Mediterranean stove top chicken casserole

Last Updated on 03 Mar 20

Whether you have an appreciation for the Mediterranean diet, or you’re just a fan of easy one pot chicken dinners, you’re going to love this Mediterranean chicken casserole. Its tomato base is delicious, but it’s packed with so many other goodies including yummy bacon, peppers, and red wine. Sprinkle your chicken stew with capers, olives and feta for some Mediterranean healthy comfort food that the whole family will love!

Have you ever tried a traditional Italian chicken cacciatore – or Hunter’s chicken? This is a bit like these traditional chicken stews, but with a Greek twist!

An easy midweek meal for any time of year

You might look at this simple and yet colourful and flavourful stove top casserole and think that it would make a great winter warmer.

It would. But I first made it in the spring – in Greece, actually!

It’s also a great option when it’s too warm to turn on the oven.

It’s actually a perfect crowd pleasing midweek meal for any time of year.

What ingredients do you need?

• skinless boneless chicken thighs
• chopped bacon or pancetta
• sliced onion and crushed garlic
• canned cherry tomatoes (these can be more expensive than normal tinned tomatoes, but they’re so sweet and tasty)
• chicken stock/broth and red wine
• loads of tasty herbs and spices: bay leaves, paprika, dried thyme, an optional sprig of rosemary and a cinnamon stick
• chopped red peppers/capsicum
• to serve: capers, olives and feta cheese (just in case you were still doubting this is a Mediterranean casserole)

How to make your stove top casserole

• Grab a big pan.
• Brown chicken. Remove from the pot and cover.
• Saute the bacon, then the onion, garlic, and paprika.
• Add all the liquid, the herbs and spices and the chunks of red peppers/capsicum.
• Put the chicken back in the pot and SIMMER!
• Serve either over mashed potatoes or pasta for a delicious winter warmer. Or with toasted bread with olive oil and salt (a life changing 2 minute side dish) for a meal with more of a spring in its step 😉
• Don’t forget to sprinkle with the capers, olives and feta. Yum!

Pro tip: Not sure about adding olives and capers? Be brave and try it anyway! The salty tangy-ness they add really does bring out and complement all the other delicious Mediterranean flavours.

How to serve it

My favourite ways to serve this Greek style casserole are:

• over posh mashed potatoes for some classic winter comfort food
• with these Greek smashed potatoes if you want to stick to the Mediterranean vibe (this recipe is especially easy if you have an air fryer)
• with these olive oil toasts (2 minute side dish!) if it’s been a warmer day or if you don’t want to mess around with a time consuming side dish
• over tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta

Can you make this in a slow cooker or pressure cooker?

Yes, you can! If you have time to brown/saute the chicken, bacon and onions first, you don’t lose too much depth of flavour by making this in your slow cooker or pressure cooker instead.

You can even make it in a slow cooker or pressure cooker without browning first, but this isn’t quite as flavourful as the stove top version!

To make your casserole in a slow cooker: Brown or saute the chicken, bacon and onions first. Reduce the amount of liquid you add by about two thirds.

Cook on low for 6 hours minimum (longer is fine if you’re out at work!), or high for 3 hours.

To thicken and reduce slightly just before serving: Use your slow cooker’s saute function. If your slow cooker doesn’t have a saute function, just remove the lid and cook on ‘high’ for a few minutes.

To make your casserole in your electric pressure cooker / Instant Pot: Saute the chicken, bacon and onions for a few minutes on the ‘saute’ function on your electric pressure cooker. Then dump all the other ingredients into the pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.

Then do a quick release of the pressure. I use the ‘auto quick’ pressure release setting on my Breville pressure cooker.

If you’re cooking from frozen, which is completely fine in a pressure cooker, simply increase the cooking time to 20 minutes. In this case you won’t saute the chicken first, of course!

Prep your meal ahead

If you’re a fan of meal prep, you can throw all the ingredients into a large freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

After defrosting, you can still grab the chicken out of the bag of goodies with some tongs and brown it if you like. Then throw all the other ingredients on top and turn on your slow cooker or pressure cooker.

Protip: You may want to defrost in the fridge for about 24 hours before you want to cook your casserole. It isn’t generally recommended to cook chicken in a slow cooker straight from frozen. People have different opinions on this though so feel free to do your own research. I found this a helpful article on this topic.

Make a Mediterranean chicken pie as well

The wonderful bonus of this casserole is that you can turn your leftovers into a delicious pie! Here’s how:

1. Shred up the remaining chicken.
2. Tip the casserole into a baking dish, put a pastry lid on top (use ready made if you like) and brush with a little whisked egg.
3. Bake for around 25 minutes at 200C / 390F.

2 MEALS IN ONE!

More crowd pleasing one pot chicken meals

• You can make this easy crockpot chicken gnocchi soup in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
• This baked chicken and chorizo casserole has been one of our favourite recipes for YEARS. Try it to find out why!
• For a chicken casserole recipe with a twist, try this slow cooker Korean chicken!
• Or check out ALL OUR EASY CHICKEN RECIPES HERE.

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Mediterranean stove top chicken casserole

An easy-to-throw-together and colourful chicken casserole full of wonderful Mediterranean flavours such as bacon, paprika, red peppers, tomatoes, herbs, olives, capers and, of course, feta cheese. This can be cooked on the stove top on a busy week-night to feed a family of four. Alternatively, if you're cooking for just one or two you can eat half of it with mashed potatoes or olive oil toasts and then turn the other half into a pie the next day!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword chicken casserole, mediterranean diet, winter

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 774kcal

Equipment (affiliate links)

cast iron pan

slow cooker

electric pressure cooker

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click button below for grams & ml)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 chicken thighs
• 3 ounces bacon this is about 3 large rashers / slices (use pancetta if you prefer)
• 1 onion sliced into rounds
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1½ teaspoons paprika
• 1 can cherry tomatoes (14 ounces)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 red peppers chopped into medium-sized pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1½ teaspoons dried thyme (or use oregano or mixed Italian herbs)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1 stick cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon corn flour /corn starch (for thickening)

to serve

• 1 tablespoon capers
• 10 black olives pitted (approximate number)
• feta cheese crumbled (amount to taste)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large stove top casserole dish or pot. Brown the chicken on both sides. Then transfer it to a plate and cover to keep warm and moist.
• In the same pan, fry the bacon for a few minutes, then add the onion and cook on a medium heat for around 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and paprika and cook for another minute or two.
• Put the chicken back in the pan with the cherry tomatoes, stock, and wine. Then add the peppers, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Add the optional rosemary sprig and cinnamon stick at this point too. Season well.
• When it’s boiling, turn down the heat and let the casserole simmer for about 40 minutes.
• Just before the end of the cooking time, mix the corn flour with a little water, then stir into the pan to thicken the sauce a little.
• Just before serving, sprinkle over the capers, olives and crumbled feta cheese. Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, or olive oil toasts.

Notes

Thank you!

Adapted from a recipe for Mediterranean Stewed Chicken in the Feb 2014 edition of Jamie oliver’s magazine.

Can you make this chicken casserole in a slow cooker or pressure cooker?

Yes, you can! I think the stove top version allows the flavours to infuse into the casserole better, but it’s still a great chicken stew made in either a slow cooker or pressure cooker. 

Brown the chicken, bacon and onions first in the bowl of your slow cooker or pressure cooker. 

In a slow cooker: Add all the other ingredients and cook on low for at least 6 hours. Or high for 3 hours. 

To thicken, add the cornflour / corn starch mixed with a little water just before serving. You may wish to reduce the sauce slightly too by letting it bubble on high or on the saute setting for a few minutes.  

In a pressure cooker / Instant Pot: Brown the chicken, bacon and onions first on the saute setting, then cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Release the pressure quickly (I use the ‘auto quick’ setting on my pressure cooker).

Once again, add the corn flour at the end of the cooking time. Reduce for a few minutes on the saute setting before serving. 

Freezing

You can freeze all the ingredients (apart from the garnishes) in freezer safe bags for up to 3 months if you like. When you want to cook your casserole you can defrost for 24 hours in the fridge, then throw everything in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. 

If you like you can still brown the chicken in the pot first. 

Of course you can also freeze the cooked casserole. Simply let cool then freeze for up to 3 months in freezer bags or containers.

To serve

In Winter I like to serve this chicken casserole with mashed potatoes.

In Spring or summer I prefer to serve it over pasta or with olive oil toasts. 

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 774kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 239mg | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2462IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3mg

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