Chicken Provincial
Submitted by keylolo
Old-fashioned stewing hen braised tender in seasoned broth, served over mashed potatoes or rice with a lemony green pea cream sauce. The kind of cooking grandma got right.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsThis is the kind of recipe that smells like your grandmother’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon.
A whole stewing hen gets pressure-cooked (or slow-simmered on the stove) with onion, celery, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns until the meat falls right off the bone.
The rich chicken stock from the pot becomes the base for a creamy sauce loaded with green peas and brightened with lemon juice and zest.
Pile it all over mashed potatoes, rice, or buttered egg noodles, and you’ve got the very definition of soul-warming, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food.
Kitchen Tips
- A stewing hen (older bird) has more flavor than a young broiler, but needs longer cooking to get tender. Don’t rush it.
- Brown the flour in oil until it turns a light golden color before adding the stock. This gives the sauce a nutty, toasty depth that white roux can’t match.
- The lemon juice and zest at the end are essential. They cut through the richness and wake up the whole dish.
- Save any extra stock in the freezer. Homemade chicken stock this flavorful is liquid gold.
Ingredients
Directions
Disjoint chicken and cook in pressure cooker for 15 to 20 minutes along with parsley, bayleaf, onion, salt, peppercorns, and celery.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can use any large pot, and cook as long as necessary over medium heat until chicken is very tender.
Remove chicken, drain, and slice off meat, removing all skin.
Do not discard stock.
Keep chicken warm.
Skim fat from the stock, and reserve 1 cup.
In a heavy skillet, heat oil.
Stir in flour, and cook until brown.
Add 1 cup chicken stock and peas.
Cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes.
Uncover, add milk, lemon juice and rind, salt and pepper.
Bring to boil, and reduce heat and cook until thickened.
On a large platter, place the mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
On top of that, arrange the warmed chicken, and top with the peas mixture.
Garnish with parsley.
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