French Chicken Casserole
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The coziest, most wholesome meal. With golden brown chicken, tender potatoes, white wine, fresh rosemary + thyme.
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Say hello to the coziest meal of 2020. Perfectly-seared golden brown chicken thighs, tender baby golden potatoes, juicy mushrooms, and a fresh herb-white wine sauce that you can basically guzzle down all day and night. Put it on a shoelace and it will hit just right.
It’s truly perfection on a crisp 55 degree Fall day – or let’s be honest, any day of the week. It’s rustic, it’s cozy, and it’s just so darn good. Easy to whip up on those busy weekdays or those weekends for a fancy night in.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for slow cooking and even heat distribution.
- Bone-in is ideal. While boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts can be used, bone-in will be juicier and have extra flavor.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with french chicken casserole
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
French Chicken Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
If you prefer white meat, bone-in, skin-on breasts or boneless, skinless breasts can be substituted but cooking times will need to be adjusted.
Mushrooms can be omitted completely if it’s not your thing. Eggplant or zucchini can be substituted, if desired, as it can absorb all the good flavors and mimic the texture of mushrooms.
Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
A lid or cover is not required here. Uncovering allows the chicken to brown and crisp here, and helps reduce the amount of liquid in the finished dish.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
French Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
- 3 large shallots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound baby gold potatoes, halved
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Season chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add mushrooms, shallots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 5-7 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in chicken stock, potatoes, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Place into oven and bake until potatoes are tender and chicken has completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, about 40-45 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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This was so delicious! I’ll definitely be making it again. This is fine dining comfort food.
Making this tonight for dinner and my question is regarding when the Dutch oven is placed into the oven. Is the Dutch oven covered or uncovered?
Michele — I have made this recipe twice now; the first time WITHOUT the lid on, and the second time with the cover on. I think the first time without the lid is by far better, because the chicken continues to brown, and the sauce reduces to a much nicer (less soupy) consistency. I believe the official recipe needs to emphasize this, because in my opinion it makes a huge difference. It is a delicious dish, nonetheless.
Very nice
Family loved this so much!! ❤️
Will definitely make again.
This is not a casserole! Loved the flavor & ingredients but surprised the finished sauce was so soupy. I thickened it & still served it in bowls. Next time I will serve over egg noodles.
I made this the other night and it was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly however I did increase the baking time to 50 minutes, as my thighs were pretty good sized. I checked at 45 min. and it wasn’t quite done, but 50 did the trick. They were perfect. Love your recipes. I have not made one yet that did not get rave reviews from my family.
This will be one of my go to’s. Loved it!
What size Dutch oven do you recommend? I think I used one that was too large as there was no liquid to whisk the flour into? Still tasted good in the end. The flavor is nice, but delicate – don’t be afraid to add more rosemary / thyme. Also, serve with bread or over egg noodles? There’s a lot of liquid to sop up!
How can i leave out cream,any subs
If you don’t have any nut allergies, you can soak some cashews overnight (or boil/microwave for a few minutes) and then blend them with some water to make a cream substitute! it has a very similar texture and an unnoticeable taste, so it’s great for thickening things if you aren’t using cream or other dairy products for whatever reason! 🙂
Can this dish be cooked on stove top or crock pot? Just wondering. Thanks for the wonderful recipes you print for us to try. They are delicious.
Ooh la la! The French Chicken Casserole was one of most delicious meals I have ever made! Redolent smells of garlic, onions, and fresh herbs along with baby Yukon potatoes and pan seared chicken thighs. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of preparing this casserole.
Cannot wait to make this recipe but had two questions: You refer to a Dutch oven in step 3 for the browning of the chicken thighs which are then set aside. In step 7 you also refer to the Dutch oven but then mention the chicken being returned to a “skillet” and everything going into the oven. Do we use a skillet and the Dutch oven or just the same Dutch oven from Step 3? Does the final step require the skillet or Dutch oven to be covered? Thanks for the clarifications!!!
I made this tonight for dinner, it was absolutely delicious! My husband went back for seconds. The sauce is amazing. Next time I will make rice or noodles to soak up the sauce
I haven’t made it yet, but it looks absolutely delicious! When I do make it soon, I will leave out the mushrooms – not a fan. Instead I will add carrots as another reviewer suggested. And I will also add artichokes – either canned or frozen. Can’t wait!
Another great recipe , Chungha, did you post a recipe width chicken theighs , with wedge of potatos and peas in a cast iron pan?
Looked but not sure where I saw it.
DCB
We sure did! Here is the recipe: https://damndelicious.net/2022/12/26/chicken-vesuvio/. 🙂
This sounds amazing. However, what is this “leftover wine” that you speak of??
This was delicious and a big hit with the family! Served it with Cauliflower rice. I left out the rosemary only because I am not a fan of it.
Delicious
VERY delicious flavour. I made the recipe, as written, and it was fantastic. Wouldn’t change a thing. By the way, bone-in is the way to go. Much better flavour than boneless thighs.
I have made this several times when we have company. It’s a hit!!!