Chicken potato casserole is comfort food at its finest, full of flavor but loaded with chicken and veggies to makes the dish deceptively light and healthy.
Its summah time and the livin’s easy. So easy that I haven’t done a blog post in over two weeks! Sorry food lovers.
I’ve been wrapped up in my own little world of crazy over here. We’ve had a series of visitors staying at casa de Christy over the last month and this week has been my recovery time… before we do it all over again.
I know I’ve talked about our house being a magnet for visitors before, but my views have changed so much on it all over the past year. Its crazy, its fun, it can be stressful, but I don’t think I would change it.
I love being able to spend that kind of time with our nearest and dearest while they pass through town. Life is short and not making time for the people that mean the most to you is really a damn shame.
These last few years I have been in such a go, go, go mode, trying to figure out what I want my life to be like, that at times, I straight up forget to just live already.
Relax, breathe, and enjoy it. We only get one life and it would be a pity to let it slip right by without early morning coffee in the garden, long walks with the dog, nights by the fire pit, way too much wine, and stopping to soak up the sheer awesomeness that is summer.
Take a deep breath. Let go of perfect, and embrace the moment. Doesn’t that feel fabulous?
Now on to what you’re really here for – food! This chicken potato casserole is where its at people. I’ve made it a handful of times in the last month because its just so easy and comforting. I know, I know, its July, why in the holy shiznit is comfort food on the menu.
Well, sometimes you just want chicken and potatoes. And you want said items to be covered in cheese. ASAP please.
It takes a good 20 minutes of prep work to get this chicken potato casserole in the oven, most of that being chopping. A lot of people complain about these kinds of recipes, but I really don’t mind the chopping one bit. When I’m exhausted after work and my mind is a million miles away, thinking about a hundred different things, simplicity is king. I go into auto pilot and want an easy recipe that I can totally zone out on. Even better if I can pop it in the oven and forget it for a while.
If you’re looking for other simple recipes, with about 20 minutes of active time, check out this enchilada casserole or this Indian curry dal. Yum yums.
Here’s what this dish looks like pre-baked. Doesn’t that just scream simplicity at its finest?
Plus, can I get an amen for only having to clean one dish? My lazy dish doing tendencies strike again!
But seriously… screw dishes. I consider them my evil nemesis. Covered in baked on food from bygone meals, dishes can suck it. A sink full of pots and pans can really get my panties in a bunch.
Needless to say, I’m all about the one potters, and this chicken potato casserole fits the bill perfectly.
At about 450 calories per serving, its probably one of the lighter comfort foods you’ll find too. Its amazing how far a light sprinkle of cheese will go. No need to drown it in the stuff, just add a touch for flavor.
The reason this dish works so well all comes down to size. This is where size really matters. Chicken and peppers are going to cook faster than potatoes of the same size. Its just the way it is.
Buuuut, cut those taters in half, and you’ve got yourself an effective work around. Chicken potato casserole for the win!
You can see in the pic below what I mean. Chicken chunks are bigger, potato chunks are smaller. Not rocket science, just a little chop chop magic.
Those of you who have been reading Feasting Not Fasting for a while, probably know I’m a potato fan. Remember that potato skillet I shared forever ago? Or my breakfast sweet potato skillet (one of my absolute fav’s)? Yeah, I love me some potatoes.
They get a bad rep, but are really not bad for you at all! Sure, you don’t want to eat them all day, every day, but they’re full of fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin C… and the list could go on and on.
French fries are terrible for you, but wouldn’t carrot fries be too? Its all about the cooking method, not the potato itself. Stop picking on potatoes already you carb fearing bullies.
Forget all this talk about what’s good and what’s bad. If it come from the ground and isn’t processed to high hell, your body can make use of it. So, feed your body what it wants. It’ll thank you.
- 1½ lbs. chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
- 1½ lbs. yellow potatoes, cut into ½" pieces
- 2 red peppers, seeds removed and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup onion, cut into 1" pieces (use outer, larger rings of onion for this)
- 1 head garlic, cloves separated and skin removed; cut larger cloves in half*
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1½ tsp. paprika
- 1¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray or rub with additional oil.
- Use a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry chicken and vegetables off and absorb excess moisture.
- Place chicken, potatoes, red pepper, onion slices, and garlic into prepared baking dish and drizzle with 3 Tbsp. oil.
- Add paprika, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and rub in with hands to coat evenly.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring once half way through.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Turn oven to broil and cook for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
** This recipe was inspired and adapted from Life in the Loft House's Loaded Chicken Potato Casserole recipe.
What are your favorite one pot meals?
I don’t have any red peppers, so I’m going to try this with other veggies, probably broccoli. Large family to feed so I may add additional veg. Hope it works out because this sounds so yummy .
That should work! Broccoli cooks fast so I’d make the pieces a little bit bigger. As long as you cut the veggies and chicken the right size so that they are done at the same time, it should work just fine. If I’m feeding kiddies with this recipe, sometimes I add more cheese just to make sure it goes over well. 🙂
This was a very flavorful dish! My chicken was a little dry. Perhaps I should have left the chicken in bigger pieces or used a little more oil (I didn’t measure the oil, but I doubt I used 3 Tbsp.) Thank you for the recipe.
The first time I made it I tried to skimp on the oil to make it healthier but kept running into dry chicken and potatoes too. Its a bummer to have to add so much but its pretty necessary in this dish. Maybe I’ll try a version with chicken thighs next time and see if the natural fat in them keeps it more juicy. You’re giving me ideas now! 😉
Hi Christy, I made this dish today w/ modifications. Used up some vegetables that needed to be used. Also, diced up extra onions & put in extra garlic, added tomatoes, spinach, broccoli but no peppers. Tossed it all in olive oil, fresh basil & fresh cilantro. Made this for myself, meal prepping so to speak lol so if I want to add cheese I can later. Thanks for the idea.
✌☺
Here a link to the photo.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjVMovvHsCb/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=cistixxgiep9
Sounds delicious! Using up random veggies in the fridge is where I come up with the best recipe ideas. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! I was looking for a casserole full of vegetable goodness, and this fit the bill! The first time I made it, I followed the instructions exactly, adding only some broccoli. Everyone agreed that the flavor was excellent, but that it was a little dry, and that the feeling of the dish was more along the lines of “roasted chicken and veggies” than “casserole.”
The second time I made it, I added more types of veggies (broccoli, carrot, pumpkin), but only used one bell pepper. I sauteed the chicken and onions in butter and garlic. Then I sauteed the other veggies in butter and garlic and simmered them in 2 cups of chicken broth until the potatoes were somewhat tender. Then I poured everything, including the residual broth, into the 3 qt casserole dish and stirred until it was throughly mixed. I added and mixed in the olive oil and spices — minus the garlic, since I’d used it to saute. I did increase the spices and oil slightly because of the overall increase of ingredients. Then I baked, stirred, and added cheese according to the recipe.
The result was *amazing.* Everyone raved about it. I realize the added butter makes it a bit less healthy, but the added vegetables make up for that, right? <__>
Thank you for this recipe. It may seem like I made a lot of changes, but it’s still your recipe at the heart of it, and it’s *so good.*
Note: Since our budget is dieting more than we are right now, I served this with steamed rice to make it stretch. It would also have gone well with brown rice or with biscuits.
Note 2: Rating is 4 stars for recipe as written, 5 stars with alterations.
Happy you found a version that works for you! This recipe is truly a base that’s meant to be tweaked to fit your preferences and I can’t wait to try it your way. 🙂