Yummy Chicken Hot Pot with Mushrooms

This farmhouse-style dish is a natural evolution of the classic Lancashire version, which uses lamb or mutton and root vegetables.

Quick and easy to make with very few ingredients, and plenty of easy variations for any taste, this recipe is absolutely yummy!

Serve it with roasted fennel, sauteed spinach, boiled peas, and homemade gravy!

Chicken Hot Pot Recipe Ingredients

• Chicken: A mix of skinless and boneless chicken will work well, however, thighs and breast are my favorites!
• Mushrooms: Chestnut mushrooms [or cremini mushrooms] are excellent for most recipes that pair them with a meat component, as they have a nutty and earthy taste. You can use other types if preferred, or mix them! Good additions or alternatives are Portobello mushrooms [which are chestnut mushrooms that have been allowed to fully grow], button mushrooms, and shiitake.
• Carrots, Celery, Onion, and Garlic: These ingredients bulk up the filling of the pie.
• Oil, Salt, and Pepper
• Parsley: It is the perfect herb to be used in this chicken and mushroom hot pot and will work either fresh or dry.
• Potatoes: Used to top the pie.
• All-Purpose Flour, and Milk: These ingredients are added to make the filling creamy, however, for a less dense result, a chicken stock cube and water [or ready-made stock] can be used instead.

How to make chicken and mushroom hot pot?

1. To start, heat the oven to 400* Fahrenheit [180 degrees Celsius (FAN), 200 degrees Celsius static, Gas mark 6].
2. For the chicken and mushroom casserole, warm up a medium-sized saucepan with some olive oil on medium heat; once warm, add the thinly chopped onions, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves and season with some salt.
3. Once the onion has softened and turned transparent, add the diced chicken; turn the heat to high and lightly brown the chicken for a couple of minutes. Once all the sides of the chicken have been seared, lower the flame back to medium and cover the saucepan with a lid.
4. Allow the chicken to cook for 3 to 4 further minutes, then add the chunks of mushrooms; mix well and allow to cook for 5 minutes with a lid on the saucepan, which will prevent the juice of the chicken and mushrooms from evaporating.
5. The chicken chunks and mushrooms will be nearly cooked, so add your herbs and seasoning of choice (i.e.: parsley and black pepper) and mix well.
6. Lastly, add the flour to the filling and mix well; once the flour has coated all of the ingredients, add the milk, mix well and remove from the hob.
7. To prepare the topping , wash and peel two medium-sized white potatoes, then cut them into slices about ⅙ inch [4mm] thick. Bring to the boil a large pot of salted water and add the sliced potatoes to it; allow the potatoes to simmer on a medium flame for about 4 minutes, then drain and allow to lightly cool down, until easy to handle by hand.
8. Put the hot pot filling in the chosen baking dish (I used a glass dish approximately 8-inches – 21 cm -in diameter) and even the surface out, without overly pressing the content.
9. Cover the whole surface of the filling using the slices of potatoes, ensuring that each slice is slightly overlapping with the next one.
10. Cover the dish with a sheet of foil or a lid suitable for baking; put the covered dish on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the potatoes turn golden brown.
11. Remove from the oven and allow the dish to rest for 5 to 10 minutes, before serving. Enjoy!

How to store chicken hot pot?

• In the fridge: Once baked, this dish can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 4 days, but the vegetables will start to change consistency after the second day. Before serving again, reheat the portion fully, ensuring it is piping hot.
• In the freezer: This English hot pot can be also frozen either before or after baking; in either case, ensure it is fully tawed before either baking it or warming it up again.

A few notes:

• Seasoning: For a kick, add a little paprika or, to make it feel more like a holiday dish, chop some rosemary or thyme and add to the casserole filling.
• Topping: to keep it traditional, I have used white potatoes for the topping, however, most other roasting vegetables would work well. 
• Leftover Chicken: This recipe can also be made using leftover roasted, grilled, or boiled chicken.

This chicken and mushroom hot pot with potato topping will definitely tackle all the cravings you may have during cold winter days, as it is the ultimate comfort food. Give it a go!