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Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Leek Hotpot [Video]

Most hotpots are made with lamb. They’re dark and beefy and usually take a couple of hours to cook. I wanted to make a creamy version. Something just as comforting to have on a Sunday night, but a little bit quicker and with chicken and bacon instead of lamb.Cream
The soft buttery leeks and smokey bacon make this creamy sauce actually addictive! I used chicken thighs in this. They’re much cheaper than breast, have more flavour and when you’re doing slightly longer oven cooks like this one, it’s so much more tender.
Servings: 4
Author: Amy Sheppard - Amy Sheppard Food

Ingredients

  • 450 g (1lb) medium sized white potatoes
  • Oil for frying
  • 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon cut into 2-3cm (~1inch) pieces (streaky bacon is standard US-style bacon)
  • 1 large leek cut into 1cm (~½-inch) slices
  • 600 g (1lb 3oz) skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into medium pieces.
  • 2 Tbsp plain flour
  • 380 ml (13 fl.oz) hot chicken stock
  • 150 ml (5 fl.oz) single cream
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used Rosemary & Thyme)
  • 20 g (1oz) melted butter
  • 70 g (2½oz) grated cheddar cheese
  • Salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes, before slicing them widthways as thinly as you can. Place them in a bowl, covered in cold water. Leave them to soak until you need them, to get rid of the starch, changing the water a couple of times.
  • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large non-stick pan that can be used on the hob and under the grill. (Don’t worry if you don’t have one, you can transfer it to an ovenproof dish before baking)
  • Add the sliced bacon and fry for 3 minutes, turning regularly until starting to colour.
  • Add the leeks to the pan and fry for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the leeks are beginning to soften.
  • Remove the bacon and leek from the pan and set aside.
  • Add the chicken thigh to the same pan and fry for 3-5 minutes on a medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off the excess fat.
  • Heat the oven to 200C fan / 425F / Gas Mark 7
  • Add the flour to the pan and on the heat, stir until the chicken is coated, the flour has disappeared and the mixture is sizzling a little.
  • Add half the stock to the pan and stir until it comes to the boil and thickens.
  • Add the other half of the stock and do the same.
  • Stir in the cream, the bacon and leek and the chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
  • If your pan isn’t ovenproof, this is the point you can transfer the filling to a baking dish.
  • Drain the potatoes. Pat the slices dry with kitchen roll. Add them to the top of the filling, slightly overlapping and brush with melted butter.
  • Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Top the hotpot with a handful of grated cheese, before returning to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until the potato is soft and the top is crisp and golden brown.

Notes

Tips & Swaps
  • Add more veggies to this by frying small florets of broccoli with the leek or stirring in chopped fresh spinach with the stock.
  • You can swap the sliced potatoes for mash if you prefer and you can still add grated cheddar cheese to the top before baking!
  • If you’re not a fan of chicken thighs, you can use chicken breast.