Chicken spinach potato bake with garlic cream sauce

 

Meat, potatoes and a vegetable in a cream sauce baked in a casserole. It's a lot like the basic formula for hot dish/casserole, only with a notable upgrade in the sauce department. (And minus any crunchy topping component.)

Chicken and potato bake with spinach and garlic Parmesan sauce
From "Scrumptious" by Christy Denney as published in the Sunday Supper section of the Star Tribune.

Ingredients
3 cups peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup plus 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups spinach leaves, roughly torn
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 cup broth
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Place potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in a large skillet. Brown chicken on both sides. Remove and place on top of potatoes in baking dish.

If needed, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same skillet. Add spinach and cook briefly until wilted. Season with salt and place in pan around chicken.

Melt ¼ cup butter in skillet. Add garlic and cook briefly until fragrant. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes until no longer raw. Add thyme and rosemary. Slowly whisk in broth. Stir in cream and Parmesan. Cook a few minutes until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and potatoes are tender.

Rating: Essentially a casserole, only looser. Fast enough one-pan dinner. Decent enough sauce. Maybe try again with Gruyere and kale?