Mary Berry Chicken Casserole
, Updated Nov 23, 2025
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This Mary Berry chicken casserole recipe is the perfect one-pot meal for busy weeknights or lazy Sundays. Made with chicken thighs, bacon, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce, it’s a hearty, easy dinner the whole family will love!
Mary Berry is the queen of fuss-free cooking and baking. I love her simple recipes and straightforward instructions. This creamy chicken and herb casserole is a Mary Berry favorite!
You can’t go wrong with tender chicken thighs cooked with white wine, bacon, mushrooms and herbs! The finishing touch, crème fraîche, turns this one-pot recipe into something truly special.
Here’s What You’ll Need
You will need an oven-safe casserole dish for this recipe. I have tweaked the method of this recipe to simplify it and speed it up a bit. You can cook the casserole on the stove or partially in the oven.
- Chicken thighs: I used bone in and skin on thighs but you can use boneless and skinless if you prefer
- Smoked streaky bacon
- Onions and garlic
- Mushrooms – small white button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms
- White wine – dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris
- Chicken stock from a cube
- Creme fraiche or thick double cream
- A little cornstarch (cornflour) or xanthan gum to thicken the sauce if needed
- Fresh sage leaves, dried thyme, bay leaves
How to make Mary Berry’s Creamy Chicken Casserole
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet until simmering then brown the chicken over high heat, turning once. Set aside and drain any oil from the pan.
- Pan fry the bacon over medium heat until it starts to render its fat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for five minutes until the onions soften and bacon starts getting crispy at the edges.
- Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and dried herbs and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are browned.
- Stir in the white wine, chicken stock, sage and bay leaves. Add the chicken thighs. Bring to a low simmer, cover and cook in a 160°C (325°F) oven for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Stir in the creme fraiche and sprinkle with xanthan gum (or stir in a little cornflour slurry) if the sauce needs thickening. Simmer for a minute or so.
- Discard the bay leaves. Check the seasoning and serve with mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash for a Keto option. SO yummy!
Recipe Notes
- You can cook the casserole entirely on the stove instead of transferring to the oven. Make sure the chicken is cooked through to a safe temperature of 165°F / 75°C when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Replace the creme fraiche with heavy cream (a.k.a double cream) or full fat sour cream if preferred.
- If you don’t like cooking with wine, you can simply substitute with more chicken stock or broth.
- Mary Berry’s Chicken Casserole is garnished with crispy fried sage leaves on top. I usually love to make them, but they are not necessary! Save them for when you really want to impress…
- If you are on a low carb or Keto diet, use xanthan gum instead of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. You can serve it with cauliflower or celeriac mash and steamed vegetables.
Lucy’s Pro Tip
Can I Freeze This Chicken Casserole?
Creamy sauces like those made with crème fraîche, heavy cream or milk can split or turn grainy when freezing — this is not dangerous, but can affect the flavor.
To freeze without altering the creamy comforting mouthfeel, cook the casserole up to the point before adding the crème fraîche and mushrooms. Stir in the crème fraîche (or anything creamy such as sour cream or heavy cream) and mushrooms once you are reheating the dish.
Have you made this Mary Berry Chicken Casserole recipe? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Mary Berry’s Creamy Chicken Casserole
Video
Ingredients
Chicken Casserole
- 8 chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 8 strips smoked streaky bacon diced
- 1 large onion finely diced
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- 200 g (7 oz) mushrooms sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme or mixed herbs
- 4 fresh sage leaves or small sage sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 120 ml (½ cup) dry white wine or stock
- 120 ml (½ cup) hot chicken stock from a stock cube
- 250 g (1 cup) full fat creme fraiche or sour cream
- 1 tsp xanthan gum / cornstarch diluted in 2 tbsp cold water
Fried Sage (optional)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- large fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with a few turns of the salt and pepper mill. Heat the oil in a skillet until simmering then brown the chicken over high heat, turning once. Set aside and drain any oil from the pan.8 chicken thighs, salt and pepper, 1 tsp sunflower oil
- Pan fry the bacon over medium heat until it starts to render its fat.8 strips smoked streaky bacon
- Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for five minutes until the onions soften and bacon starts getting crispy at the edges.1 large onion, ½ tsp minced garlic
- Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and dried herbs and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are browned.200 g (7 oz) mushrooms, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme
- Stir in the white wine, chicken stock, sage and bay leaves. Add the chicken thighs. Bring to a low simmer, cover and cook in a 160°C (325°F) oven for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes. Alternatively continue to cook the casserole on the stove over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.4 fresh sage leaves, 120 ml (½ cup) dry white wine, 120 ml (½ cup) hot chicken stock, 2 bay leaves
- Stir in the creme fraiche and sprinkle with xanthan gum (or stir in a little diluted cornflour) if the sauce needs thickening. Simmer for a minute or so.250 g (1 cup) full fat creme fraiche, 1 tsp xanthan gum / cornstarch
- Heat the butter and pan fry the sage leaves (if using) until crispy. Drain them on a kitchen towel.1 tbsp unsalted butter, large fresh sage leaves
- Discard the bay leaves. Check the seasoning, top with the crispy sage leaves and serve with mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash for a Keto option. SO yummy!
Notes
- Refrigerator: Keep your leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, just reheat them on the stovetop over gentle heat. If the sauce has thickened up a bit, feel free to add a splash of chicken stock or water to loosen it up.
- Freezing: Assemble the casserole until just before incorporating the crème fraîche (or anything creamy!) and mushrooms. Allow the dish to cool completely, portion into suitable containers, label and store for up to 3 months.
- Reheating from frozen: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Warm it slowly on the stovetop or in the microwave until it is hot. After that, stir in the crème fraîche and mushrooms, cooking for another 15–20 minutes until fully heated.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
when making this casserole as a gift for a friend, how is best to prepare amd when please?
You can prepare up to a day in advance but it is best served fresh. If you are reheating do so over gentle heat and add some more cream
Delicious! Will make this again😋