Creamed chicken is a universal dish -- you'll find variations in almost every national cuisine, and often more than one. This particular variation, which also has mushrooms, is classic Middle Class Italian from the 20s, and derives from the recipe Ada Boni published in her Talismano della Felicità. To serve 6:
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken, about 2.5 pounds (1 k) (cleaned)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 (60 ml) cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 scant cup dry white wine
- 1 cup (250 ml) cream
- 2 yolks
- The juice of half a lemon
- 3/4 pound mushrooms, washed and sliced finely
- 1/2 cup Marsala
- White truffle (optional)
Preparation:
Flame the chicken (to take care of any remaining pinfeathers) and chop it into pieces. Wash them, and dry them.
Heat the oil and half the butter in a saucepan, and set all but the breast pieces to sauté. Let the meat brown for a few minutes over a brisk flame, then add the breasts, salt to taste, and dust everything with the tablespoon of flour. Let the meat brown for a few more minutes, scraping the pan to keep the drippings from sticking down, then spoon out and discard all the fat and stir in the white wine. When it has evaporated, stir in the cream, cover, and cook over a very low flame.
In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms until done in the remaining butter, seasoning them to taste with salt and pepper.
Once the chicken is done (it will be fork-tender and the meat will begin to pull away from the bones) remove it to a platter and keep it warm while you finish preparing the sauce, which should be neither too thin nor too thick (add a little milk or cook it down further if need be). Remove it from the fire, whisk in the yolks and lemon juice, and strain it. Next, return it to the fire with the chicken pieces. Spoon the mushrooms over them, sprinkle the Marsala over everything, and serve, adding finely shaved white truffle if you wish.
In terms of a wine, a medium-bodied red would be nice, perhaps Marchesi de'Pancrazi's Pinot Nero, or a Barbera D'Asti Superiore.
Heat the oil and half the butter in a saucepan, and set all but the breast pieces to sauté. Let the meat brown for a few minutes over a brisk flame, then add the breasts, salt to taste, and dust everything with the tablespoon of flour. Let the meat brown for a few more minutes, scraping the pan to keep the drippings from sticking down, then spoon out and discard all the fat and stir in the white wine. When it has evaporated, stir in the cream, cover, and cook over a very low flame.
In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms until done in the remaining butter, seasoning them to taste with salt and pepper.
Once the chicken is done (it will be fork-tender and the meat will begin to pull away from the bones) remove it to a platter and keep it warm while you finish preparing the sauce, which should be neither too thin nor too thick (add a little milk or cook it down further if need be). Remove it from the fire, whisk in the yolks and lemon juice, and strain it. Next, return it to the fire with the chicken pieces. Spoon the mushrooms over them, sprinkle the Marsala over everything, and serve, adding finely shaved white truffle if you wish.
In terms of a wine, a medium-bodied red would be nice, perhaps Marchesi de'Pancrazi's Pinot Nero, or a Barbera D'Asti Superiore.
