This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Chicken and veggies in a creamy sauce topped with crispy potatoes. My Creamy Chicken and Potato Bake is a whole meal in one dish! Perfect cold day comfort food.
“Lovely, everyone husband, 3 kids ate the lot. Very nice indeed.”
Nicky’s Notes
This started as a “use what’s in the fridge” Sunday bake and turned into a proper family favourite. I love how simple ingredients become something special.
Cheesy-creamy chicken, a few veggies (that pass the kid-test when they’re in that dreamy sauce) and a gorgeous layer of crispy sliced potato.
It’s got Lancashire hotpot vibes, but with chicken and cream instead of lamb and gravy (and I love them both equally).
Table of Contents
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Fry the onion, garlic and carrots, then add the wine and simmer. Stir in cream, Dijon, the cheeses and seasoning. Add cooked chicken and spinach, heat through, then transfer to a baking dish and top with thinly sliced potatoes. Brush with butter and bake until golden.
Recipe Tips
- You can miss out the step of transferring to a baking dish if the frying pan you used for the filling is oven-proof. Simply layer the potatoes on top of the sauce in the frying pan.
- Don’t want to use wine? Swap it out for 1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice or cider vinegar.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
This is a meal in itself, but if you do like to add a side or two, try:
- Slices of crusty bread – for mopping up that sauce
- Garlic bread (who can resist)
- Some roasted broccoli – if you’d like to increase the veg.
Creamy Chicken and Potato Bake
Equipment
- Mandoline (optional – for slicing potatoes thinly)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped into small chunks
- 4 tbsp white wine
- 215 ml (1 cup minus 2 tbsp) double/heavy cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100 g (1 packed cup) mature cheddar cheese grated
- 50 g (1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- pinch dried thyme
- 375 g (13 oz) cooked chicken approx. 3 chicken breasts, shredded
- 100 g (3 1/4 packed cups) baby spinach leaves
- 350 g (3/4 lb) baby new potatoes thinly sliced (no need to peel)
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- fresh thyme to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots and cook on medium heat, stirring regularly until the onion softens.1 tbsp oil, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 3 medium carrots
- Add the wine, bring to the boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the cream and mustard and stir together. Heat through until almost boiling, then stir in both cheeses, along with a good pinch of salt, pepper, and dried thyme.4 tbsp white wine, 215 ml (1 cup minus 2 tbsp) double/heavy cream, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 100 g (1 packed cup) mature cheddar cheese, 50 g (1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, pinch dried thyme
- Add the cooked chicken and spinach and heat through until the spinach wilts.375 g (13 oz) cooked chicken, 100 g (3 1/4 packed cups) baby spinach leaves
- Spoon the chicken mixture into a large baking dish, then layer the potatoes on top, starting from the outside and working inwards. Once covered in the potato slices, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper.350 g (3/4 lb) baby new potatoes, 1 tbsp melted butter
- Place in the oven to bake for 30-40 mins, until the potatoes are tender and golden brown.
- Top with fresh thyme before serving.fresh thyme to garnish
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was first posted in March 2018. Updated since with tips and for housekeeping reasons.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, make the chicken and potato bake and bake it in the oven for just 15 minutes – until the potatoes are lightly cooked (they won’t be fully cooked). Then remove from the oven, cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
To reheat, take the dish out of the fridge an hour before you want to bake it (to take the chill off), then bake at 170C/325F (fan) for 20 minutes with a lid/foil on. Then turn up the oven to 200C/400F (fan), take the lid/foil off and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and crisp and the dish is piping hot throughout.
Par-cooking the dish in the oven before cooling and refrigerating it helps to prevent oxidation of the potatoes (when potatoes turn brown/grey when exposed to oxygen).
Yes, make the chicken and potato bake and bake it in the oven for just 15 minutes – until the potatoes are lightly cooked (they won’t be fully cooked). Then remove from the oven, cool, cover and freeze.
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then take the dish out of the fridge one hour before baking, to take the chill off.
Then reheat as per the ‘make-ahead’ instructions above.
If you are confident you can use a knife and chopping board and slice them on the side. Alternatively you can used a Mandolin (affiliate link) to get the perfect thickness slices. I don’t bother to peel the potatoes. If you’re using baby new potatoes like I have, then you don’t notice the skin.
Worried that buying a mandolin for this recipe might not be worth it? They come in really handy we have quite a few other recipes that use a mandolin; Lancashire Hotpot, Easy Ratatouille, Shoestring Fries or homemade Coleslaw.
🍲 More Creamy Chicken dinners
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
could you just use raw thin sliced chicken breasts since it will bake for 40 min,?
Love this recipe i think ive made it like 5 times already🤣
I agree with Craig below – I think this is one of the best meals I’ve ever cooked! Absolutely delicious, and really easy to make. I didn’t have any cooked chicken so poached raw chicken breasts in chicken stock over a low heat for 10 minutes, which worked fine. I will be making this regularly, thank you!
Hi Nicky,
Just made this and it is hands down the best thing I have ever made. The whole family agree. This will definitely be on the menu every week.
Thank you for the recipe!! :):):)
Hello
Delicious! Can you freeze this?
Thanks Sharon, yes, it should should freeze fine. Defrost in the refrigerator and heat back through in the oven until piping hot. It’s a good idea to top with foil up until the last couple of minutes of reheating to stop the potatoes browning too much.
Oh thats great! Thank you very much 🙂
This was delicious but I’d make a few tweaks if I make it next time.
I only had fresh thyme so I used that in it, I’m not sue I enjoyed the flavour so may omit it next time. I increased the Dijon to a tbsp and I could only mildly taste it with all the cream in the recipe. I’d reduce the parmesan next time too as it was a little too much.
Thank you for the recipe xx
So yummy ! I make this all the time
Thanks Danielle,
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe 🙂
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
This was absolutely delicious. A really good balance of flavours and textures, with the white wine, cream and two cheeses giving a lovely creamy taste.
Instead of using pre-cooked chicken I chopped up two large chicken breast fillets into small bite sized pieces then sautéed it first, setting it aside in a dish to continue as your recipe. I then returned the chicken to the pan with the spinach and then into the oven. Very easy to make and this will be a firm favourite mid week dinner. Great recipe, thanks.
Hi Cherry,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
love it! Exactly what I had in the fridge and easy to make. thanks!
Hi, I want to make this for a casual dinner next week. Can it be assembled a day ahead and then topped with potatoes and cooked in a disposable aluminum pan the day of?
Hi Charlene, yes, it should be fine for you to make the base ahead, then cool, cover and refrigerate it. It’s a good idea to slice the potatoes just before you bake it – as they’ll turn brown otherwise. Top with the sliced potatoes, butter and seasoning, then bake as per the recipe. Hope that helps 🙂
I’ve made this multiple times and it’s always a hit! I usually use chicken stock instead of wine and cream cheese instead of the heavy cream just because I always have those in the house. The veggies I throw in varies based on what’s in the fridge. Sometimes if I have it on hand, I use a little smoked cheddar which is amazing. I use an oven safe skillet and just leave everything in there instead of transferring it all to a baking dish…. why dirty another dish!?