Go Back
Baked Flying Jacob casserole topped with banana, bacon, and roasted peanuts

Flying Jacob Recipe

Flying Jacob (Flygande Jakob) is a classic Swedish chicken casserole made with rotisserie chicken, bananas, creamy tomato-chili sauce, crispy bacon, and roasted peanuts. Serve it with white rice for an easy, comforting weeknight dinner.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dinner / Main Course
Cuisine: Swedish
Calories: 720
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed
  • 2 medium bananas, ripe but still firm
  • 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup (120 ml) tomato-based chili sauce, such as Heinz Chili Sauce
  • 1 tsp Italian salad seasoning or Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 5 oz (140 g) bacon, diced
  • ½ cup (75 g) salted roasted peanuts
  • 1–2 tsp mild curry powder (optional)

Method
 

Heat the oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
  2. Lightly grease a roughly 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) baking dish.
Prepare the chicken
  1. Remove the skin and bones from the cooked chicken and tear or cut the meat into generous bite-size pieces.
  2. Spread the chicken evenly across the baking dish and season lightly with the Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
    Pulled rotisserie chicken arranged in a baking dish for Flying Jacob
Add the bananas
  1. Peel the bananas and cut them into thick slices or lengthwise pieces.
  2. Arrange them over the chicken.
    Banana slices arranged over chicken for Swedish Flying Jacob casserole
  3. Use bananas that are fully yellow but still firm. Very ripe, heavily spotted bananas tend to disappear into the sauce rather than keeping their shape.
Make the sauce
  1. Whip the heavy cream just until softly thickened. It does not need to hold stiff peaks.
  2. Fold in the chili sauce.
    Tomato chili sauce being folded into softly whipped cream for Flying Jacob
  3. If you are making the curry variation, stir in 1–2 teaspoons mild curry powder at this point.
  4. Spread the cream mixture over the chicken and bananas.
    Creamy chili sauce spread over chicken and bananas in a Flying Jacob casserole
Bake
  1. Bake in the center of the oven for 15–20 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and beginning to color on top.
Crisp the bacon
  1. While the casserole is baking, cook the diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp.
    Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Add the crunch
  1. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes.
    Scatter the crispy bacon and salted peanuts over the top just before serving.
    Baked Flying Jacob casserole topped with banana, bacon, and roasted peanuts ready to serve
Serve
  1. Spoon Flying Jacob over hot white rice and serve with a simple green salad alongside.
    The salad may seem almost suspiciously sensible next to a chicken-and-banana casserole, but the freshness and acidity are exactly what the meal needs.
    Plate of Swedish Flying Jacob with rice and green salad