Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4¼ qt chicken stock
• 3 lb 5 oz chicken breasts
• 8 lb 13 oz potatoes, peeled
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a large, deep roasting pan or casserole (about 5¼ qt capacity).
2. Put the chicken breasts in a large pot with the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and poach for 25–30 minutes until cooked through. Lift the chicken out, shred or cut it into bite-sized pieces, and keep the hot stock.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onions over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Stir them into the shredded chicken and season with some of the salt and pepper.
4. Grate the potatoes finely, working in batches. Tip each batch into a clean tea towel or muslin and squeeze and wring it hard over a bowl until as dry as you can get it; this step defines the texture of the pie. Discard the liquid but keep any potato starch that settles and stir it back into the dry potato pulp.
5. Put the squeezed potato pulp in a large bowl. Gradually ladle in the hot chicken stock, stirring constantly, until you have a thick, porridge-like mixture that drops slowly from the spoon. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.
6. Spread half the potato mixture over the base of the prepared pan. Cover evenly with the chicken and onion mixture, then top with the remaining potato, smoothing the surface.
7. Bake for about 2 hours until the top is deeply golden and crisp and the edges are caramelised.
8. Rest for 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve hot, traditionally with butter melting over each portion.

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data