Chicken Casserole - 4 servings

This recipe is part of the article Healthy Weight Gain Meal Plans for People on a Budget.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small whole chicken
• 4 rashers of back bacon, cut into small pieces
• 15 small mushrooms
• 2 onions, peeled
• 4 large carrots, chopped into bite-size chunks
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked off

Step 1: Heat the oil in a pan, break the chicken up into pieces and brown the pieces.

Step 2: Take chicken out of the pan and set and sauté the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes until it's browned, in the same pan.

Step 3: Add the mushrooms, onions and carrots to the pan, put the lid on and reduce the heat. Allow to sweat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every now and again. Add the garlic a minute before the end.

Step 4: Take off the lid and stir in the flour and the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, while you stir. Gradually add the stock, stirring so you don't get any lumps, and then add the bay leaf and thyme, and season.

Step 5: Transfer to a slow cooker or casserole dish, add chicken to the pot, put the lid on and cook on low for 2-3 hours.