Comforting casseroles

I am also extremely busy at the moment and I find it really helps me to prep my casserole and leave it in the fridge and around five-ish, I just pop it in the oven and by six o'clock we can eat.

When making casseroles, there are, in my opinion, two golden rules:
1. Always dust your meat in flour - it helps thicken the sauce and prevents your sauce from being watery.
2. Don't add too much water to the casserole, usually meat, when covered, creates its own moisture and that is sufficient to make a really good gravy.

I also do my chicken casseroles in the week, because of time constraints, but over the weekend, when everything slows down, it is time to pull out the big guns, like oxtail and mutton casseroles.

The Fruity Chicken Casserole is my take on an old classic and some people call it Mayonnaise Chicken while others call it Chutney Chicken. One of my readers even said that her little ones call it "chutney chicken"! I hope you like it!

Fruity Chicken Bake (serves four)

Ingredients

• Eight free-range chicken pieces. I use drumsticks and thighs
  
• 125 ml flour
  
• salt/pepper
  
• 200 ml good quality mayonnaise
  
• 200 ml chutney. Mrs Balls or Wellingtons - you want a chunky one
  
• 125 ml golden sultanas
  
• Eight small onions - the ones they use for pickling
  
• 100 ml sweet wine - I used Muscadel

Method

Preheat oven to 170C. Clean chicken and season with salt and pepper. Place all the chicken pieces in a plastic bag and add the flour. Toss the chicken pieces in the bag until all the pieces are evenly coated with flour. Place chicken in an ovenproof casserole. Mix the chutney, mayo and sweet wine and pour over the chicken. Place onions in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for a few minutes, it helps to remove the skin without cutting the bottom part of the onions (the onions must stay whole during baking). Place the peeled onions in-between the chicken pieces. Scatter the sultanas over the top and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for about one hour. If you feel that your oven is too hot and the sauce is burning, turn down the heat and just bake for a while longer. Serve on rice or mashed potatoes with some sweet baby peas or a salad if you prefer.

More easy casseroles for you to try

• Beefy Pinotage Casserole
  
• Italian Chicken and Olive Casserole
  
• Pork Stroganoff

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