Baked Creamy Chicken and Potatoes

My oldest daughter, Yissi, is going away to college. For one of her last meals, she asked that I make Baked Creamy Chicken and Potatoes. This is one of those recipes that I stumbled upon by chance years ago on the internet. I had some chicken thighs but couldn’t decide what to do with them. A random search on the net turned up this recipe which I decided to try and boy am I glad I did. My family loved it! I’ve made it several times since then. It fast became one of Yissi’s favorite dishes.

I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs just because they’re easy. I’ve also made this recipe several times without the parsley and it works just fine. You could also probably substitute real cheddar cheese for the Velveeta if you wanted to. The recipe is pretty versatile. Casa Veneracion, the blog this recipe came from, has quite a lot of yummy-looking recipes. Go check it out when you have time. I’m sure glad I did. This recipe was a great find.

BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN AND POTATOES
(adapted from Casa Veneracion)

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 medium-size potatoes
• 1 small onion
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup grated Velveeta cheese
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• butter or margarine for frying

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges. I used red skinned potatoes so I wouldn’t have to bother peeling them.
3. Peel the onion, cut into halves and slice into thin wedges.
4. Melt the butter or margarine in a saute pan. When hot, brown the chicken thighs, turning them for even browning. Transfer the browned chicken to a baking pan.
   NOTE:  The chicken thighs don’t need to be cooked through at this point.
   Just brown the outside and transfer them to the baking pan.
5. Brown the potato wedges in the same pan you fried the chicken in; then add the cooked potatoes on top of the cooked chicken in the baking pan.
6. Saute the sliced onion and scatter on top of the chicken and potatoes.
7. Pour the cream over the chicken, potatoes and onions. You may season with more salt and pepper at this point.
8. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, if using.
9. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, piercing it with a fork in a few places to create steam vents.
10. Bake in a preheated 350^o oven for 30 minutes or so, depending on the size of the chicken thighs.
11. Take the baking pan out of the oven and remove the foil, being careful not to burn your fingers.
12. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the cooked chicken and potatoes.
13. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the cheese melts.

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