Are you ready for a lip smacking dinner? Chicken and potato casserole is out of this world casserole recipe. It has a chicken layer with vegetables topped with mashed and seasoned potato balls, covered with silky smooth white sauce, and then topped with mozzarella cheese. I’m not done yet! The best part about this recipe is that you can use leftover chicken or a pre-cooked chicken. If you want to make it with fresh chicken, I will also share that method in this post. Don’t forget to watch the video tutorial too. I have you covered!
I’m not sure where this recipe originated, but it was viral on YouTube and shared by many Arabic speaking channels. I have tried it one time and couldn’t believe how incredible it tasted. I hope you give it a try; it is worth trying.
Chicken topped with potato balls and white sauce
This recipe is a time saving and a crowd-pleaser. The different textures, from juicy and seasoned chicken mixed with vegetables, then comes the creamy mashed potato, and of course, the white sauce takes all casserole recipes to another level. Imagine having all these flavors in your mouth from one bite!
Ingredients to make chicken and potato casserole
Cooked chicken or two chicken breasts shredded. You can also cut the chicken into cubes if you wish.
Onion.
Carrot.
Oil. You can use olive oil, but it’s better to use oils like sunflower or canola oil.
Black pepper, salt, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder.
Water.
Potatoes.
Butter.
For the white sauce:
Milk.
Butter.
Salt.
Black pepper.
All Purpose-flour.
How to make a chicken and potato casserole?
To make the chicken: In a pan, add the oil; when hot, add the onion and sauté until translucent.
Add the carrots and sauté until lighter in color. Add the chicken and mix.
Season with the spices and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Add water and cook for one more minute.
Transfer the chicken to your baking pan.
To make the potatoes: Clean and boil the potatoes without cutting or peeling them. I know that it is faster to cut the potatoes and then boil them, but I wanted to save all that starch to have a richer and flavorful mashed potato.
When the potatoes are thoroughly cooked (Inserting a knife in the middle of the potato and if it went through smoothly, the potatoes are done.), let them cool a little and then peel them and mash them until smooth.
Add the butter, black pepper, and salt. Mix the ingredients using a masher or a wooden spoon.
Keep it aside to cool because you will form balls from it, and you won’t be able to do so if the mashed potato is still hot.
Make the white sauce: In a saucepan, add the butter when the butter melts, add the flour and stir for 2 minutes on medium-low heat. We have to get rid of the raw flour smell before adding the milk.
Add half the milk in one go while whisking, when the sauce thickens a little add the rest of the milk, and keep whisking until you get a silky smooth sauce.
Turn off the heat and season the sauce with black pepper and salt. Mix well.
To assemble the casserole: In a 9-inch baking pan, add the chicken and spread it evenly.
Rub your hand with oil and form 9 balls from the mashed potato and place them over the chicken. You can also use an Ice cream scoop for this step.
Pour the white sauce over the chicken and potato balls. Add a generous layer of shredded mozzarella cheese on top and bake.
Tips to make this dish a fail-proof
- You can use any type of potatoes except sweet potatoes.
- If you don’t have pre-cooked chicken, then cut two skinless chicken breasts or three skinless chicken thighs into cubes and add them after the onion is translucent. When you see brown patches on the chicken, add the carrot and cook for few more minutes, then follow the recipe as mentioned in the recipe card below. Make sure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- When boiling whole potatoes with skin, first scrub the potatoes clean under running water. Place the potatoes in a large pan and cover with room temperature water; I mean, it shouldn’t be hot nor cold. Turn the heat to high and let it come to a boil. I have used russets potatoes and took 30 minutes to cook. Other smaller in size potatoes will take lesser time to cook.
- You can add mushroom and bell pepper to the chicken. Avoid using tomatoes; the tomatoes' acid will take away some of the flavors in this dish.
- You can use low-fat milk in the white sauce but not skim nor almond milk.
- When forming balls from the mashed potato, rub your hand with oil; it will make the process faster and easier. In case you used an ice cream scoop, apply little oil to the ice cream scoop to make releasing the potato balls easier.
- Always preheat the oven, turn it on and use it after 20 minutes.
- All the casseroles' ingredients are cooked so if the casserole's surface is not golden brown, turn on the broiler for a few minutes and keep an eye on the casserole so it doesn’t burn.
- The chicken shouldn’t stick to the bottom of the baking pan, but if you are afraid that it might, then rub the bottom of your baking pan lightly with butter.
How to store chicken potato casserole
You can store the leftover in the fridge. Cover the pan with a plastic wrap and then with a foil. Place it in the refrigerator for two days.
To heat the chicken potato casserole, place a portion in a microwave-safe plate and microwave it for three minutes. Or you can place a portion in a baking pan and heat it in the oven for a few minutes.
📖 Recipe
Chicken and Potato Casserole
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- Two cooked and shredded chicken breast or three pre-cooked chicken thighs shredded
- 1 shredded carrot.
- I chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup of hot water
FOR THE MASHED POTATOES
- 2 medium-size russets potato boiled with skin on 593gm
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon black or white pepper
FOR THE WHITE SAUCE
- 2 cup milk
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ cup butter or 50gm
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CHICKEN
- In a pan, add the oil, and when hot, add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the shredded carrot and cook for 2 minutes or until the color of the carrot turns lighter.
- Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spices and stir for 1 minute on medium heat.
- Pour the hot water and cook for one minute.
- Transfer the chicken to a baking pan and spread evenly.
TO MAKE THE MASHED POTATOES
- Rub and clean the potatoes under running water, then place it in a large pan.
- Cover the potatoes with water, then turn on the heat. Let the water come to a boil and allow the potatoes to cook for 30 minutes. Check if the potatoes are cooked by inserting a knife in the middle of the potatoes, the knife should go in smoothly.
- Allow the potatoes to cool, and then peel the potatoes and mash them with a masher. Add the butter, salt, and black pepper. Mix with a spoon or a masher.
- Keep the mashed potato aside to cool because you are going to form balls from it.
- When the mashed potatoes are cool, form 9 equal size balls. You can use your hands to create the balls. Rub your hand with oil and form the balls, or you can use an ice cream scoop.
TO MAKE THE WHITE SAUCE
- In a saucepan, add the butter. When the butter melts, add to it the flour.
- Stir to cook the flour on medium heat to remove the raw smell from it. Around one to two minutes.
- Add half the milk in one go while whisking to avoid forming lumps.
- When the sauce thickens, pour the rest of the milk and keep on whisking.
- When the sauce is creamy, thickens, and silky in texture, turn off the heat and season with black pepper and salt. Stir the sauce one last time.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CHICKEN POTATO CASSEROLE
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Place the potato balls over the chicken.
- Pour the white sauce over the chicken and potatoes. Try to spread the sauce as even as you could.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the white sauce. Bake the casserole for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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angiesrecipes
A perfectly warming, comforting and tasty dish! I would love some too!!
munatycooking
Hey Angie, I love making this recipe, it's on my comfort food list 🙂
randi
Seems this is a great recipe. I want to try asap. I follow a diet and don't use all purpose flour in my cooking now. Therefore please tell me substitute for all purpose flour.
Thank you!
munatycooking
Hi Randi, you can use cornstarch, use half the amount of the flour mentioned in the recipe, that's 1/4 cup. Do not stir it with butter for long, few seconds are enough, then follow the recipe as written in the recipe card. Let me know how it turned out for you, please!