creamy chicken hasselbacon carbonara with garlic butter
serves 4 | prep 30 mins | cooking 1 hour 10 mins
1.2kg even-sized baby coliban (chat) potatoes
20g butter
1 brown onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml (2 cups) pouring cream
2 tsp chicken stock powder
2 (about 330g in total) barbecue chicken breasts, skin removed, torn into thick strips
6 short cut bacon rashers
40g ( ¹ / ³ cup) pre-grated 3-cheese blend
Fresh chives, chopped, to serve
garlic butter
50g butter, melted
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced. Cut a small slice lengthways off 1 potato so it sits flat on the chopping board. Place a bamboo skewer on either side of the potato. Use a small sharp knife to make thin cuts along the potato width without cutting all the way through (the skewers will help prevent this). Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
2 Melt the butter in a 26cm (base size) 30cm (top size) ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the cream and stock powder. Stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken and stir until just combined. Arrange the potatoes, hasselback-side up, in the chicken mixture.
3 Coarsely chop 3 bacon rashers into 1cm pieces. Scatter over potatoes and cream mixture. Cover. Bake for 30 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, cut the remaining bacon in half lengthways, then crossways into 1cm-thick strips.
5 Uncover the pan. Use a teaspoon to spoon a little of the cream mixture from the pan over the potatoes. Carefully use a small knife to open a few slits in each potato and add a strip of bacon to each slit. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender yet crisp on top, and the cheese is melted.
6 While the potatoes are cooking, make the garlic butter. Combine the melted butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Use a teaspoon to remove and discard the garlic.
