Name: French onion chicken casserole is easier in the slow cooker
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 255 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 small brown onions, quartered; 2 large carrots, thickly sliced diagonally; 1 celery stalk, thickly sliced; 500g small baby potatoes, halved; 250g middle bacon rashers, trimmed, roughly chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 40g sachet French onion soup mix; 1 cup water; Freshly ground black pepper, to season; 4–6 skinless chicken thigh cutlets; 1 tablespoon cornflour; 1 tablespoon water; 200g green beans, trimmed, halved; 1/4 cup thickened cream; Chopped fresh parsley, crusty bread, to serve

A chicken casserole is always going to be well-liked for family dinner. It’s simple, tasty and requires minimal effort. This recipe takes it a step further – put it in the slow cooker, and you barely have to do any work in the kitchen at all.

A slow cooker French onion chicken casserole is filled with hearty ingredients and stays flavourful and juicy throughout the slow cook. Trust us, it’ll become the new family favourite.

Ingredients

4 small brown onions, quartered

2 large carrots, thickly sliced diagonally

1 celery stalk, thickly sliced

500g small baby potatoes, halved

250g middle bacon rashers, trimmed, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 sprigs fresh thyme

40g sachet French onion soup mix

1 cup water

Freshly ground black pepper, to season

4–6 skinless chicken thigh cutlets

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon water

200g green beans, trimmed, halved

1/4 cup thickened cream

Chopped fresh parsley, crusty bread, to serve

Method

Step 1

Place onion, carrot, celery, potato, bacon, garlic, Dijon mustard and thyme in the bowl of a 5.5-litre slow cooker. Sprinkle with soup mix and pour in water. Season with pepper. Stir to combine and coat vegetables. Nestle the chicken in the mixture.

Step 2

Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours 30 minutes (or LOW for 6 hours), until the chicken is cooked.

Step 3

Carefully transfer chicken to a plate. Blend cornflour with water until smooth. Add to the sauce mixture in the slow cooker, stirring gently to combine.

Step 4

Return chicken to the slow cooker with the beans. Cover. Cook on HIGH for 20–30 minutes or until beans are just tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. Drizzle with cream, stirring gently to combine.

Step 5

Sprinkle casserole with parsley and serve with crusty bread.

slow cooker french onion chicken casserole in bowl with sprinkle of herbs on top and green beans — (Photography: Jeremy Simons, Styling: Michele Cranston)

Senior food editor Sarah Murphy Senior food editor

Sarah Murphy is a Senior Food Editor who has worked across leading Australian food magazines since 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Advertising and Public Relations) and has contributed to magazines including delicious., The Australian Women’s Weekly Food, Super Food Ideas and Woman’s Day. Sarah has also worked across multiple cookbooks for delicious. magazine and The Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks. Currently, Sarah is the Senior Food Editor for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and oversees all food content, creating and developing achievable recipes for readers that still excite and impress.

Recipe Developer Kim Coverdale Recipe Developer

Kim Coverdale is a recipe developer and food writer with more than 25 years of experience in Australian food publishing. Trained at the Australian Women's Weekly Test Kitchen — one of Australia's most trusted homes of recipe development — Kim has spent her career creating, testing, and perfecting recipes for some of the country's leading food titles. Every recipe she develops is rigorously tested to ensure it works reliably in home kitchens, not just professional ones.

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