Italian Chicken Bake

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This Italian Chicken Bake uses simple, store-bought ingredients, yet tastes restaurant-quality!

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Resting Time15

Total Time1 15

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: - 5

Author: Chris Collins

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels for drying sun dried tomatoes
Medium Sized Mixing Bowl (for coating chicken)
Large Pan & Tongs
Wooden Spoon
Jug (for liquids)
25cm x 17cm / 10" x 6.5" Baking Dish (or roughly the same size)
Serving Spoon

Ingredients

Chicken

600g / 1.3lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, diced into bite-sized pieces (see notes)
1 tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Oil from the jar (sub olive oil)
1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Bake

100g / 3.5oz Pancetta, diced
1 small White Onion, finely diced
3 tbsp Plain Flour
240ml / 1 cup Chicken Stock (zero/low salt - see notes)
240ml / 1 cup Milk (I use semi-skimmed)
120ml / 1/2 cup Double/Heavy Cream
20g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
100g / 3.5oz Sun Dried Tomatoes, thoroughly patted dry to remove excess oil
100g / 3.5oz Baby Spinach Leaves, large stalks removed and roughly diced
150g / 5.3oz Focaccia, sliced into small croutons (see notes)
Oil Spray, as needed

Instructions

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the diced chicken with oil and seasoning until the chicken is fully coated.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, space out the chicken and fry both sides for 3-4 minutes until the chicken browns (should be cooked through at this point, but it will continue cooking later, so don't panic if it's not). Remove the chicken and place it in a bowl to one side, leaving any excess oil/fat in the pan.
Lower the heat to medium and add the pancetta. Fry until crispy with the fat rendered out, then add the onion and fry until soft and golden. There should be a good amount of fat in the pan now, but if it's very dry, you can add a dash of oil.
Stir the flour into the fat, then gradually pour in the stock, milk and then cream, whisking as you go to prevent lumps from forming. Stir in the parmesan until it melts, then stir in the chicken (plus any resting juices) and the sun dried tomatoes.
Bring to a simmer and stir now and then for 8-10mins until nice and thick, then check for seasoning and adjust if needed. Stir in the spinach until it wilts and combines, then pour into a baking dish and leave for 15 minutes or so until a 'skin' forms over the top. During this time, preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Scatter over the diced focaccia, closing as many gaps as possible, then lightly spray with oil and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden and crisp on top and bubbly around the edges.
Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Chicken - Thigh is best for this recipe because it can last the longer cooking time without drying out.

b) Salt/Stock - Due to the pancetta and sun dried tomatoes, the sauce already gets salty enough (for my taste) so I use zero salt stock. For the same reason, go easy when adjusting seasoning as it's likely you won't need any more extra salt.

c) Focaccia - I used a rosemary and sea salt loaf from Sainsbury's. You should be able to get focaccia in other supermarkets/bakeries, but if not, just pick up a loaf of some other kind of Italian bread. Preferably something flavoured (i.e. I used rosemary and sea salt here). Depending on the shape/size of your baking dish you might need more or less to cover the filling, so just use your best judgment.

d) Serving/Calories - Calories are per serving based on 4 people (can stretch to 5 with a side).

Nutrition