Potato bake with chicken and leek Recipe
This potato bake with chicken and leek is a typical “Sunday one-dish dinner” that often appears on Polish tables when you don’t want to dirty a million pots. Tender chicken, sweet leek and creamy potatoes create a kind of simpler version of French gratin, but in a more homely style. It’s ideal when you have a couple of chicken breasts and some potatoes left in the fridge.
This potato bake with chicken and leek is the essence of a Polish “stress-free Sunday dinner” – everything goes into one dish and the oven does the rest. Tender chicken, sweet leek and a creamy sauce create something between a homemade gratin and a casserole from a traditional milk bar, only in a more polished version. It’s especially appreciated by those who like hearty, filling meals but don’t want to watch over three pots at once.
Chef's tips
The key is an even thickness of the potato slices – if some are too thick, the centres will stay hard while the top is already browned; if in doubt, slice them a bit thinner. I cut the chicken into fairly small pieces so it has time to cook through in the sauce and stays juicy rather than dry. After taking the bake out of the oven, be sure to give it those 10 minutes of rest – the sauce will thicken and the portions won’t fall apart when serving.
How to serve
It tastes best on a Sunday afternoon with a simple sauerkraut salad or grated carrot and apple salad, which add a bit of freshness to the creamy sauce. To drink, homemade compote, a slightly dry white wine or simply hot tea all work well, especially after coming back from a long, chilly walk. If there are leftovers, they make an excellent Monday lunch to reheat at work.
Ingredients
- potatoes starchy, for baking - 800 g
- chicken breast - 400 g
- leek white and light green part - 1 piece
- 30% cream - 200 ml
- milk - 100 ml
- yellow cheese grated finely - 120 g
- rapeseed oil for frying the leek - 1 tablespoon
- butter for greasing the dish - 10 g
- garlic - 2 cloves
- salt for the potatoes, chicken and sauce - 1.5 teaspoons
- black pepper freshly ground - 0.5 teaspoons
- sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon
- dried thyme - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Grease a 2-litre ovenproof dish with butter.
- Peel the potatoes, rinse and slice thinly, about 3 mm thick. It’s best to use a sharp knife or a slicer attachment on a grater.
- Rinse the chicken breast, pat dry with paper towel and cut into thin strips or small pieces. Transfer to a bowl, add 0.5 teaspoon of salt, pepper, sweet paprika and thyme and mix thoroughly.
- Wash the leek carefully, especially between the layers where sand tends to hide. Slice it into thin half-moons.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the leek and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until softened and slightly glossy but not browned.
- Peel the garlic, press it through a garlic press or chop finely and add to the leek for the last minute of frying. Remove the pan from the heat.
- In a bowl mix the cream with the milk, add 0.5 teaspoon of salt and half of the grated cheese. Stir until the cheese starts to melt slightly into the liquid.
- Arrange the first layer of potato slices on the bottom of the ovenproof dish, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Spread half of the chicken over the potatoes, then half of the fried leek on top. Pour over part of the cream sauce (about one-third).
- Repeat the layers: potatoes, a pinch of salt, the remaining chicken, the remaining leek, another portion of sauce. Arrange a final layer of potatoes on top and pour over the remaining sauce so that as much of the surface as possible is covered with liquid.
- Cover the dish with aluminium foil (shiny side in) and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the foil, sprinkle the top with the remaining grated cheese and bake for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
- After removing from the oven, let the bake rest for 10 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly and the portions are easier to cut.
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven, covered with foil so the top doesn’t burn and the inside heats through evenly; you can also reheat individual portions in the microwave.
