Cooking With Rania: Chicken A La King
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Rania Harris, of Rania's Catering, is devoting all of January to warm soups and stew recipes to keep you warm during the winter months.
Chicken a la King
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 cup sliced fresh carrots
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped red pepper
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup chicken broth (see recipe below)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
- Warm biscuits - from scratch or from the Little Biscuit Company (found in the freezer section)
Directions:
In medium soup pot, sauté the mushrooms, carrots, onion and red pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Add the flour to the vegetables and cook for just a minute, to cook off the flour taste. Add salt, pepper and sage and the add in milk and broth and cook until the mixture begins to boil gently and is thickened. Add peas and chicken and continue to cook until the peas are cooked and the mixture is hot throughout.
Serve immediately over warm biscuits.
Serves: 4
Chicken Broth:
- 1 large whole chicken
- 1 large onion – cut into quarters
- 4 large carrots – cut into large pieces
- 3 stalks celery – cut into large pieces
- Sea salt and peppercorns for seasoning the broth
Directions:
Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot and cover with water by several inches. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid, leaving just a small section uncovered. Simmer the broth for about 2 hours, to obtain a nice rich broth. Remove the chicken (it will fall apart) to a platter and drain the liquid back into the pot. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and peppercorns and try to remove any visible fat from the broth, if possible.
Note:
The difference between chicken stock and chicken broth:
Chicken stock tends to be made more from bony parts, whereas chicken broth is made more out of meat. Chicken stock tends to have a fuller mouth feel and richer flavor, due to the gelatin released by long-simmering bones and is best when making homemade chicken soup. Chicken broth is a better product when you only need a cup or two for a recipe ingredient.