15-Minute Potato Gratin with Chicken Recipe | Weeknight Wonder

15-Minute Potato Gratin with Chicken Recipe: When Fancy Meets Feasible – I have a confession to make: I’m deeply skeptical of any recipe that promises both “gratin” and “quick” in the same breath.

Potato Gratin with Chicken

Lumina Liu

This recipe features a quick and tasty potato gratin with chicken and bacon greens. This Italian-style dish can be made in 15 minutes. It includes well-cooked potatoes layered with tender onions, topped with creamy creme fraiche and Parmesan cheese. It is served with chicken breasts, bacon, peas, and spinach to create a complete meal.

4.8 from 124 votes

Prep Time 10 Minutes

Cook Time 15 Minutes

Total Time 25 Minutes

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 485 calories kcal

Ingredients

 

• 800g potatoes
• 3 onions
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1 pot creme fraiche
• Parmesan cheese
• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 bacon strips
• Spinach
• Peas

Instructions

 

1. Finely slice 800g of potatoes and boil in a pan for about 5-8 minutes until firmish, not soft.
2. Finely slice 3 onions and place in an oven dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 100ml of chicken stock. Cook until the onions are soft.
3. Drain the potatoes and pour onto the onions. Season to taste.
4. Spoon creme fraiche over the potatoes until all is covered but not swimming. Grate Parmesan over the top.
5. Finish under the grill until nicely golden.
6. Serve with chicken and bacon, peas and spinach.

Nutrition

Calories: 485.00 caloriesFat: 23.00 gCarbohydrates: 42.00 gCholesterol: 95.00 mgFiber: 5.00 gProtein: 35.00 gSaturated Fat: 9.00 g

Keyword potato gratin, chicken dinner, quick dinner, Italian potato dish, creamy potatoes, bacon greens, weeknight meal

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In my world, gratins are weekend affairs that involve mandolines (and inevitable knuckle injuries), heavy cream, and at least an hour of oven time. They’re delicious but firmly in the “special occasion” category of my mental recipe file.

So when I stumbled upon this 15-minute potato gratin with chicken recipe, my eyebrows practically disappeared into my hairline. A gratin in 15 minutes? That seemed about as likely as me successfully folding a fitted sheet (which, for the record, I’ve given up on entirely).

The Weeknight Gratin Revolution

Here’s the thing about potato gratins: they’re essentially the cashmere sweater of side dishes—luxurious, comforting, and typically reserved for when you want to impress.

But this potato gratin recipe approaches things differently, offering all that creamy, golden-topped glory on a weeknight timeline.

The secret? Par-boiling the potatoes before they hit the baking dish. It’s so obvious I’m almost embarrassed I hadn’t thought of it myself after all these years of reserving gratins for days when I have nothing better to do than watch potatoes slowly soften in cream.

The Complete Meal Approach

What I particularly love about this potato gratin recipe is that it doesn’t pretend to be a standalone side dish.

It acknowledges what we all know to be true: that a good potato gratin deserves protein and something green to round things out.

The chicken and bacon complement the creamy potatoes perfectly, while the peas and spinach add color and the pretense of nutritional virtue to the plate.

It’s a complete dinner solution, which means you’re not scrambling to figure out what else to make. In my book, that alone is worth celebration.

Potato Gratin Recipe: The Method Behind the Magic

Let me walk you through this little bit of weeknight wizardry:

1. Start with the potatoes: You’ll need 800g (about 1.75 pounds) of potatoes, sliced thinly. Boil them for just 5-8 minutes until they’re firm but not fully cooked. This pre-cooking is what makes the 15-minute timeline possible.
2. Meanwhile, prep your flavor base: Finely slice 3 onions and get them cooking in a baking dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 100ml of chicken stock. Let them soften and become translucent.
3. Assemble the gratin: Drain those par-boiled potatoes and layer them over the softened onions. Season well (and I mean well—potatoes need salt like I need coffee in the morning).
4. Add the creaminess: Spoon creme fraiche over the top until everything is nicely covered. Here’s where you make your calorie decisions—full-fat will give you that luxurious restaurant-quality finish, but lower-fat versions work too if you’re being virtuous (though why start now?).
5. Finish with cheese: Grate Parmesan generously over the top. Don’t be shy here—that golden, crispy cheese layer is what makes a gratin a gratin.
6. Broil to perfection: Pop it under the broiler (or grill, for my UK friends) until you achieve that irresistible golden-brown crust.

The Protein and Greens Component

While your potato gratin is getting all golden and bubbly, you’ll want to:

1. Cook 4 chicken breasts and 4 strips of bacon. I find that pan-searing the chicken until just cooked through works beautifully, and the bacon can either be crisped up in a separate pan or baked in the oven if you’re doing the chicken that way too.
2. Prepare your greens—in this case, spinach and peas. I like to quickly sauté the spinach with a bit of the bacon fat (I know, I know) and simply warm the peas. Nothing complicated because, frankly, the gratin is the star.

Making This Potato Gratin Recipe Your Own

The beauty of a recipe like this potato gratin with chicken is its flexibility. Here are some variations I’ve tried when my pantry or mood dictated changes:

• Herb it up: Add thyme or rosemary to the potatoes before they go into the oven
• Switch the cheese: No Parmesan? Try Gruyère or even a sharp cheddar
• Go vegetarian: Skip the chicken and bacon, double down on the greens, maybe add some mushrooms sautéed with garlic
• Make it more decadent: Replace half the creme fraiche with heavy cream (I never claimed to be a health food blogger)

The Potato Gratin with Chicken Recipe’s Reality Check

I should mention that while this potato gratin recipe is indeed faster than traditional versions, “15 minutes” might be a slight stretch unless you’re a kitchen ninja with pre-prepped ingredients.

I found it took me closer to 25 minutes from start to finish—still remarkably quick for a gratin, but let’s be honest with ourselves.

And yes, the full-fat creme fraiche version is noticeably better. I’ve tried both, and while the low-fat version is perfectly acceptable, the full-fat version makes you close your eyes and sigh contentedly with each bite. Some things are just worth the extra calories.

Why This Potato Gratin Recipe Works

What I adore about this potato gratin with chicken recipe is that it understands the fundamental truth of home cooking: we want food that feels special but doesn’t require a culinary degree or half a day to prepare.

It captures the essence of what makes a traditional potato gratin so beloved—the creamy potatoes, the golden crust, the comforting warmth—but adapts it to fit into real life.

It’s the culinary equivalent of finding a designer dress at a thrift store price: all of the satisfaction with none of the regret.

So the next time you’re tempted to just throw some potatoes in the oven to roast alongside your chicken (not that there’s anything wrong with that), consider taking the small extra step to make this gratin instead.

I promise your taste buds will thank you, and your dinner guests will be impressed that you “went to all that trouble” on a Tuesday.

Because sometimes the best kitchen hack isn’t cutting corners—it’s finding smarter routes to delicious destinations.