Chicken, Mascapone & Nutmeg Bake

This is one of those grandmother’s recipes where I believe ‘chinese whispers’ has taken over as it was handed down over the years. I never wrote it down, and can’t remember the original recipe but this version is something I’ll probably hand down to my grandkids for them to adulter! It’s very simple to put together as it contains a lot of cheats, and perfect for a hearty Sunday evening meal.

Top tip: For the crunchy breadcrumb topping my ultimate cheat is to use Lemon & Parsley stuffing mix dry. You can make your own breadcrumb mix with fresh breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt & pepper and nutmeg, with optional herbs.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken – 3 breasts
Leeks – 2 small ones (or 1 large)
Closed Cup Mushrooms – 125g (1/2 a punnet)
Nutmeg (ground) – 1 1/2 tsp
Mascapone Cheese – 1 pot
Condensed Mushroom Soup – 1 tin
Cheddar – a grated handful
Stuffing – dry lemon & parsley stuffing mix
Butter (salted) – 25g
Egg – 1 large

1. Slice the leeks and mushrooms and sauté in a pan with the butter until softened but not browned. Add salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

2. Dice the chicken, and coat with the nutmeg. Mix the raw chicken with the leeks and mushrooms and transfer to a casserole dish (about 12 inches).

3. Mix the mascapone and condensed mushroom soup together.

4. Sprinkle a sparse layer of grated cheddar cheese on top, and then a layer of dry stuffing mix. At this point, whisk the egg and as roughly as possible brush over the stuffing layer. Finish with another sprinkling of cheddar.

5. Pop into a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is white and the topping has browned.

Serve with fresh green vegetables or boiled new potatoes.