This gorgeous crumble has a nutty, seedy, oaty topping and a creamy, chicken and mushroom base. It will freeze very well, either cooked or uncooked. Lovely to have a home made ready meal in the freezer that just needs to be defrosted.

It’s super easy to make, and doesn’t take very long at all. Like all the recipes on Thrifty Lesley, you can change everything, dependant on what you have available.

 

What do I need to make chicken and mushroom crumble

• For 4 portions
• for the base
  • A piece of raw chicken, about 150g, or a bit less if the chicken is cooked
  • A packet of soft cheese, 200g. The own brand is fine
  • a punnet of mushrooms, about 300g
  • a little water, 100ml
  • half tsp salt
  • half tsp mustard
• for the topping
  • flour. You can use any flour here, gluten free if desired
  • oats. I use the basic value kind
  • oil. Any neutral oil is fine. I have started using cold pressed rapeseed oil, which is very yellow
  • nuts. Whatever you have. I had pistachios that needed using up, so I used those. For economy, salted peanuts are cheapest
  • seeds. I like pumpkin seeds in a savoury crumble and usually use those, but any seeds would work

How do I make chicken and mushroom crumble

• • • Put all the topping ingredients into a bowl and mix well – flour, oats, oil, nuts and seeds.

• • • Chop the mushrooms and fry until they soften and release some of their water. This might look like an ENORMOUS amount of mushrooms, but they cook down, persevere.
    • Put into the baking dish.
    • Add the soft cheese and a splash of water.
    • I’ve found on testing this recipe that the crumble topping sucks up all the moisture, so the base needs to be very moist before baking so that you end up with a nice saucy mix after cooking.

• • • Chop the chicken quite small, whether cooked or raw. There is no need to pre-cook raw chicken, the baking will cook it through.
    • Add to the mushroom and soft cheese mixture in the baking dish and distribute the chicken throughout the mix.
    • Spoon the topping mixture on top.
    • Bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 minutes – Gas Mark 6 / 400°F / 200°C / 180°C fan assisted

What changes can I make

• swap the mushrooms out for
  • celery
  • fennel
  • peas
  • onions
  • diced carrot
  • sweetcorn
• swap the chicken out for
  • pork
  • tofu
  • any kind of bean or lentil
• swap the salted peanuts for
  • pistachios
  • Brazil nuts
  • hazelnuts
  • walnuts or pecan
  • almonds
• add garlic to the cream cheese
• add chopped herbs
  • basil
  • parsley
  • sage
  • thyme
• omit the nuts and/or seeds
• use all flour or all oats
• the base mixture would be amazing on tagliatelle, here it is used with wholemeal penne

This recipe is from a series – how to poach a chicken and feed your family all week with it

1. How To Poach A Chicken
2. Spaghetti with olives, sultanas and lemon 140g chicken
3. Oaty, nutty, seedy chicken and mushroom crumble140g chicken, this recipe
4. Chicken and rice salad – red peppers from a jar, peas, gherkins, raisins 140g chicken and some of the stock
5. Chicken and something Pizza, sweetcorn, onion, red pepper, mozzarella and cheddar – 140g chicken
6. Coronation Chicken Jacket Potato – 140g chicken
7. Red Cabbage Waldorf with apple, walnut and dressing –  140g chicken
8. Chicken Tart with Butternut Squash, Lemon Zest & Parmesan 140g chicken

How to make a roast chicken last the family 7 days

Adjusting the recipes to accommodate 977g chicken, each making 4 servings, I was able to stretch it to do the following:-

1. Roast chicken, 400g chicken, gravy, with stuffing, 4 portions
2. Risotto, 140g chicken, onion, half the the stock, some vegetables butter and parmesan, 4 portions
3. Pizza, 117g chicken, tomato sauce, maybe some stuffing, 4 portions
4. Spicy Pasta Bake, white sauce, 120g chicken, onion, spices, stuffing, 4 portions
5. Tart, 100g chicken, onions, sweetcorn, couple of eggs, no cheese, stuffing, 4 portions
6. Pie, 100g chicken, some of the gravy, onion, maybe some sweetcorn or mushrooms, maybe some stuffing, 4 portions
7. Soup with the remaining half of the stock, red lentils, onion, spices, 4 portions

this comes out at a total of 28 portions, which I think is pretty good!

This means that 1 medium chicken can be used to make 7 different budget stretching chicken recipes and feed your family for a week – bargaintastic!

Other savoury crumble recipes you might like

Vegetable Crumble. Root veg in a tomato sauce, topped with oats, cheese and salted peanuts

 

Chickpea Crumble

Leek Crumble, with fresh and dried cranberries, and walnuts

Vegetarian Christmas Meal Plan – Vegan Walnut and Chestnut Crumble