Creamy Chicken and Potato Gratin Bake
This is comfort food at its finest.
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Is this a light chicken dish? No.
Is it rustic, creamy, indulgent, and sure to please your pickiest family member? Why yes.
You can call it a gratin, a dauphinoise, a casserole, or whatever you’d like, we just know it’s darn delicious. Chicken, thinly sliced potatoes, and onions are blanketed in a creamy sauce that’s absolutely amazing. It’s a little bit addictive; it’s a dish that makes it nearly impossible to stop after the first serving. (But there are worse problems to have.)
As the cream simmers it absorbs the essence of the garlic and the herbs and spices so that a mellow current of those flavors run throughout the dish. The chicken and potatoes are permeated with that nice herb flavor and the perfect mellow aroma of garlic as it bakes. It’s rich but comforting.
As with scalloped potatoes or any potato gratin, you want to make sure your potatoes are thinly sliced so they come out tender. Likewise, you’ll want to slice the onions very thinly as well so they don’t overpower the dish. If you don’t have chicken tenders, you can either pound some chicken breasts until they’re thin, or just slice them up. It’s nice how this bake has protein and a starch all in one. Throw together a side salad and you’ve got a full meal!
Chicken Potato Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
- 1 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 2 cups Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing dish
- 2 cloves garlic, whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F and rub the inside of a 9x12-inch baking dish with butter.
- Arrange sliced potatoes in the bottom of baking dish. Potatoes should be very thin, about 1/8-inch. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Arrange chicken tenders over the top of the potatoes and top with sliced onions. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- In a large saucepan, combine half-and-half, bay leaf, nutmeg, thyme, and garlic over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Pour half-and-half mixture over ingredients in the baking dish and remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves that should now be resting on top.
- Sprinkle cheese over the top and place in oven, uncovered. Bake until potatoes are tender, chicken is cooked through, and cheese is golden brown, about 1 hour.
- Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Adapted from Garlic Matters.