Flying Jacob (Flygande Jakob): Sweden’s Famous Chicken and Banana Casserole

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Chicken. Bananas. Bacon. Peanuts. Cream.

On paper, Flying Jacob — Flygande Jakob in Swedish — sounds less like dinner and more like someone clearing out the refrigerator five minutes before guests arrive.

Which, as it happens, is not very far from the truth.

This wonderfully strange Swedish casserole combines tender roasted chicken with sweet banana, a creamy chili sauce, crisp bacon, and salty peanuts. It is rich, sweet, savory, crunchy, unapologetically retro — and considerably better than the ingredient list has any right to suggest.

Flying Jacob is one of those dishes you should probably taste before forming an opinion.

Sweden has been doing exactly that since 1976.

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What Is Flying Jacob?

Flying Jacob is a Swedish chicken casserole made with cooked chicken, bananas, cream, chili sauce, bacon, and peanuts, usually served with white rice and a simple green salad.

The dish first appeared in the Swedish food magazine Allt om Mat in 1976. Its creator, Ove Jacobsson, worked in air freight, which supplied both the Jacob and the “flying” part of the name. The story goes that Jacobsson put the casserole together for a gathering using ingredients he had on hand. A neighbor connected to Allt om Mat liked it enough for the recipe to eventually find its way into the magazine.

It arrived at precisely the right moment.

Swedish cooking in the 1970s had developed a certain enthusiasm for combining familiar ingredients with things that still felt comparatively exotic. Bananas, peanuts, chili sauce, and international seasoning blends all belonged comfortably in that world.

The result is a dish that could hardly belong to any decade other than the 1970s — yet somehow never completely disappeared.

And Sweden’s taste for unexpected sweet-and-savory combinations didn’t end there. The famously divisive Banana Curry Pizza pairs banana with curry, ham, and cheese — another combination that sounds improbable until you taste the logic behind it.

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So, Does Chicken With Banana Actually Taste Good?

Surprisingly, yes.

And the banana makes more sense once you stop thinking of it as dessert.

As Flying Jacob bakes, the banana softens and becomes mellow rather than aggressively sweet. Against the salty chicken and bacon, it behaves almost like a fruit chutney: sweet enough to provide contrast without turning the casserole into pudding.

Then there is the sauce.

Cream and tomato-based chili sauce create something rich, slightly tangy, and gently sweet. Bacon provides smoke and salt. Roasted peanuts add the crunch the casserole desperately needs.

Every component balances another.

That is the secret of Flying Jacob. Remove too many of the apparently strange ingredients and the whole thing actually becomes less interesting.

The Chili Sauce Matters

One ingredient can cause a little confusion outside Sweden: chili sauce.

In this recipe, it does not mean a thin, vinegar-forward hot sauce like Tabasco or Frank’s RedHot. Swedish chili sauce is a smooth, mildly spiced, tomato-based condiment — closer to a seasoned ketchup than a true hot sauce.

For American cooks, Heinz Chili Sauce is a very good match and is what I recommend here.

Thai sweet chili sauce is also a different product. It is sweeter, stickier, and more strongly flavored, so while it can work in a pinch, it gives Flying Jacob a noticeably different character.

A Note About Curry Powder

You will find plenty of Flying Jacob recipes containing curry powder.

It works beautifully with chicken and banana, and I understand exactly why the variation became popular. But curry is not necessary for a classic Flying Jacob.

For The Nordic Dish version, I prefer to keep the basic casserole close to the Swedish original and make curry optional.

If your mental image of Flying Jacob includes curry, add 1–2 teaspoons to the cream mixture. Nobody in Sweden is likely to send the casserole police.

An Easy Weeknight Dinner

Flying Jacob is also surprisingly practical for a weeknight. Start with a store-bought rotisserie chicken, and most of the work is already done for you: just pull the meat from the bones, layer it into a baking dish with the bananas, spoon over the creamy chili sauce, and let the oven do the rest.

While it bakes, cook the bacon and put on a pot of rice. In about 40 minutes, you have a warm, filling dinner that feels much more fun than the usual leftover-chicken routine.

Why I Use Rotisserie Chicken

Flying Jacob is an excellent reason to buy a rotisserie chicken.

The original idea of the dish was never about carefully searing chicken breasts and building a sauce in six stages. This is practical, social food: cooked chicken goes into a baking dish, the sauce goes over it, and dinner goes into the oven.

Rotisserie chicken also has more roasted flavor than plain poached chicken and gives you a mixture of light and dark meat.

Leftover roast chicken works equally well.

You want about 2 pounds (1 kg) of cooked, boneless meat for a generous six-serving casserole.

The Banana Question

The most important banana decision happens at the grocery store.

You do not want green bananas. They remain starchy and slightly chalky after baking.

You also do not want the soft bananas you were planning to turn into banana bread tomorrow.

Look for bananas that are yellow, fragrant, and sweet but still firm enough to slice cleanly. During their short trip through a 425°F oven, they will soften considerably.

Two medium bananas give the casserole a noticeable but balanced sweetness. If you are approaching the idea cautiously, use one large banana the first time.

I suspect you will use two the next.

How to Keep Flying Jacob From Becoming Too Sweet

The best Flying Jacob should taste savory first, sweet second.

Use tomato-based chili sauce rather than Thai sweet chili sauce, choose firm bananas rather than overripe ones, and use properly salty bacon and peanuts.

Then serve the casserole with plain rice rather than a sweet or highly seasoned side.

A sharp green salad dressed simply with vinegar or lemon juice is particularly good alongside it. The acidity cuts through the cream and resets everything for the next bite.

Which is useful, because Flying Jacob is not exactly shy food.

Can You Make Flying Jacob Ahead?

Yes.

Prepare the chicken, bananas, and cream mixture in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate for several hours before baking.

For the best texture, however, I prefer slicing the bananas shortly before the casserole goes into the oven.

Cook the bacon separately and keep it refrigerated. The peanuts can remain at room temperature.

Bake the casserole when needed, then add the bacon and peanuts immediately before serving so both stay crisp.

Flying Jacob Variations

Like most recipes that have spent decades in home kitchens, Flying Jacob has accumulated variations.

Some families add curry powder. Others use more chili sauce, fewer bananas, different nuts, or unwhipped cream. Modern recipes sometimes begin with raw chicken breast rather than already-roasted chicken.

There are even Swedish spin-offs with names playing on the original Flying Jacob theme.

I would start with the classic combination first.

Chicken, banana, chili cream, bacon, and peanuts is already quite enough adventure for one baking dish.

Flying Jacob FAQ