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Baked Chicken Gratin with Potatoes

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Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • One 2 1/2- to 3 1/2 pound organic whole chicken, cut up (or use all legs and thighs, or all breasts)
  • Salt
  • tablespoons  butter
  • 2 cups  baguette or country style bread, torn into large pieces
  • 1/3 cup  white wine

For the sauce:

  • 3/4 cup  heavy cream
  • 3 egg yolks
  • Salt, pepper
  • 3 ounces  freshly grated Gruyère
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon and deglazing liquid
  • 1 lb.  small potatoes (such as fingerling or baby Yukon Gold), halved lengthwise
  • Chopped fresh Italian parsley, to garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 400° F. Generously salt the chicken pieces.
  • In a large cast iron pan, melt the butter and brown the chicken over medium heat until nearly done and lightly colored on all sides, about 25 minutes.
  • Don't wash the pan!! You'll use the chicken fat to brown the bread crumbs.
  • Transfer the chicken to a large gratin dish. Arrange the chicken in a single layer, side by side.
  • Toast the torn bread, over low to medium heat, in the chicken fat/butter until slightly crisp and pale blonde.
  • Put them aside (don't worry if a few remain in the pan) and deglaze the pan with the white wine, reducing it by about half.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, egg yolks, seasonings, and cheese, until fully incorporated.
  • Then whisk in the lemon and the deglazing liquid.
  • Spoon the mixture evenly over the chicken pieces, scatter the potatoes around the chicken, and bake 25 minutes or until the surface is nicely colored.
  • There's a good chance the sauce will break and look curdled -- that's ok!! It will still taste amazing!
  • If you want to try to prevent this from happening, leave out the lemon juice. When the chicken is cooked through, remove to a plate, then, off the heat, stir in the lemon juice to the sauce. Add the chicken back to the pan.
  • Serve immediately, garnish with parsley and toasted croutons.