This is a delicious, quick and easy casserole to prepare. Once in the oven, sit back and enjoy a drink while the chicken cooks itself.

Taken from the low GI recipe book Eating for Sustained Energy 1 by Liesbet Delport and Gabi Steenkamp (Registered Dietitians).

Serves 8
Bakes for 1½ hours
Nutritional info per serving:
GI low (47) | Fat 7g | Carbohydrate 13g | Fibre 4g | Protein 21g | kJ 848 | GL 6 | One serving is equivalent to 2½ protein

8 chicken thighs, skin removed (about 100 g each)
1 onion, chopped
1 x 410 g tin of baked beans in tomato sauce
1 green pepper, chopped
15 ml raw honey ( 1 T)
2 ml mustard powder ( ½ t)
5 ml mixed herbs ( 1 t)
½ cube of chicken stock, dissolved in
200 ml boiled water
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 rashers lean bacon, (salt reduced) for garnishing
50 ml parsley, chopped for garnishing

• Preheat the oven to 180 C.
• Arrange the chicken thighs in an oven dish.
• Mix the rest of the ingredients, except for the bacon and parsley.
• Spoon the beans and sauce mixture over the chicken thighs.
• Cover and bake for one hour in the preheated oven, turning the chicken a few times.
• Remove cover and bake for half an hour.
• Remove all visible fat from the bacon and grill until crisp.
• Garnish the chicken casserole with the chopped grilled bacon mixed with the parsley.
• Serve hot, with Basmati rice or pasta, and vegetables.

Notes:
Honey has a very high GI, so only a little should be used in combination with lots of other low GI ingredients. Raw honey has a lower GI.

The portion size in this dish is an ideal ladies size. Men can have 1½ portions.

Should your family not have eaten beans before, liquidize the can of baked beans and add to the sauce. Nobody will be any the wiser!

Learn to “hide” beans in dishes as dry beans are the most effective way of controlling blood glucose response.