Creamed Potatoes and Chicken

 

Creamed Potatoes is a  old fashioned dish and is not something you see much of these days.   It makes a fabulous side dish, but add some cooked chicken, turkey or ham and it becomes a wonderful main dish that the whole family will love! 

This recipe for creamed potatoes and chicken is sinfully delicious and makes for a wonderful midweek meal on a cold Winter's night.  It is comfort food pure and simple.

 

 

The recipe is one that I adapted from The Vintage Church Cookbook: Classic Recipes for Family and Flock. Not only did I adapt it but I downsized it to serve only two people.

I also took advantage of the fact that I had both leftover cooked turkey and ham in the fridge and so I used both of those in it.  But you can use chicken, on its own, or turkey or even ham on its own.

 

You can also leave out the protein entirely and what you end up with is a perfect side dish for any dinner!

You can also make this completely ahead, ready to pop into the oven when you need it. I do not recommend freezing it because of the potatoes which are in the dish.

I am always amazed at how you can put together a few simple ingredients, and even leftovers to come up with something that it so totally delicious as to become a family favorite! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CREAMED POTATOES AND CHICKEN

Like I said, very simple ingredients, put together in a totally delicious way. 

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 TBS butter
• 1 1/2 TBS plain, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt or as desired
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (115g) chopped cooked chicken (or turkey, or ham, or any combination of these)

 

 

As I said I cut the quantities of the original recipe in half so that it made enough for only two people. If you are wanting to serve more, simply double the amounts.

I also took the liberty of using both turkey and ham in mine because I had both of those in my fridge leftover from our holiday meals.

I also added a crunchy topping of 6 square saltine crackers, crumbled and mixed with 1/2 TBS melted butter.  I think any casserole with a crunchy topping added is automatically better! 

 

 

The cheese I used was orange in color but feel free to use white cheddar. Also I did reserve a TBS of it to scatter over the top with the cracker crumbs.

I also chose to spread it out in a thin layer in a casserole dish which was about 6 by 8 inches in size so I got more crunchy bits and edges. 

 

HOW TO MAKE CREAMED POTATOES AND CHICKEN

If you can make a simple béchamel or cheese sauce, then you can make this tasty casserole. It forms the basis of this delicious dish. 

You need to begin by peeling and cubing some potatoes into a 1/2-inch dice.  This gets boiled in lightly salted water until it is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.  Don't over cook it or they will fall apart. 

 

You want the potatoes to hold their shape, so only cook them until the tip of a sharp knife inserts itself easily.  Drain well and set aside. This should take no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in the same saucepan and then whisk in the flour.  Cook for a minute to cook out the flour taste and then slowly whisk in the milk. 

 

Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. You do this to prevent the sauce from forming lumps or catching on the bottom.

Stir in the cheese (reserving a bit for the top) and blend it in until it melts. 

 

Carefully fold in the potatoes, taking care to hold their shape.

If you are wanting to use this as a side dish, you can just pour it from this point into a baking dish, top with the reserved cheese and then bake it as per the recipe.

But if you are wanting it as a main dish, fold in the chicken, or ham, or turkey or both. (You can also add bacon, which is nice.)  Spread it into your buttered casserole dish. 

 

Like I said I really enjoy a crunchy topping on my casseroles.  For this one I crumbled about 6 saltine crackers and mixed them with some melted butter.

These got sprinkled evenly over the top along with the reserved cheese before popping the whole thing into the preheated oven.  (350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4)

 

20 minutes later you will be rewarded with a delicious main-dish casserole that you are sure to love.  If you want it a bit more golden brown, pop it briefly under a hot grill.

This is excellent. Rich. Creamy. Delicious.  As a main or as a side! 

 

Today I enjoyed this creamy dish as a main dish, along with some corn and some turnips that I reheated that were leftover from our Christmas Dinner.  With the cost of food going up and up and up, I don't want to waste anything! 

This was quite simply delicious.  Quick and easy to throw together.  I call this a winner winner/chicken dinner!  (Except it was turkey, and ham.)

 
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