Creamy chicken and butternut squash gratin

Name: Creamy chicken and butternut squash gratin
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion, roughly chopped; 1 leek, halved and chopped; 350g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, chopped into 2cm pieces; 75g butter; 75g plain flour; 800ml chicken stock; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 3 tbsp crème fraîche; 350g cooked chicken, torn into pieces; 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, plus a few leaves for sprinkling on top; 75g ciabatta, torn into rough pieces; 60g Gruyère, grated

Published: 28 Feb 10
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

This is comfort food at its best; use leftover roast chicken and add it to leeks and butternut squash in a creamy sauce, top with crunchy ciabatta pieces and sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 4
Hands-on time 25 min, oven time 20 min

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Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 leek, halved and chopped
350g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, chopped into 2cm pieces
75g butter
75g plain flour
800ml chicken stock
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp crème fraîche
350g cooked chicken, torn into pieces
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, plus a few leaves for sprinkling on top
75g ciabatta, torn into rough pieces
60g Gruyère, grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and leek and fry until soft. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the squash, season and fry for 10 minutes until tender. Set aside with the onion and leek.
Melt the butter in the pan, stir in the flour to make a roux (paste) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, a little at a time, to the roux, stirring until smooth. Add the mustard, thyme and crème fraîche. Season and stir in the chicken and the reserved onion, leek, squash.
Spoon evenly into a 2-litre ovenproof dish. Scatter with the ciabatta pieces, Gruyère and extra thyme. Season, then drizzle with the rest of the oil. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling hot.

Recipe from March 2010 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 644kcals
Fat: 38g (18.2g saturated)
Protein: 37.4g
Carbohydrates: 40.8g (11.1g sugar)
Salt: 1.1g

delicious. tips

Make the gratin, but don’t cook it. Wrap in cling film, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and cook as described.

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Creamy chicken and butternut squash gratin

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition

delicious. tips

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