This French-Inspired Chicken Casserole Is Everything I Want to Eat Right Now
When it’s time to slide a cozy casserole into the oven for dinner, I know it’s fall. One of my favorites to make in the early autumn, chicken Parmentier, is a mash-up of chicken pot pie and shepherd’s pie with a French twist. If you love chicken pot pie, I urge you to give this French chicken casserole a try this fall. You won’t be disappointed.
Get the recipe: Chicken Parmentier
What Makes Chicken Parmentier So Good
Chicken Parmentier is a lighter twist on the French version of shepherd’s pie, a dish called hachis Parmentier. Like many chicken casseroles, this one starts with shredded chicken. You can bake the chicken yourself or do what I do and start with a rotisserie chicken. (BTW, have you tried this brilliant technique for shredding a rotisserie chicken? It’s so smart.)
The vegetables are where the French inspiration comes into play. It calls for a shallot instead of a yellow onion for a delicate, sweet flavor with a hint of garlic. In addition to the usual suspects of carrots, celery, frozen peas, and garlic, add diced fennel to the mix. Fennel has a crunchy texture that caramelizes beautifully when sautéed. I’ll admit that I avoided fennel for years, afraid that its anise (or licorice) flavor would overpower my dinners (now I know better, thanks to trying out this recipe for roasted fennel). The anise flavor mellows into the background and gives the filling a certain je ne sais quoi that keeps you coming back for more. The filling is finished with tarragon, an herb frequently used in French cooking. Most grocery stores carry fresh tarragon, but if your store is out, simply chop up the fennel fronds and add those to the dish.
The finishing touch is a cap of fluffy mashed potatoes spiked with a dash of nutmeg. Yukon gold potatoes are perfect here. This variety gives the casserole a warm, golden hue, thanks also in part to the pair of egg yolks stirred into the mash. Dollop or pipe the potatoes over the top, depending on how fancy you want your casserole to look, and finish with pats of butter that melt into the potatoes as the chicken Parmentier bakes.
Get the recipe: Chicken Parmentier
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