As you will have guessed, I bought 4 Chickens and have been making different things with them all week!!
I’ll have to feed the troops something other than Chicken tonight… or I’ll have a Mutiny on the Bounty 😊
BUT… here’s another example of what you can do with the breast or dark meat!!
In the same stock pot I cooked the legs, I also cooked the breast a bit later!!
Cook up some good quality Bacon… till it’s nice and crisp!!
Snip, snip, snip the Bacon with scissors…
Drain off Bacon fat…
Wash some Leeks … THROUROGHLY WASH!! Then slice them…
Leeks are grown in mud… they hide MUD in between their layers… be SURE to chop and soak and RINSE… and RINSE AGAIN!!
LET DRY in a colander…
I often do this the night before…
One less job in the morning, and they are nice and moisture free!!
Melt a little Butter and Olive Oil in the pan that the Bacon came out of…
Throw in your Leeks and sprinkle with Salt (this stops the Leeks–or any other vegetable–from turning brown)…
You want to enhance the flavor of the Leeks without caramelizing them… here just soft…
The Salt brings out the water in the Leeks, and the steam stops any browning…
Carrots the same thing… wash, chop, salt and sauté…
Rounds this time instead of batons… don’t ask me why!!!
Maldon Sea Salt is the only salt I use… in EVERYTHING… except Pasta Water–it’s too expensive to use large quantities for such a purpose!!!
Lid ajar the pan… stir when you remember!!
Add a bit more Butter as you do each vegetable!!
If you are only making ONE pie, you can chuck all the vegetables in together…
I NEVER seem to make JUST ONE CHICKEN POT PIE 😝
When that part is done, mix together and set aside…
In another saucepan–HEAVEY BOTTOMED (it makes a difference, PLEASE BELIEVE ME!!)–make a roux…
Equal quantities of EUROPEAN UNSALTED Butter and Flour…
Wait for the Butter to froth (that’s when the water content is evaporating, I THINK 😝)
Add the Flour…
Whisk like your life depended on it!!!
And it will COAGULATE… love THAT word 😝
It will look dry and unappealing…
This is when your Chicken Water comes in… YEAHHH!!
YOU TOOK YOUR CHICKEN BREASTS OUT after 30 minutes and set them aside to cool… but kept the Stock HOT!!
Now we use that Stock to make our Sauce for the Pot Pie… YUM!!
WHISK… WHISK… WHISK!!!
I NEED A NEW WHISK… I’ve WHISKED mine to DEATH!!!
This time the consistency will become more like GLUE 😱
Fear NOT…
Keep adding the Stock and putting some elbow grease into it and it’ll SURPRISE YOU…
EVENTUALLY 😎
