CREAMY CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE WITH BACON AND SPINACH
8 chicken thighs, on the bone
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter for frying
100g bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, halved
1 stalk celery, finely
chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g button
mushrooms, halved
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tsp chopped
fresh thyme
250ml cream
the juice and zest
of 1 lemon
3 cups baby spinach- Season the chicken
thighs well with salt and
pepper. - Melt the butter in a
medium-sized casserole
dish, and brown the chicken
pieces in the butter, a few at a
time, until they are golden on
both sides. Remove from the
casserole dish and set aside. - Add the bacon, and fry until
crispy. - Add the onion, leeks, celery,
garlic and mushrooms, and fry
until soft. - Return the chicken to the
casserole pot and add the
chicken stock, bay leaf and
thyme. There should be enough
stock to just cover the chicken.
If using a wider casserole dish,
you may need to add some
more stock. - Reduce the heat to a simmer,
and simmer the chicken with
the lid off for 40 minutes until
cooked. Keep an eye on it and
give it a stir every now and then. - Add the cream and simmer for
a further 10 minutes. Finally stir
in the lemon juice, lemon zest
and spinach. ■
KEEP ON TRACK per serving
FAT 40G CARBS 14G PROTEIN 32G