Name: Sauerkraut Casserole with Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 5 portions
Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs (skinless); 300 g sauerkraut; 1 large carrot (peeled, diced); 6 small/medium potatoes (peeled, cubed); 6 prunes (deseeded, halved); 1 onion (finely chopped); 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped); 4 porcini mushrooms (rinsed thoroughly); 4 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 cup white wine; 1 cup water; 1 bay leaf; 2 whole allspice; 2/3 tsp caraway seeds; 1 tsp Coarse sea salt (plus pepper to taste)

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This hearty sauerkraut casserole with chicken and potatoes is the perfect Oktoberfest dish, rainy day autumn dish, and a healthy one-pot comfort food dish that’s ideal for sharing.

Polish inspired sauerkraut casserole with chicken

This sauerkraut casserole with chicken isn’t a Polish recipe though it is loosely based on Polish bigos sauerkraut stew.

Porcini mushrooms as well as prunes go extremely well with sauerkraut and are used in many Polish recipes. If you aren’t a huge fan of prunes don’t worry, after 2.5 hours in the oven prunes don’t really taste like prunes. But they do add a wonderful sweetness to this sour dish.

I used a few porcini mushrooms just to add a bit more richness and depth to the overall flavour of this hearty sauerkraut chicken casserole.

If you’ve ever attended an Oktoberfest event chances are you would have tried sauerkraut.

I was first introduced to Oktoberfest years ago as a student living in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada, a town with a sizeable German community. I seem to remember 3 vital components of the festivities: beer, sausage and sauerkraut. The beer came in a plastic cup, and the food was served on a matching plastic plate – the sausage in a big hotdog bun, with steaming hot sauerkraut on top.

Sauerkraut benefits

I am a big fan of sauerkraut (not necessarily always in the company of beer and sausage, although admittedly they do make a delicious trio). Sauerkraut is not only delicious, but also healthy.

It is a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. It’s contains, however, a lot of salt. This in itself is not a great thing but you can also use it to your advantage. You simply won’t need to add much salt to your chicken sauerkraut recipe! Another thing you can do if you find your sauerkraut too salty is rinse it (very briefly) under cold water (in a strainer). But I don’t recommend it for this recipe.

When you shop for sauerkraut try to look for yellow rather than grey coloured sauerkraut, preferably made without any additives. Polish delicatessens usually sell good quality sauerkraut.

Equipment you’ll need

Kitchen scale
Cutting board, knife and peeler
Deep casserole dish with lid and large spoon

How to make chicken sauerkraut casserole: step-by-step

This chicken potato casserole with sauerkraut is super easy to make. It requires very few ingredients and most of the cooking takes place in the oven so all you have to do is give it a stir every once in a while. This chicken sauerkraut casserole tastes even better reheated the next day, so make a big batch and enjoy over 2-3 days.

Once you’ve prepared all the ingredients putting the casserole together is a quick process (it takes about 10 minutes).

1.Preheat the oven to 170 C. Start by heating up some oil and frying the onion, garlic, caraway seeds, bay leaf and allspice for 2-3 minutes.

2. Then move the onion mixture aside and add the chicken. Fry for 3 minutes on each side.

3. Add the sauerkraut, prunes and porcini, stir and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, give a stir, cover and place on the bottom oven shelf. Bake for 2.5 hours. Stir twice during cooking.

5. Remove the chicken from the pot, put on a plate and separate the meat from the bone. Put the chicken back in the pot, stir and serve!

Potatoes, carrots, chicken pieces and sauerkraut in large white pot with spoon and lid in top right.

Top tips for making sauerkraut stew with chicken

I used chicken thighs but you can use chicken quarters or drumsticks if you prefer.
I recommend using salad potatoes, such as Charlotte, baby potatoes or Red Bliss, as they hold their shape well in cooking.
You don’t need to add much salt into the casserole (sauerkraut is salty) but be generous with the pepper.
I recommend buying sauerkraut in a Polish delicatessen. Look for yellow, rather than grey looking sauerkraut.
Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.

More recipes with sauerkraut

A while ago I posted a vegetarian version of the popular Polish sauerkraut soup, a delicious low fat comfort food recipe. (Anything with sauerkraut in it can be classed as comfort food really). See also my zesty Polish sauerkraut salad with carrot and apple. Check out also these Polish sauerkraut pierogi, a traditional Christmas Eve dish.

Check out also this collection of 13 healthy, easy one pot chicken recipes!

KEEP IN TOUCH!

How has your chicken sauerkraut casserole turned out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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