Description
This comforting White Wine Chipolata & Bacon Casserole combines tender chicken chipolatas, smoky bacon, and fresh vegetables in a rich white wine and chicken stock sauce. Slow-cooked to perfection or alternatively baked in the oven, the dish is finished with creamy crème fraîche and fresh tarragon for a luxurious finish. Ideal served with creamy mashed potatoes or crusty buttered bread for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Meat and Dairy
- 35 g butter
- 12 Edwards of Conwy chicken chipolatas
- 200 g Edwards of Conwy Oak-Smoked Dry Cured bacon, chopped
- 5 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
Vegetables
- 1 red onion or 3-4 echalion shallots, chopped
- 1 leek, washed, trimmed and sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
- 200 g whole button mushrooms, washed
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
Liquids and Seasonings
- 250 ml white wine
- 400 ml chicken stock (a little more if cooking on hob or oven)
- 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water
- Salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Prepare and brown the meat: Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the chicken chipolatas, season with salt and pepper, and fry for about five minutes until browned. Remove and set aside. Next, add the chopped bacon and fry until just crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables: In the same pan, add the chopped onions, leeks, and carrots, frying for about five minutes until softened.
- Slow cooker method: Transfer the browned chipolatas, crispy bacon, and softened vegetables into the slow cooker. Pour in the white wine and chicken stock. Cook on high for around 4 hours. Then add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 hours until sausages are fully cooked and vegetables tender. Stir in crème fraîche and fresh tarragon sprigs. Adjust sauce thickness by mixing cornflour with water and stirring in if needed, warming gently on the hob if necessary.
- Oven/hob method: Preheat oven to 160°C. In a casserole dish, heat butter and brown the chipolatas for five minutes. Fry chopped bacon separately until crisp, then sauté onions, leeks, and carrots until soft. Add all ingredients except wine and stock into the casserole dish, mushrooms last. Pour in wine and stock. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. To thicken the sauce, transfer to hob on low-medium heat and stir in a cornflour-water paste until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve: Enjoy your casserole hot with creamy mashed potatoes and/or crusty white bread spread generously with salted butter.
Notes
- You can substitute the chipolatas and bacon with similar quality sausages and smoked bacon if Edwards of Conwy products are unavailable.
- If slow cooking, ensure the liquid levels are sufficient to avoid drying out; add extra stock as needed.
- Do not remove tarragon leaves from the stems; they infuse more flavor when kept whole.
- Thicken the sauce gently on the hob for best texture; avoid boiling rapidly to prevent curdling the crème fraîche.
- This casserole pairs wonderfully with creamy mashed potatoes or fresh crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: British
