Chicken fricassê (creamy chicken bake)

Method

1. Put the chicken breast in a pot with 1 litre of water, ½ onion, the bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 to 18 minutes until no pink remains in the centre. Let it cool a little in the broth, lift out and shred with two forks; keep 250 ml of the broth.
2. Make fluffy white rice: boil 750 ml of water in a kettle. In a medium pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over low heat and soften ½ onion, finely chopped, with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes; add 300 g of long-grain rice and stir for 1 minute until every grain is coated. Pour in the boiling water, add 1 teaspoon of salt, stir once and cook uncovered over medium heat until the water drops to the level of the rice (about 7 minutes). Lower the heat, half-cover and cook 8 minutes more until dry; turn off the heat, keep covered for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Finely chop the remaining onion and the garlic. In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the onion for 3 minutes and the garlic for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute; add the reserved broth, whisking, and let it thicken for 2 minutes.
4. Add the shredded chicken and the drained sweetcorn and heat for 2 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream (creme de leite), the cream cheese (in place of requeijão cremoso) and the chopped parsley until smooth.
5. Transfer to an ovenproof dish of about 20 × 30 cm, cover with the mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes until bubbling and browned in patches.
6. Scatter the batata palha (shoestring potato sticks) over just before serving so it stays crisp, and serve with the rice.