Description

This is a perfect fall casserole, The cooking sweet potatoes, sauteed chicken breasts, onion and bacon aromas will make your mouth water. The creamy white sauce pulls it all together in one delicious casserole.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 oz. each)
• 1 T. dried thyme
• 1 1/2 t. dried sage
• Kosher salt
• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz. sweet potatoes
• 1 medium red onion
• 5 T. olive oil
• 1/2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 5 slices good-quality smoked bacon
• 1 T. unsalted butter
• 1 T. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole milk
• 1/3 c. grated Gruyère cheese
• Fresh sage sprigs for garnish (optional)
• Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

Steps

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°. Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch, or a shallow 3-quart baking dish.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place a chicken breast on a work surface and, with a sharp knife held parallel to the surface, cut the breast in half horizontally. Repeat with the remaining breasts. In a small bowl, mix together thyme, sage, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Set aside 1 teaspoon of this seasoning. Season both sides of each of the 8 chicken pieces with the remaining mixture.
3. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Stack several rounds on top of each other and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Peel onion, halve through the root end and slice into 1/4-inch-wide strips.