Once again it is time to revisit a classic! Creamed chicken is definitely in that category. You may know it as Chicken A La King, or you may know this old school dish by another name. This one is a throw back to be sure! My mother made creamed chicken. I could never stomach it as a child. Thick white sauce with leftover chunks of cooked chicken and a can of Veg-All. Ick! To this day, I can't even walk past that canned veggie in the store without a cold shudder going down my spine. My mother is an excellent cook, but creamed chicken was not my favorite.
As an adult, I am revisiting all these old favorites that make everyone all warm and fuzzy and think of happy times when they were younger. While this dish was most likely created as a way to stretch the protein or use leftovers to full capacity, it is still something that many people enjoy. My girls basically called this inside out pot pie. It is true, this creamy, chicken-y treat does indeed taste like a pot pie without all the pastry rolling etc.
This dish goes together quite quickly and, indeed, you can use leftover chicken or even rotisserie chicken shredded or cubed up to make this go even quicker. Either way it will be enjoyed by all. I started out mine with fresh chicken breasts cubed up that I cooked along with some aromatics of celery, onion and garlic, If you like other things, pop them in there. I thought that some cubed potatoes would have been a nice addition as well. When the chicken was nearly done, I removed it from the pan and built my roux out of flour and butter. Added the spices and the broth to make a creamy gravy. Added back the chicken and aromatics and added some cream. Half and half or even milk will do here. Whatever you keep on hand. I also added a small bag of frozen mixed veggies and a couple cans of drained mushrooms. If you like fresh use those and add them with the chicken and aromatics to cook. Let this simmer for a few minutes and voila'! creamed chicken!
The one thing I remember most about my mom's creamed chicken is that she, more than once served it ladled over toasted frozen waffles. The square kind. Usually they were a little crispy. That was always fun and if you have never tried it, kind of delicious. Because even if creamed chicken was not my favorite thing to have for supper, served over a waffle, it made my 8 year old self kind of happy. Today I am serving my creamed chicken over some homemade sour cream biscuits. You can serve this over whatever you like. Mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, toast, biscuits of any kind, even the pop and fresh variety, or, if you are so inclined, waffles. You could even go the extra mile and make some herb and butter savory waffles to serve this over! Now that would be amazing!
This recipe will serve 8 hungry people. We will eat this for two meals. I will refrigerate the leftovers and eat them within a week or 10 days. Freezing this is not recommended, as the mixture could break upon reheating and be unpleasant.
I hope that you will revisit this classic creamed chicken and biscuits sometime soon and I hope you love it!
Happy Eating!
You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:
Noreen's Kitchen
Classic Creamed Chicken
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups chicken stock
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
|
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
|
Step by Step
Instructions
Cut chicken into small cubes.
Heat oil in a large, heavy
bottomed skillet.
Add chicken and cook until
almost done all the way through.
Add celery, onion, bell
pepper and garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Remove chicken and veggies
from the pan and set aside.
Add butter to the pan and
melt completely. Whisk in butter to make a roux.
Add onion powder, garlic
powder and poultry seasoning. Stir
well.
Continue to stir for a few
minutes until the mixture takes on a nutty aroma.
Add chicken stock to the
roux, whisking the entire time.
Continue to stir until the mixture thickens to a light sauce.
Add chicken and vegetables
back to the pan and stir well. Simmer
on low for five minutes.
Add heavy cream and frozen
vegetables and stir well to combine.
Simmer for an additional five minutes.
Add salt and pepper to
taste. Remove from heat and allow to
rest for five minutes before serving.
Serve over mashed potatoes,
rice, toast, homemade biscuits or fresh cooked waffles!
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.