Irish boxty is a potato pancake made with grated raw potato, mashed potato, flour, buttermilk and baking soda. In recent years the popularity of boxty has soared with the introduction of thinner boxty pancakes wrapped around savory fillings.

Irish Boxty stuffed with creamy chicken and mushroom filling — Stuffed Boxty

Savory Stuffed Boxty
Ingredients For Chicken And Mushroom Stuffed Boxty
For the Boxty Pancake
For the Creamy Filling
Making the Boxty Pancakes
Making the Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Filling
Recipe Card

Savory Stuffed Boxty

My version of this delectable Irish delight comes with a filling of chicken, mushrooms, bacon and white Irish cheddar in a rich cream sauce, wrapped in a tender potato pancake.

A few months ago I received an e-mail from a reader who first tasted stuffed boxty on a visit to Dublin. She raved about the pairing of a creamy chicken filling and a hearty potato pancake created taste perfection on the palate.

Ever since returning to the United States she has failed in her attempts to recreate the delectable meal that introduced her to boxty. I've never tasted restaurant style boxty in Dublin, but I hope my version of chicken and mushroom stuffed boxty will rekindle tasty memories of Ireland for this reader.

Chicken stuffed boxty with mushrooms and bacon — Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Boxty

A few years ago for my blog, I cooked traditional boxty, a thick, satisfying cake that is really a cross between a pancake and a hash brown.

The batter used is too thick to create a pliable pancake that can be wrapped around a delicious creamy filling.

And so I adapted my boxty recipe slightly to create a thinner boxty batter. This soft but slightly textured boxty highlights a tasty creamy chicken and mushroom sauce, zinging with decadent flavors of bacon and cheddar cheese.

Gaelic boxty originated in the northwest counties of Ireland around Cavan and Leitrim.

The name boxty derives from the Irish language name of arán bocht tí (pronounced aw-rawn buck-th tee). This literally means poor house bread, but trust me, these hearty stuffed boxty are far from a poor house meal.

Ingredients For Chicken And Mushroom Stuffed Boxty

Here is a list of the ingredients you'll need. For exact quantities check out the printable recipe at the bottom of this post. There you'll find US and Metric measurement recipes.

Chicken and mushroom stuffed boxty recipe list — Ingredients for Stuffed Boxty

For the Boxty Pancake

raw potato (peeled and grated)
cooked mashed potatoes
all-purpose flour
salt
pepper
baking soda
buttermilk
butter or oil (to fry pancakes)

For the Creamy Filling

chicken breasts (cut in 1 inch pieces)
strips of bacon
sliced button mushrooms
minced garlic
butter
all-purpose flour
milk
whipping cream
grated white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to season
chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Note: This recipe works best with floury, fluffy Irish style mashed potato, rather than creamy American style mash.

Making the Boxty Pancakes

I usually make the pancake batter first, but cook them as I am making the filling. This takes a little bit of multi-tasking.

If you don't feel comfortable overseeing a few pans together, then I suggest cooking the pancakes and keeping them warm in the oven as you work on the chicken filling.

Removing starch from grated potato for boxty pancakes — Rinsing grated potatoes in a strainer

Grate the peeled potato and place it in a strainer. Rinse it under running water to remove water and starch.

Squeeze the grated potato with your hands, then press it against the strainer to remove any excess starch.

Mixing mashed potato and grated potato for boxty pancakes — Mixing mashed potateos and grated potatoes together for boxty

Add the drained, grated potato to the mashed potato and mix them together.

Sifting flour, baking soda, salt and pepper for boxty pancakes — Sifting dry ingredients for boxty

Sieve the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper into the potato mixture.

Pouring buttermilk into boxty pancake batter — Adding buttermilk to boxty mixture

Next add the buttermilk.

Buttermilk potato batter for boxty Irish pancakes — Boxty Batter

Blend all of the ingredients together to form a smooth, finely grained batter.

Cooking a boxty pancake in a cast iron pan — Frying boxty in a skillet

Melt a small pat of butter on an 8-inch cast iron skillet, or frying pan over medium heat. Add a ½ cup of batter and tilt the pan to spread it around completely.

Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan — Boxty in a pan ready for flipping

Cook the pancake over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

The underneath side will be a beautiful golden brown, but the top side is a great indicator for when your pancake is ready to turn. The batter will have dried out completely.

Cooking these pancakes on high heat will not work. They burn on the outside before the raw potato inside can cook.

Cooked side of a boxty pancake — Golden crust on cooked boxty

Cook the boxty for an additional 5 minutes on the second side.

Keep the pancakes hot in a warming oven as they cook. I like to place a small piece of aluminium foil between the pancakes in a stack to prevent them sticking together.

This recipe should yield six boxty pancakes.

Making the Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Filling

Melt a small piece of butter in a skillet.

Sauteed chicken in a pan — Cooking diced chicken in a skillet

Add the diced chicken and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is turning white all over.

Frying chicken and bacon for stuffed boxty — Chicken and bacon in a skillet

Add the bacon pieces and cook for an additional 3 minutes over medium high heat.

Adding mushrooms to filling for boxty — Adding mushrooms to chicken and bacon in a skillet

Toss in the minced garlic and mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.

Making a roux for a creamy cheese boxty filling — Making a roux

Melt the remainder of the butter in the pan.

Add the flour and mix thoroughly as it cooks for 1 minute.

Adding milk and cream to sauce for chicken boxty filling — Adding milk to a roux to create a sauce

Gradually add the milk and whisk the sauce to prevent the formation of lumps.

The slight speckles you see in the photo of the sauce above are little bits of residue bacon.

Grated white cheddar in stuffed boxty — Adding cream and cheese to white sauce

Add the cream and the grated cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese melts.

If like me, you enjoy the extra sharp tang of Irish cheddar your filling will be beautifully cheesy. But if you find extra sharp cheddar cheese too over powering for your palate, then simply use an American white cheddar.

Chicken, bacon and mushroom cream filling for boxty — Cheesy filling for boxty

Return the chicken, bacon and mushroom mixture to the cream sauces. Mix them well to fully coat every chicken and mushroom in sauce.

Simmer for a further 5 minutes to let the flavors meld completely.

If you wish you can add some finely chopped fresh parsley to the sauce to add a little color.

Boxty pancake with savory chicken filling — Gaelic Boxty with savory filling

Now you simply need to divide the filling between the six boxty pancakes, and serve them as a delicious wrap.

I like to add a little grated cheddar cheese on top of each serving, and garnish it with a sprig of fresh parsley.

Gaelic boxty stuffed with creamy chicken, bacon, mushroom and cheese sauce. — Creamy chicken and mushroom stufed boxty

Then all that's left is to dig in and enjoy.

Served with a side of vegetables or a green salad, these boxty pancakes are a perfect meal for any Irish themed celebration or a St. Patrick's Day feast.

Recipe Card

Here's the printable recipe. Just below the ingredient list, there are two tabs, where you can choose between US and Metric measurements.

Creamy Chicken And Mushroom Stuffed Boxty

Irish potato pancakes with a creamy, cheesy chicken filling.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Boxty, Cheddar Cheese, Chicken Filling, Irish Recipe

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1 10

Servings:

Calories: 628kcal

Author: Irish American Mom

Ingredients

Boxty Pancake

1 medium potato peeled and grated
¾ cups mashed potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon baking soda
1¾ cups buttermilk
2 ounces butter or oil to fry pancakes

Creamy Chicken Filling

1½ pounds chicken breasts 3 large - cut in 1 inch pieces
4 strips bacon
10 ounces mushrooms button or white - cleaned and sliced
1 clove garlic minced
2 ounces butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
⅓ cup whipping cream
½ cup white cheddar cheese grated
salt and pepper to season
1 tablespoon parsley chopped fresh

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Boxty Pancake

Peel and grate the raw potato, then place it in a sieve. Rinse and drain the raw grated potatoes with cold water to remove excess starch. Squeeze to remove excess liquid.
Place the raw and mashed potatoes into a large batter bowl. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper into the potato and combine well together.
Gradually add the buttermilk, mixing continuously to form a loose pancake batter.
Add a little oil or butter to a hot 8-inch round griddle or skillet. Add about ½ cup of batter. Tilt the pan around in circles to make sure the batter covers the pan completely. Do not make the pancakes too thick.
Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and the top is dry. Flip the boxty and cook through for another 5 minutes.
Place the finished pancake on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven. To prevent boxty pancakes from sticking together, place a small rectangle of foil between each one.

Creamy Chicken Filling

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the diced chicken and saute for 5 minutes. Add the chopped bacon pieces. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and mushrooms to the pan and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir to prevent sticking.
Remove the chicken and mushroom mixture from the pan and keep warm while preparing the sauce.
Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the flour and mix to form a roux. Stir constantly for 1 minute to cook the roux. Gradually add the milk whisking continually to create a smooth sauce. Reduce the heat to low once the sauce starts to bubble.
Add the cream and whisk to fully combine.
Add the cheese and stir constantly until melted through the sauce.
Return the chicken, bacon and mushrooms to the sauce and simmer gently for 3 minutes. For added color add chopped fresh parsley just prior to filling the pancakes.

Assembling the Boxty

To assemble the boxty, place an individual pancake on a plate. Place a few spoons of the creamy chicken filling on one half of the pancake. Fold the other side of the pancake over the filling.
Garnish with grated white cheddar cheese and fresh parsley. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Chicken And Mushroom Stuffed Boxty

Amount Per Serving (400 g)

Calories 628 Calories from Fat 324

% Daily Value*

Fat 36g55%

Saturated Fat 20g125%

Cholesterol 163mg54%

Sodium 671mg29%

Potassium 1020mg29%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 37g74%

Vitamin A 1033IU21%

Vitamin C 16mg19%

Calcium 223mg22%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

Tried this recipe?Mention @IrishAmericanMomBlog or tag #irishamericanmom!

I hope you enjoy this little taste of Ireland, from my home to yours.