Chicken Casserole by @mers ( My version)

Hello Foodies and Hivers!

I am sharing my chicken casserole recipe below. In my cooking, I always prefer to spice the food I cook with soy sauce and sweet paprika powder. The idea of soy sauce comes from my native country, the Philippines. My Mom used soy sauce in almost all her cookings. She also used fish or oyster sauce, but since I was small, I do not like the taste of sea food, so I avoided them. The sweet Paprika powder is a standard condiment used in Austrian cuisine.

Origin of Paprika powder...

Paprika is a spice made from air-dried fruits of the chili pepper family of the species Capsicum annuum. Although paprika is often associated with Hungarian cuisine, the chilies from which it is made are native to the New World, introduced to the Old World from the Americas. Originating in central Mexico it was brought to Spain in the 16th century. The seasoning is also used to add color and flavor to many types of dishes. Source

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

I whole chicken, washed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion , peeled and sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot , peeled and thinly sliced
1 celery stalk
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 green elongated pepper
Soy Sauce
sweet paprika powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt
pepper
cooking oil
corn flour (optional)

Preparations:

1... Wash the chicken and cut into 8 pieces.

2...Place in a container and sprinkle 2 tablespoons soy sauce, add crushed garlic.

3... Add ground black pepper and squeeze it on the chicken parts. Leave for about 15 minutes for the spices to soak.

4... In a frying pan with 2 tablespoons cooking oil, fry the chicken parts until golden brown on both sides, set aside for later use.

5...In the same pan, fry the remaining garlic, the onions until soft , then add all the remaining vegetables.

6... In a casserole, add the chicken parts, the fried vegetables and 500 ml water or vegetable stock, the 2 tablespoons sweet paprika powder and 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Let boil for about 10 minutes or until the chicken parts become soft.

7... Add salt and pepper if water is added.... if vegetable stock is used, simply add salt according to your taste preference. Check on the spices .
Serve with cooked rice

8... If you prefer to have the sauce thicker, add 1 tablespoon corn flour diluted in 3 parts of water and add this to the sauce... Keep on mixing the sauce under low heat until it becomes thicker. Adjust the salt and pepper according to your taste and top with sliced green elongated pepper, serve hot with cooked rice.