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Dinner

Chicken escondidinho with arracacha mash

Creamy mash on top and chicken with hidden veggies underneath — a freezer-friendly Brazilian family recipe serving six.

Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Total time
70 min
Servings
6
Chicken escondidinho with arracacha mash
Kid-approved
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🥘

Ingredients

15 items

Instructions

7 steps
  1. 1

    Simmer the chicken in water with the bay leaf for about 20 minutes, until tender. Let it cool slightly, then shred.

  2. 2

    Meanwhile, cut the arracacha into chunks and boil in lightly salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until it falls apart when pierced with a fork.

  3. 3

    Drain and mash while still hot with the butter, milk and nutmeg until smooth. Season with salt.

  4. 4

    Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the carrot and zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes.

  5. 5

    Add the tomatoes and shredded chicken. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and herbs.

  6. 6

    Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Spread the filling in a 20 × 30 cm (8 × 12 in) baking dish, cover with the mash and top with cheese.

  7. 7

    Bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Dinner

Notes and substitutions

Ages 2–3: children can wash the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Ages 4–5: they can mash the warm arracacha and shred the cooled chicken by hand.

Ages 6–7: they can measure ingredients and layer the dish, with an adult responsible for the oven.

Swap the arracacha for sweet potato, cassava or kabocha squash.

For a dairy-free version, use olive oil and cooking water in the mash, and skip or replace the cheeses.

For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with 2 cups of cooked lentils or lightly mashed chickpeas.

Fridge, freezer and lunchbox

How to store and reheat

  • Fridge: up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat at 180 °C (350 °F) for 15 minutes or microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Freezer: up to 3 months. Freeze assembled but unbaked; bake from frozen at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 40 minutes, covered for the first 25.
  • Lunchbox: heat thoroughly in the morning and pack in an insulated food jar to keep it warm until lunch.

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