Delia Smith Chicken and Avocado Recipe

This Delia Smith chicken and avocado recipe is from The Delia Collection: Chicken, and it turns leftover cooked chicken into something that looks and tastes like you spent an hour on it when actually the whole thing takes about 30 minutes. Strips of cold chicken sit in a creamy sauce made with milk, stock, cream, and a splash of dry sherry, layered over ripe avocado slices and baked with Gruyère until golden and bubbling.

I first made this the day after a roast chicken because I had half a bird left and two avocados going soft on the worktop, and the combination sounded odd until I tasted it. The warm cream sauce melts into the cool avocado underneath and the sherry ties the whole thing together in a way I did not expect.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Coronation Chicken
• Chicken and Leek Pie
• Chicken Casserole

The Best Way to Use Leftover Chicken

This recipe calls for cold cooked chicken, which makes it one of the best Monday-night suppers after a Sunday roast. The sauce does all the heavy lifting so it does not matter that the chicken is already cooked, and you can use white meat, dark meat, or a mix of both depending on what is left on the carcass.

I have also made it with shop-bought rotisserie chicken when I did not have leftovers, and it works just as well because the sauce and the sherry add more than enough flavour on their own.

Chicken and Avocado Ingredients

The avocados need to be ripe but still firm enough to slice without turning to mush, so buy them a day or two before you plan to make this. Too soft and they dissolve into the sauce, too hard and they taste of nothing.

• 450g (1 lb) cold cooked chicken, cut into small strips
• 2 ripe avocados
• 50g (2 oz) butter
• 50g (2 oz) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 275 ml (10 fl oz) milk
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) chicken stock
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) single cream
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 25g (1 oz) Gruyère cheese, grated
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper

How To Make Delia Smith Chicken and Avocado

1. Make the sauce: Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk, stock, and cream. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and glossy.
2. Add the chicken: Take the pan off the heat, fold in the chicken strips along with the sherry, lemon juice, and seasoning, and stir until everything is combined.
3. Lay the avocado: Halve the avocados, remove the stones and skins, slice thinly, and arrange the slices over the base of the baking dish with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop them browning.
4. Assemble and bake: Spoon the chicken mixture over the avocado slices, scatter the Gruyère on top, and bake at 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6) for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Getting the Avocado Right

The lemon juice over the avocado slices is not just for flavour, it stops them turning brown under the sauce while the dish bakes. Do not skip it or you end up with grey avocado underneath a perfectly golden top, which looks unappetising even though it tastes fine.

Serving It Up

I serve this with plain basmati rice and a green salad, because the sauce is rich enough that you want something clean and simple alongside. Crusty bread for mopping up the last of the sauce is worth having on the table too.

Can You Make It Ahead?

You can make the sauce and add the chicken up to a day ahead and keep it in the fridge, but do not slice the avocado until just before assembling because it will brown no matter how much lemon you put on it. The whole dish needs to be eaten the same day it is baked because reheated avocado goes mushy and bitter.

Frequently Asked Questions

You Might Also Like:

• Chicken and Mushroom Pie
• Parmesan Chicken
• Chicken Paprika

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 620 kcal
• Fat: 42g
• Carbohydrates: 16g
• Fibre: 5g
• Protein: 40g

Nutrition estimated per serving based on 4 servings.