. They also come in different sizes, I prefer a large slow cooker so that I can batch cook and freeze some of the recipe for another day. Here are a few of the different kinds of slow cookers on the market:

• Traditional slow cookers have a crockery pot that lifts out of the heating part of the appliance.
• Sear and Stew slow cookers have a metal pot that you can use on the stovetop to brown meat and vegetables before transferring to the slow cooker base for long cooking.
• Multi Cookers often have a slow cooker setting as well as being suitable for pressure cooking and sometimes air frying or roasting as well.

I have both a crockery pot slow cooker and a sear and stew model. I tend to use the sear and stew slow cooker most and that is the model I used for this recipe.

What ingredients do I need to make Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole?

There isn’t a long list of ingredients to make this recipe and they are readily available. Here is what you need:

• Chicken
• Bacon
• Oil
• Onions
• Flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Chicken stock

A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.

What cut of chicken should I use?

I use skinless chicken thighs (bone-in) for this casserole. If you use chicken thighs that have the skin on it will produce more fat in the casserole but will still be incredibly tasty. I like to use bone-in thighs because the bones add to the flavour and also help the chicken to stay in one piece during the long cooking.

Chicken thighs or chicken leg joints are ideal for slow cooking. You can use chicken breast but I would suggest that you slow cook it for only 2 hours.

What kind of bacon should I use in the chicken casserole?

Bacon is a great partner for chicken. The smoky salty flavour really brings out the best in the mild flavoured chicken meat. You can use any kind of bacon for this recipe but I like to use smoked bacon lardons or pancetta pieces. These are small chunky pieces of bacon with plenty of tasty fat on them.

What can I substitute for bacon lardons?

If you can’t get lardons or pancetta then streaky bacon is probably the next best thing. Cut it up into small pieces before searing.

What kind of oil should I use?

I use sunflower oil or rapeseed oil (canola) but as long as it is not a highly flavoured oil it will be fine. Some bacon releases a lot of fat, so I always check to see if there is enough in the pan before adding the oil. You may or may not need to use it.

I don’t like onions, can I leave them out?

You can leave the onions out of the casserole but they definitely add flavour. If you like leeks you can substitute those for the onions, or add a crushed clove of garlic to get the umami flavour that the onions provide.

What kind of chicken stock should I use?

If you have homemade chicken stock then that would be ideal. But a chicken stockpot or stock made from powder or stock cubes is perfectly fine to use and very convenient. Just follow the packet instructions.

Can I make Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole ahead of time?

Yes, this is an ideal dish to make ahead of time. In fact, casseroles taste better if they are made the day before you eat them. Cook the chicken casserole then spoon it into a lidded container and cool rapidly. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat until piping hot before serving.

Can I freeze Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole?

This recipe freezes perfectly. Cool the cooked casserole, then divide it into appropriate portions in freezerproof containers. You can keep this casserole in your freezer for up to 6 months without any deterioration in quality.

Defrost the chicken casserole overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on your microwave. Reheat in the oven covered in foil or alternately, reheat in the microwave until piping hot.

Vegetarian

This recipe is not suitable for a vegetarian diet.

Gluten Free

I use wheat flour in this recipe but you can substitute GF flour. I have not tried this but can see no reason why it would not be a good substitute. Please check that your stock pot or stock cube is GF free and suitable for your diet.

For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

How should I serve Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole?

This is a really versatile casserole and you can serve it with most side dishes. I like to serve it with new potatoes, air fryer roasted carrots and steamed broccoli. Or make it extra special with Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mustard Dressing and Hasselback Carrots with Brown Sugar Glaze.

However, you can also serve it with mashed potatoes or rice as they will soak up the tasty gravy and be absolutely delicious.

Side dishes to serve with Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

Here are some side dish recipes that will pair really well with this Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole:

More Slow Cooker Stews and Casseroles

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