Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• — All in —
• 220 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces
• ½ onion (about 70 g), sliced
• 1 carrot (about 70 g), cut into 1 cm slices on the diagonal
• 60 g chestnut mushrooms, cut in half, or into quarters if large
• 2 potatoes (about 290 g), peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 sprig of thyme, left whole; remove before serving
• 1 bay leaf, left whole; remove before serving
• 160 ml water, poured from a measuring jug
• ½ chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 4 g salt (about ¾ tsp), spooned level
• — Add after the timer —
• 60 g frozen peas, straight from the freezer
• — Finish up —
• 2 tsp butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 g parsley, chopped

Method

1. Pour the water into the cold 1.6 L container first — a wet base cannot catch. Then everything except frozen peas, butter and parsley: boneless chicken thighs, onion, carrot, chestnut mushrooms, potato, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, stock cube and salt. Give it all a good stir and level it. Cooking lid on loose.
2. Set the heat once: very gentle — about 4 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 1 on a portable hob; slow-cooker territory (see Heat below) — and set a timer for 58 minutes. On a plug-in portable hob, level 1 runs gentler on this pot — set the timer for 87 minutes there instead. Constant watching is not needed, but an occasional stir keeps anything from catching on the base — especially if you ever smell burning. Alternatively, if time is pressed: bring it to the boil on a higher heat — about 6 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 2 on a portable hob — stirring now and then; that takes about 16–27 minutes. As soon as it boils, turn it back down to the gentle setting and set a timer for 21 minutes: about 36–47 minutes in all instead of 58. Do not leave it on the higher heat once it is boiling.
3. When the timer goes off: stir in the frozen peas. Set a timer for 3 minutes.
4. When it goes off, check: the chicken is tender enough to pull apart with a spoon and the potato is soft. Not there yet? Cooking lid back on loose; set a timer for 5 more minutes and check again.
5. Off the heat: stir in the butter and parsley. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve from the container.
6. To reheat from the fridge: storage lid off, cooking lid on loose, add 30 ml water if the sauce has set firm, and use a gentle-to-medium heat — about 4–6 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 2 on a portable hob. Set a timer for 13 minutes; stir, then give it 8 minutes more until it is bubbling all over and piping hot right through. From frozen: add 50 ml water around the block, cooking lid on loose, use the same gentle heat for 28 minutes; loosen and stir, then give it 18 minutes more until bubbling all over and piping hot right through.