Chicken Casserole and Malteser Traybake

Today I have cooked a Chicken Casserole for our Sunday meal. My hubby has been requesting this for some time, so being a good wifey his wish was granted and voila Chicken Casserole for dinner. This is another easy to create dish and perfect for a lazy rainy Sunday like today. I will be serving this with creamy mash potato.

Chicken Casserole
SERVES 8-10
PREPARATION 25 MINS
COOKING 1 HR 30 MINS

4tbsp olive oil
4 leeks, cut into 1cm (½in) thick slices
6 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
500g (1lb) baby or Chantenay carrots, scrubbed
8 large chicken thighs
4 chicken breasts, halved
3 fresh bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 litre (32fl oz) chicken stock
Fresh thyme (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan or a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan. Sauté the leeks, bacon, and celery for 5-6 minutes, or until they have softened (without browning too much). Add the carrots, chicken pieces, bay leaves, garlic cloves and stock. If you do have some fresh thyme, add a few sprigs of it to the mixture.
2. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the chicken is nicely coloured.
3. Set the casserole aside to cool and then divide it into individual portions. Freeze in airtight containers and keep for up to 3 months. Defrost the casserole before reheating in a covered saucepan over a gentle heat.

Malteser Traybake

I present to you this weekend's second installment of traybake but today I have used Maltesers. I have lost count of the times I have made this traybake using Maltesers and it is by far the best no bake treat I've ever made. My son and hubby are addicted to this, infact anyone I know that's tried this has become addicted within seconds of the first bite! I tend to make it every once in a while as a treat (this stuff should come with a health warning, yes its seriously good), I don't want to add to the number of obese cases already hitting the nation, so a little of something naughty every once in a while does us all good. After all what would life be without a little traybake now and then!