Ultimate comfort food, this chicken raclette casserole

Casseroles are the patron saints of comfort food. They’re a nostalgic feast for the taste buds and food for the soul. In Casseroles, Wim Ballieu brings together his 60 favorite casseroles. Vegetarian, with meat or fish, and above all: packed with vegetables. Anyone who thinks you can only eat casseroles in winter is seriously mistaken (and missing out on a lot in life, too). Make this one right away: this chicken raclette.

How to make the chicken raclette

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Scrub the baby potatoes clean and mix them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with pepper and salt. Place them in a casserole dish with the (unpeeled) garlic and rosemary. Put the potatoes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• Season the chicken fillets with chicken seasoning. Place them among the potatoes. Bake in the oven for another 15 minutes.
• Peel the potatoes for the mash and cook them until tender in salted water. Wash the Swiss chard (or leaf beet) and remove the leaves from the stems. Cut the stems into pieces and the leaves into strips. Set aside.
• Fry the stems in a splash of olive oil. Add the leaves when the stems are almost tender. Mash the potatoes with a knob of butter and a splash of milk. Season with freshly ground pepper, salt and nutmeg. Stir in the Swiss chard.
• Spoon the mash over the baby potatoes and chicken. Place the slices of raclette cheese on top and put under the hot grill for a few minutes.

Tip: I sometimes make this when I’m preparing raclette for guests. The casserole dish sits next to the charcuterie, along with beetroot and pickles. The guests scrape their cheese from the raclette grill and eat it with small portions of this dish. Delicious!

Title: Casseroles
Author: Wim Ballieu
Price: €24,50
Publisher: Pelckmans

Read also:

• Vegan mac ‘n cheese by Jamie Oliver
• Video: Jamie Oliver’s 3x scrambled eggs
• Quick Asian fish cakes by Jamie Oliver