Herbed Chicken Casserole With Golden Potato Topping
This herbed chicken casserole pairs tender shredded chicken and vegetables in a light thyme sauce with a creamy mashed-potato and cheese topping. The potatoes are enriched with butter, milk, and egg yolks, and finished with grated Parmesan or Emmental, resulting in a beautifully golden crust when baked in the oven. It’s a hearty dish, like a blend of chicken stew and cottage pie. Perfect for chilly days and easy family meals.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Filling
- 500 g chicken thighs, boneless, skinless or chicken breast fillets
- 6 dl (2 ½ cups) chicken broth, divided
- 1 dl (½ cup) dry white wine or apple juice, or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar + and a splash of water
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks sliced thinly
- 2-3 shallots diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 200 g crushed tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes
- 100 g black olives pitted and halved
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
For the Potato Topping
- 700 g floury potatoes
- 2 tsp salt for cooking the potatoes
- 1.5 dl (⅔ cup) milk
- 30 g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- Grated Parmesan or Emmental cheese for topping
Instructions
Start with the potato mash
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Cook them in salted water until tender. Drain well.
- Heat the milk.
- Mash the potatoes and add butter and hot milk.
- Let the mash cool to room temperature, then mix in the egg yolks. Set aside.
Cook the chicken
- Place the chicken thighs in a pot and cover with 4 - 6 dl of the chicken broth. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15–20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the liquid and let it cool slightly. Shred or chop into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the cooking broth.
Prepare the vegetable base
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the diced carrots, celery, and shallots until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Deglaze and build the sauce
- Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, olives, 3 - 4 dl of the remaining broth, thyme, black pepper, and salt.
- Let the sauce simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Stir the shredded chicken into the sauce and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Add a splash of broth if it becomes too thick.
Assemble the casserole
- Transfer the chicken mixture into an ovenproof dish.
- Spoon or pipe the potato mash on top.
- Finish with a light scattering of grated Parmesan or Emmental.
Bake
- Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 15–20 minutes, or until the potato topping is lightly golden.
Notes
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as written, or substitute chicken breast fillets if you prefer.
• Leftover roasted chicken also works wonderfully and makes the recipe even quicker.
• You can prepare the mash earlier in the day; keep it covered until needed.
• Add herbs like rosemary or parsley for variation.
• Substitute the white wine with additional chicken broth if preferred.
• This dish reheats well and makes excellent leftovers.
• Leftover roasted chicken also works wonderfully and makes the recipe even quicker.
• You can prepare the mash earlier in the day; keep it covered until needed.
• Add herbs like rosemary or parsley for variation.
• Substitute the white wine with additional chicken broth if preferred.
• This dish reheats well and makes excellent leftovers.