Hearty one‑tray chicken casserole perfect for lazy days
Don't feel like spending the entire day in the kitchen but still dream of a homemade, delicious, and hearty dinner? This quick chicken and vegetable casserole is the perfect solution for a lazy Saturday. Simply chop everything, place it on a baking tray, put it in the oven—and it's ready. The flavours meld during baking to create an aromatic and delectable dish that will satisfy the whole family.
Potato casserole is one of those dishes that blend comfort, taste, and practicality. While many people associate it with a heavy, substantial meal, the truth is that a well-composed casserole can be a nutritious, balanced, and healthy dish that provides energy and valuable nutrients.
Recipe for potato casserole
This dish combines juicy chicken thighs, new potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and warm spices. Perfect for cooler days and equally great as a meal prep option for the upcoming week.
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken thighs with bone and skin
- 750 grams Brussels sprouts
- 500 grams new potatoes
- 200 grams carrots
- 100 grams white onion
- 50 grams shallots
- 3.5 tablespoons olive oil
- Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Preparation:
- Rub the chicken with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, cut them in half, peel the Brussels sprouts of their outer leaves, and cut them in half.
- Thickly slice the carrots and cut the onion and shallots into wedges. Mix all the vegetables in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the vegetables on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, and place the seasoned chicken thighs on top.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 50-60 minutes until the chicken is golden and the vegetables are tender. After removing from the oven, drizzle the dish with lemon juice.
Potato casseroles – a classic that fits the zero-waste idea
Potato casseroles are timeless. They are simple, hearty, and offer endless possibilities for culinary experiments. Depending on the ingredients, they can be a dinner dish, a supper, a side dish to meat, or a standalone meal for the whole family.
Their greatest advantage—besides taste—is flexibility. You can prepare them with almost anything you have in the fridge: leftover cold cuts, pieces of vegetables, uneaten cheese, cream, yoghurt, or even pre-cooked potatoes—everything can find its place here. This makes casseroles perfect for the idea of zero waste, which is cooking without waste.
Potatoes make a great base—they are neutral in taste, absorb spices well, and are cheap and readily available. Combined with the oven, they form the perfect duo that turns everyday ingredients into an aromatic, crispy, and flavoursome dish.
In potato casseroles, we can freely change the additions—for a meat version with bacon or sausage, a vegetarian one with broccoli, courgette, and cheese, or a Mediterranean version with feta, olives, and herbs. We can also add eggs, béchamel sauce, grated cheese, or even canned mackerel or cooked lentils—only our imagination and the contents of our kitchen cupboards limit us.
