Turkish Chicken Casserole with Mushrooms and Peppers (Tavuk Güveç)
Tavuk güveç is a Turkish chicken casserole traditionally baked in a clay pot. Chicken thighs, mushrooms, peppers, garlic and tomato bake together into a rich, low-carb dinner with 34g of protein a serving.
Ingredients
- 600g/1lb 5oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 3cm/1in pieces
- 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
- 1 large onion (about 150g/5oz), sliced
- 3 cloves garlic (about 12g), sliced
- 250g/9oz mushrooms, such as chestnut (cremini), halved
- 1 red and 1 yellow pepper (bell peppers, about 300g/10½oz in total), deseeded and cut into chunks
- 1 green pepper (about 100g/3½oz) or 2 long Turkish green peppers, sliced
- 2 ripe tomatoes (about 200g/7oz), chopped
- 1 tbsp (15g) tomato purée (tomato paste)
- 1 tsp sweet paprika, half a tsp dried thyme or oregano, and half a tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper) or chilli flakes
- Half a tsp salt and black pepper
- 150ml/⅔ cup low-salt chicken stock (check it is gluten-free if you need it to be)
- 10g/a loosely packed ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan, 400F). You will need an ovenproof dish with a lid, such as a clay pot or casserole, of about 2 litres/2 quarts, or use foil as a lid. If using an unglazed clay pot, put it into a cold oven instead and add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered baking time.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and fry for 5 minutes, in two batches if needed, turning, until lightly browned. It does not need to be cooked through yet. Tip into the ovenproof dish.
- Add the onion, mushrooms and all the peppers to the frying pan and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until starting to soften and brown. Stir in the garlic, tomato purée, paprika, herbs and pul biber and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil, scraping up anything stuck to the pan, then pour everything over the chicken and stir gently.
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes more, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, with no pink in the middle; the thickest piece should reach 75C/167F.
- Scatter with parsley and serve. It is good with wholemeal flatbread, bulgur wheat or a large salad (not included in the nutrition figures). Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat until piping hot.
Why it works
A serving has about 34g of protein and only 11g of carbohydrate for 287 calories, before any bread or bulgur. That makes it easy to fit around your needs: add a grain if you are active, or serve with salad for a lighter meal.
What güveç is. Güveç is both a Turkish clay cooking pot and the dishes baked in it. Tavuk güveç, made with chicken, is a home-cooking favourite, usually packed with peppers and tomatoes, and often mushrooms. Any lidded ovenproof dish works.
Lots of vegetables. Mushrooms, peppers, onion and tomatoes make up more than half the dish, adding fibre, vitamin C and flavour, and the chicken stays tender under the lid.
Why it is tagged for blood sugar. With about 11g of carbohydrate and plenty of protein, it is a meal unlikely to cause a sharp rise in blood sugar, especially with a salad rather than bread.
For another chicken casserole, try the chicken cacciatore with peppers and olives or the chicken, butter bean and kale one-pot.
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