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This Surinamese green bean casserole combines chicken, masala spices, green beans, and hard-boiled eggs with a creamy mashed potato topping. Think of the flavors of Surinamese roti, tucked under a golden layer of mashed potatoes. Serve it with warm roti flatbreads and a generous spoonful of sambal!
I piped the mashed potatoes over the filling to create a pretty topping, but you can just spread them over the casserole with a spatula. One less job to do! And if you’re really short on time, store-bought mashed potatoes work too, although homemade mashed potatoes are definitely the tastiest option.
Table of contents
Tip from Simone
Don’t feel like piping the mashed potatoes? Spread them over the filling with a spatula, then use a fork to create a few ridges. This gives the topping some texture and helps the edges brown in the oven.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll find the full quantities in the recipe card below. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your ingredients:
- Chicken thighs: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut them into evenly sized pieces. Thigh meat stays nice and juicy as it cooks.
- Surinamese roti chicken masala: This spice blend gives the filling its distinctive flavor. Look for a blend intended for Surinamese roti chicken at a Caribbean grocery store or online. Check whether it contains salt before adding extra.
- Green beans: Trim the ends and cut long beans in half to make the casserole easier to serve and eat.
- Potatoes: Choose a starchy variety, such as russet potatoes, for smooth, fluffy mashed potatoes. If you plan to pipe the topping, make sure there are no lumps that could block the piping tip.
- Milk and butter: These make the mashed potatoes creamy. Add the warm milk and melted butter gradually so you can adjust the consistency.
- Chicken broth and cornstarch: These form the sauce. Cornstarch helps thicken the liquid as the casserole bakes. Mix it with a little cold broth first to prevent lumps.
How To Make Green Bean Casserole
Step 1 – Toss the chicken with the spices
Toss the chicken with half of the masala spices, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Step 2 – Cook the potatoes and eggs
Boil the potatoes until you can easily pierce them with a fork. You can cook the eggs in the same pot, but remove them once they’re hard-boiled. They don’t need to cook for the full potato cooking time. Cool the eggs under cold running water, peel them, and cut them into quarters.
Step 3 – Build the oven dish
Choose a large, deep baking dish with a little room above the filling, as the sauce may bubble during baking.
Arrange the chicken, tomatoes, onion, green beans, and quartered eggs in the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining masala spices. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold chicken broth, stir it into the remaining broth, and pour over the filling.
Step 4 – Add the topping
Pipe the mashed potatoes over the filling using a large star tip, or gently spread them over the top with a spatula. If you’re spreading them, start with small spoonfuls dotted across the filling. These are easier to join together than one large mound.
Bake for approximately 40–45 minutes at 350°F (180°C) in a conventional oven. Check the filling before serving: the green beans should be tender, and the chicken should be fully cooked. A golden topping alone doesn’t tell you whether the filling underneath is ready.
If the mashed potatoes are browning before the filling is cooked, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil and continue baking. Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving.
Serve with Roti and Sambal
With potatoes, vegetables, chicken, and eggs, this casserole is already a complete meal. Warm roti flatbreads are still a delicious addition, especially for scooping up the masala sauce.
Serve the sambal on the side so everyone can add as much heat as they like. Sambal is a chili paste or sauce; sambal oelek works well here.
Make Ahead and Storage
To get a head start, make the mashed potatoes and boil the eggs ahead of time. Cool them promptly and refrigerate in covered containers. Keep the seasoned raw chicken separate and assemble the casserole when you’re ready to bake. Cold ingredients may need additional time in the oven.
Cool leftover baked casserole promptly and refrigerate in a covered container within two hours. Eat within two days.
Reheat a portion, covered, in a 350°F (180°C) oven until hot all the way through. Remove the cover toward the end if you want the topping to brown again.
You can also freeze leftovers, although the cooked egg whites may become rubbery after thawing. For the best texture, I’d recommend enjoying leftovers from the refrigerator.
FAQ Green Bean Casserole
Yes. Choose thick mashed potatoes suitable for a casserole topping. Thin mashed potatoes are harder to spread over the filling and won’t hold their shape well when piped. Prepare according to the package instructions and check the consistency before adding them.
No, not for this recipe. The chicken cooks in the broth underneath the mashed potatoes. Cut it into evenly sized pieces and check that it’s fully cooked before serving. The baking time is a guide: the size of the chicken pieces and the depth of your dish will affect how long it takes.
The tomatoes and green beans release liquid as they cook, and cornstarch needs sufficient heat to thicken the sauce. Make sure the filling is fully heated through, then let the casserole rest briefly after baking. There should still be some sauce underneath the mashed potatoes; this isn’t meant to be a dry filling.
That depends on your masala blend. Masala adds plenty of aromatic flavor, but some blends also contain chili. Check the package and serve sambal separately if not everyone likes spicy food.
Recipe Card Green Bean Casserole
Green Bean Casserole with Chicken
Ingredients
- 400 grams chicken thighs boneless and skinless, sliced into equal cubes
- 2 tbsp Surinamese roti chicken masala spice blend divided
- 1 kg starchy potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 eggs
- 50 grams butter
- 150 ml milk
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes cut into wedges
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 400 grams green beans trimmed and halved if long
- 400 ml chicken broth cold or at room temperature
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
To Serve (optional)
- Roti flatbreads
- Sambal
Equipment
- Oven dish
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the masala spice blend. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.400 grams chicken thighs, 2 tbsp Surinamese roti chicken masala spice blend
- Cook the potatoes and eggs. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover generously with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs in a separate saucepan for 9–10 minutes. Cool the eggs under cold running water, peel, and cut into quarters.1 kg starchy potatoes, 4 eggs
- Preheat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (180°C), conventional heat.
- Make the mashed potatoes. Warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter has melted. Drain the potatoes well and let them steam dry briefly. Return them to the pot and mash with the warm milk and butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. The mashed potatoes should be thick enough to hold their shape.50 grams butter, 150 ml milk, Salt and black pepper
- Assemble the filling. Arrange the chicken, tomatoes, onion, green beans, and quartered eggs in a large, deep baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of masala spices.2 tomatoes, 1 onion, 400 grams green beans
- Add the broth. Pour a little of the cold chicken broth into a small bowl and stir in the cornstarch until smooth. Stir this mixture into the remaining broth, then pour over the filling.400 ml chicken broth, 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Top with mashed potatoes. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe dollops over the filling until the top is covered. Alternatively, gently spread the mashed potatoes over the filling with a spatula.
- Bake. Place the dish in the center of the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the green beans are tender, the chicken is fully cooked, and the topping is golden. Continue baking if the filling needs more time, loosely covering the top with foil if it is browning too quickly.
- Serve. Let the casserole rest for a few minutes, then serve with warm roti flatbreads and sambal, if desired.Roti flatbreads, Sambal
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
