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| Chicken & Feijoa Casserole with White‑Wine Jus on White Rice |
When I first made this casserole, it struck me as having warm French‑bistro vibes - simple, flavoursome fare that tastes as though it’s been slowly cooked for hours. The white‑wine jus softens and balances the fruit so neither flavour overpowers, and finishing the sauce with a little pouring cream in the final 10–15 minutes gently enriches and rounds out the flavours.
If feijoas aren't available you could swap with fresh or canned apricots or pears (peeled, drained, diced).
Always choose the cheapest wine for cooking and save the good bottles for drinking. I usually reach for a budget cleanskin (unbranded) sauvignon blanc or pinot gris - they’re bright, light, and perfect for this kind of dish.
Chicken drums can be swapped for thighs or other cuts of chicken such as spatchcock or butterflied if you prefer. Choose what fits your budget best.
I’ve used fresh rosemary for its aromatic lift because that’s what was in the garden, but thyme - fresh or dried - is equally at home here.
If you have sour cream or something similar in the fridge to use up, you can swap it for the cream and still achieve a lovely, rounded finish.
Watch me make this here:
Ingredients:
(serves 3-4)
2-3 chicken drums per person, skinned
4-6 medium feijoas peeled and chopped into chunks
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced into chunks
Rosemary or thyme sprigs (dried, 1/2 tbsp)
3/4 cup white wine (sauvignon blanc or pinot gris)
3/4 cup water
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp instant chicken stock powder
50-75 mls pouring cream (unsweetened)
1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch to thicken
Rice for 3-4 persons cooked according to packet directions
Method:
Heat the oil in a frying pan to medium high, braise the drums each side for a few minutes until light brown. The objective isn't to cook them, simply adding flavor to the rest of the dish.
Reduce the heat, add a little more olive oil and fry the onion for a few minutes until lightly brown. Add the herbs, white wine and water to deglaze the pan for one minute. Turn off the heat and add the chicken stock, garlic, dijon mustard and chopped feijoas, letting the heat of the water and wine heat the feijoas through for 1-2 minutes.
Place the chicken drumstsicks in a lidded-casserole dish and pour over the jus. Adjust the feijoas across the chicken pieces.
Bake at 180°C (fan) for 40 minutes.
Measure the cornflour into a small dish and add just enough pouring cream to form a smooth paste. Stir until the cornflour is fully dissolved, then add the remaining cream. Pour this mixture evenly over the hot casserole and gently 'coddle' it through around the chicken pieces. Return the dish to the oven for 10-15 minutes to finish cooking and allow the jus to thicken slightly.
While the casserole is finishing, prepare and cook the rice.
Remove any herb sprigs. Serve the chicken and jus over the rice, spooning plenty of the sauce over each portion. Garnish with chopped parsley if it's available.
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