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Chicken Potato Bake - Chicken thighs in a creamy sauce topped with peas and thinly sliced potatoes. Cooked until golden and bubbly.
How to Make Chicken Potato Bake
To make this delicious and creamy chicken bake you first start by preparing the chicken and cream sauce. You can then assembly the bake by topping with thinly sliced potatoes.
- Heat oil in a pan, over high heat, and brown chicken thigh pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce to low heat, add onions and garlic and soften them in the chicken juices. (For around 5 mins) Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Using the same pan melt butter and add flour and mustard powder to form a roux.
- Slowly add some chicken stock a little at a time, stirring continuously, until the sauce is smooth.
- Simmer for 3 mins and then add some dried thyme and parsley.
- Put the chicken and onions back into the pan with the sauce, add cream and stir. Taste and season accordingly.
7. Pour the creamy chicken mixture into an ovenproof dish (my dish was 10" X 7.5") and stir through the peas.
8. Peel and then thinly slice the potatoes (approx 5mm) using a mandoline or knife.
9. Arrange the slices over the chicken mixture (overlapping so the surface is completely covered.)
10. Melt the remaining butter and brush over the potatoes and then bake for approx 35 mins, until the potatoes are cooked and crispy.
Chicken Potato Bake Cooking and Ingredient Notes
- I use chicken thighs but you can replace with breast meat or a mixture of both. (Breast will be drier)
- I recommend using homemade chicken stock, especially if cooking for a baby. However low sodium or regular stock will work well (just be mindful of sodium levels with young children) If cooking for adults/older children, season your sauce to taste before assembling the bake.
- You want a potato that will hold its shape, but turn creamy and fluffy as it cooks. Some good varieties to use include Dutch creams, Golden Delight, King Edward or Coliban
- Make sure to slice your potatoes thin and evenly. I use a mandoline to do this but you can slice with a knife, it will just take much longer.
- Dried thyme and parsley are added to the sauce for flavour. Thyme can be quite an overpowering herb and might be too much for some kids (and adults). I found ½ a teaspoon gave good flavour but my husband said he would have cut it back a bit (he really isn't a thyme fan) You might want to start with a pinch and add more to taste.
- The colour of the sauce may vary depending on what type of pan you use. I used cast iron and a fond formed when I cooked the chicken. This makes the sauce browner in colour. Previously, when I made this sauce in a non-stick pan the sauce was a lot paler.
- Delicious served with a side of your favourite vegetables and a little crusty bread to soak up the yummy sauce.
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Full Recipe
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Chicken Potato Bake
Chicken thighs cooked in a creamy sauce topped with thinly sliced potatoes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Serves:6
Hover over "serves" value to reveal recipe scaler
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 600g Boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces SEE NOTE 1
- 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 50g (2.5 tbsp) Butter (spit 40g for sauce, 10g for topping)
- 30g (¼ cup) Plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
- 500ml (2 cups) Chicken Stock SEE NOTE 2
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme SEE NOTE 3
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
- 60ml (¼ cup) Cream
- 75g (½ cup) Frozen peas
- 450g (3-4 depending on size) Potatoes SEE NOTE 4
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6
- Heat oil in a pan, over a high heat, and brown the chicken thighs. Remove from the pan and set aside
- Reduce to a low heat, add the onions and garlic and soften them in the chicken juices. (For around 5 mins) Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Using the same pan melt 40g of the butter and add the flour and mustard powder to form a roux. Slowly add the stock a little at a time, stirring continuously, until the sauce is smooth. Simmer for 3 mins and then add the herbs.
- Put the chicken and onions back into the pan with the sauce, add the cream and stir.
- Pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish (my dish was 10" X 7.5") and stir through the peas.
- Peel and then thinly slice the potatoes (approx 5mm). Arrange the slices over the chicken mixture (overlapping so the surface is completely covered.) SEE NOTE 5
- Melt the remaining butter and brush over the potatoes
- Bake for 35 mins until the potatoes are cooked and crispy.
Recipe Notes
- You can replace the thigh meat with breast if you prefer but the meat will be drier in texture.
- If cooking for a baby, use homemade chicken stock or low sodium stock.
- Adjust the amount of herbs according to taste. I find ½ teaspoon of thyme works well but my husband would prefer less. You may wish to start with less and as more if needed.
- You want to use potatoes that will hold its shape, but turn creamy and fluffy as it cooks. Some good varieties to use include Dutch creams, Golden Delight, King Edward or Coliban
- Try to keep your slices of potato uniform in thickness. A mondoline is the easiest way and produces the best results. You can cut by hand but it will take more time.
Nutritional facts
Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 14.3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3.7mg
Tiffany
By cream do you mean whipping cream?
Amy
Hi Tiffany, use a full fat cream like (heavy, thickened, double) depending on where you are from.
Julia
Could you make this recipe the night before and store it in the refrigerator?
Amy
Hi Julia, you can make the chicken mixture the day before, you might be able to get away with adding the potato topping but I'd be inclined to do it the day you are baking. Thanks, AMy 🙂
Hazel Stander
Great recipe!
Amy
Thanks Hazel, glad you liked it 🙂
Amy DONOHUE
This was a delicious recipe. Winter here in Australia and the perfect meal with our favourite white wine. We don't like peas much so I diced 2 x carrots and roughly chopped baby capsicums. We also used leek instead of onion. I think my slicer cut the potato too thin so next time I would over lap them more or do two layers. The sauce was a nice consistancy and just thick enough. Yuuuuuum
Amy
Hi Amy, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and rate. I'm so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Becky
So it looks the same I think, but only now put it in the oven, not sure it tastes of anything much
Amy
Hi Becky, sorry I'm confused - did you write this comment before it was fully cooked? I'd love to know what you thought after it was baked. As my site is targeted to parents with young children I don't usually at salt to the ingredient. Perhaps a little seasoning would help bring out the flavours for you?
Helen
Very tasty, but ours came out rather wetter than anticipated - so I tripled the quantity of peas so it wasn't all sauce! Also, while the vegetarian chilli would easily have served 6 of us (with sides), this only just stretched to 4 of us (and people still needed dessert). I think my mandolin sliced the potatoes too thinly too - will do by hand next time.
Amy
Hi Helen, So glad you thought it was tasty! Did your bake look similar in texture to the one in the process step pictures? I've never found this too saucy before. Does your mandoline only have one setting? I found setting 2 on my mandoline worked best. Thanks for the serving suggestion feedback, I'll have a look at these again!
Helen
Yes, it has three settings, and I did it on the thickest. Never mind! Looking at your pictures, your potatoes are definitely significantly thicker than mine were. The sauce texture looks very similar to yours - just we seemed to have about twice as much! Will try again and see what happens 🙂
Mel
If freezing would you freeze the chicken mixture before the oven stage and then when using defrost add potatoes and continue at the oven stage?!
Sounds great for my little boy!
Aoife Lyons
Made this, and son 16months loved it! Unfortunately discovered I was all out of peas so they didn't make the cut, so but I substituted by mixing some steamed carrot in after the fact
Sue
Hi! Can this be frozen in smaller portions for future consumption? Thank you.
Amy
Hi Sue, You can freeze the chicken mixture but I wouldn't freeze with the sliced potato on top as they will turn black and not taste great. You could cook the chicken mixture longer in the pan and put a mash potato topping. This will freeze well.
Sue
Thank you. Will definitely give that a try.
Ali
This looks wonderful! Do you cook the chicken entirely before putting it in the oven?
Amy
Hi Ali, thank you! You just need to brown the chicken, no need to fully cook. Hope you enjoy!
Wheelie Good Meals
This is an awesome recipe and so easy to put together, I've not had a lot to do with mustard powder and have been looking for uses for it lol. I've scheduled to share on twitter at a more reasonable hour lol.
Amy
Thanks Richard and thank you for sharing! I don't use mustard powder much either but always add it to a roux for some reason!
Tracey
Great recipe and I love the kiddie cutlery in the background of your photograph. I'll be trying it out as a gluten free version.
Amy
Thanks Tracey, let me know how it goes!
Katerina
What a delicious casserole! Perfect for a buffet as it can prepared ahead of time!
Amy
Thanks Katerina, I do love that you can make it in advance. My youngest is a little clingy in the early evening so I like to cook in the morning rather than one handed in the evening!