Chicken and Sweet Potato Casserole with Caramelized Red Onion

Chicken and Sweet Potato Casserole
Home Cooking



It's that time of the year when slow cooker recipes are much more in demand. For me, it's not just great because slow cooked meals tend to be thick, comforting and hearty (perfect for Winter) but because I can make a big batch to refrigerate and eat throughout the week.

I ended up at a Taste.com recipe which ironically isn't slow-cooked but it sounded so good I made it anyway. It was perfect for me because I bought a huge bag of sweet potato that I didn't know what to do with so when I saw 'sweet potato' in the title, I knew it would do.

I used the original recipe for inspiration but didn't follow the quantities that specifically.


Chicken and Sweeet Potato Casserole
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 3 x chicken thighs, cubed
• 1 x fennel bulb, sliced
• 2 tsp of chopped thyme (I only had the dried stuff)
• 2 x red sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 x garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup cooking cream
• 1 x red onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Procedure:

1. Brown your chicken in a frying pan with some oil and cook for about 2 minutes on medium-high.
2. Add the fennel, thyme and garlic. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until soft.3. Add the wine, mustard, sweet potato and stock. Bring to the boil. Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30min or until the sweet potato is cooked through.4. Meanwhile, make the caramelized onion. Cook the onion on medium low for about 20min or until soft. Add the sugar and balsamic and stir. The onion should get sticky and oozy.5. After the chicken and sweet potato is ready, stir the cream through and simmer for another 5 minutes to thicken. Taste and season according.6. Serve the chicken and sweet potato with some caramelized onion ladelled over the top with a sprinkling of black pepper.


I garnished my bowl with a wanky sprig of fennel, which was totally unnecessary in terms of taste. Byron had doubts about my creation because it contained sweet potato, one of his sworn enemies.

After a taste, he admitted it tasted good. I thought it was perfect for Winter because it's creamy and hearty. Although this dish is quite easy to make, it didn't taste too boring and conventional because of the fennel and caramelized onion.


I used the Philadelphia Cream for Cooking because it reckons it's healthier. I didn't even bother looking up the nutritional info to validate that but I can say the dish turned out well.