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Baked Chicken Casserole with Vegetables; Firinda Sebzeli Tavuk

Baked Chicken Casserole with Vegetables, Sebzeli firin tavuk

Baked Chicken Casserole with Vegetables, Sebzeli firin tavuk

In Turkey, we use a lot of fresh vegetables – usage of frozen vegetable and fruit is minimal. With this abundance, you can create endless casseroles with adding meat or keeping it vegetarian.

This recipe appears a lot in our home; it is so easy to make, healthy and very delicious too. You can add or replace your favorite vegetables of the season; peas, eggplants and zucchini work well too. I like to double the recipe and freeze the half, as it freezes so well. You can make it a complete meal with plain rice a side and a dollop of plain yoghurt.

Please remember; Turkish cooking is all about using fresh produce and flavoring the dishes with artful use of spices. It is wonderfully amazing to see that you can have healthy food without compromising the taste, thanks to the spices. Make your casserole as fiery as you would like with more red pepper flakes! Afiyet Olsun!

Serves 4 – 6

Preparation time: 35 minutes  Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

450 gr/1 lb chicken breasts(cut in chunks) and thighs
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
450 gr/1 lb potatoes, cut in half and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper paste (or tomato paste)
45 ml/3 tablespoons olive oil
400 gr/14 oz can chopped tomato
240 ml/8 oz/1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon (or more!) red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 C/350F/Gas mark 4

In your casserole dish marinate the vegetables with olive oil, chopped tomatoes, red pepper paste (or tomato paste), salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Make sure all the vegetables are well coated with the olive oil, paste and spices using your hands.

Add the meat and blend well with the marinated vegetables. You can add a little more pinch of salt if you like. Cover and let the flavors blend for about 15 minutes in the fridge.

Add the water to the marination, mix well. Bake in the oven uncovered. Half way through baking (after about 20 minutes), take the casserole out of the oven and give a gentle mix; this will give a chance for the vegetables and the meat to golden brown evenly. Put the casserole back in the oven and cook for further 20 minutes or until nicely golden brown on top.

Serve warm with plain rice and a dollop of natural plain yoghurt by the side.

Tips: You can marinate the meat with the vegetables in the morning or even a day in advance; cover and leave it in the fridge for the flavors to blend even more.

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7 Responses to Baked Chicken Casserole with Vegetables; Firinda Sebzeli Tavuk

  1. Kersti March 29, 2014 at 7:42 pm #

    Hi Ozlem 🙂

    I made this for dinner today and it was delicious! Bot my daughter and I loved it! I can’t wait to try some of your other receipes cause we love the Turkish cuisine! Thank you for posting so many receipes for us to try!

    • Ozlem Warren March 30, 2014 at 4:36 pm #

      Merhaba Kersti, really delighted to hear you both enjoyed the chicken casserole, a family favorite for us too! leftovers also freeze very well : ) My best wishes, Ozlem

    • Ozlem Warren April 20, 2014 at 4:32 pm #

      Many thanks for your kind comment Kersti, it is a family favorite with us too – so glad you all enjoyed it!

  2. M. Hani April 19, 2014 at 5:14 pm #

    This is great! Another instant family favorite from your great recipes. I added chopped rosemary to the marinade and it a nice aroma to this brilliant mix. Thank you very much. Keep the delicious recipes coming 🙂 Happy Easter.

    • Ozlem Warren April 20, 2014 at 4:31 pm #

      Many thanks for your kind note, so glad you’re enjoying the recipes – rosemary addition to the baked chicken is a brilliant idea! my best wishes, Selamlar, Ozlem

  3. Jordan September 11, 2016 at 1:00 pm #

    I have just realised I only have hot pepper paste.. Not the normal one.. Can I use this instead or will it make it really spicy? Thank you

    • Ozlem Warren September 11, 2016 at 3:19 pm #

      Merhaba Jordan, your hot pepper paste should work well, you can always omit the extra red pepper flakes or springle when you’re eating, if you fancy a little more spice – Afiyet Olsun!, Ozlem

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