Can Cook Won't Cook

We’re rapidly approaching the season of left-over recipes and, being blonde, I’m doing mine before the turkey and/or gammon recipe onslaught … with chicken!

This is a recipe I adapted from one I got from my mother and it works a treat with leftover roast chicken – although you can use any leftover cooked chicken (I used some from my spatchcocked lemon & rosemary chicken this time) or you could even poach/steam a couple of chicken breast fillets to convert this into a non-left-over recipe!

It’s also a very adaptable recipe – this time I served it on rice, but I’ve often used it as a pie filling, using either bought puff pastry or (when I’m feeling domestic goddess-like) home-made pastry. In this case, just brush the pastry with egg & milk whisked together and bake in the oven at 220C for 30 mins.

Please note that the quantities I’ve given are very changeable depending on how much chicken you’re using – I had the equivalent of 2 chicken breast fillets left this time around.

LEFT-OVER CHICKEN 

cooked chicken, shredded into bite-sized pieced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 punnet mushrooms, sliced

butter (I used about 3 Tblspns)

plain flour (I used about 3 Tblspns of this too)

milk, heated in the microwave (I used 500ml)

chicken stock powder (I used 2 tspns)

a dash or two of nutmeg

freshly ground salt & pepper

a shake or two of spice for chicken (optional)

2 handfuls of frozen peas

Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan then saute the onion until soft and transparent.

Add the flour and stir until it forms a roux – cook for a minute.

Combine the heated milk & chicken stock powder and slowly add to the roux, whisking constantly.

Stir over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and starts to boil.

Add the mushrooms, nutmeg, salt & pepper, chicken pieces, chicken spice (if using) and peas and combine well (if you’re making a pie, transfer the mixture into your pie dish at this point).

Reduce the heat and simmer gently whilst the rice cooks, stirring regularly.