Had dinner with my neighbor last night. His parents have been in town visiting, and his Dad was lamenting how he can't get a "proper" creamed chicken over biscuits without visiting family, ever since he moved out of the Midwest back in the 1980's. Further talk lead me to find out he grew up only like 150 miles from where I did, so I decided to bust out my mom's recipe and make dinner for everyone. It was a definite hit with him (everyone else liked it too, though!) and his wife asked me to give her the recipe. Since I had to type it all out, I figured I'd take advantage of that and perform the ancient, arcane art of Ye Olde Copy-And-Paste to share it here, too, lol.
Chicken Stew
Serves 8 (ish... depends on the size of your bowl- and your appetite!)
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[][][]______Part A_____The Sauce______[][][]
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ONE OF:
A) 2 packets of Chicken Gravy Mix
***
OR***
B) 1 Teaspoon chicken flavor 'Better Than Bouillon'
B) 2 Teaspoons corn starch
PLUS:
1 can (32 ounces) Great Northern Beans
1 can (32 ounces) Butter beans
1 small white onion, diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
12 Saffron threads
3 medium Bay Leaves
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4 Teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon White Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Celery Seed
3 cups Milk, warmed to at least room temperature (but not hot)
Water as needed
1.) Set your slow-cooker to preheating on Low.
***NOTE:
If you're not using a slow cooker, a stew pot on the range top can work fine; in this case, cast iron is preferable as it needs less attention. However, any pot of 6 quarts or above can be made to work in a pinch, though it will need more frequent stirring to keep the stew at the bottom of the pot from burning.
2.) Heat a large sauce pan on low heat. Once up to temperature, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Let the butter sit until it has foamed up and then settled.
3.) Whisk in the Flour 1 teaspoon at a time. By the time all the Flour has been worked in, this should form a paste with a consistency like mashed potatoes.
4.) Whisk in the milk
1/4 cup at a time.
5.) Whisk in the White Pepper and Celery Seed.
6A.) IF USING GRAVY MIX:
Whisk in gravy mix until thoroughly blended.
6B
IF USING 'BETTER THAN BOUILLON':
Scoop out 1/2 cup of liquid from the pan. Add the Better Than Bouillon to this liquid, stirring until they are thoroughly combined. Then add back to the pan.
7.) Add the onion, Saffron threads, Bay leaves, cayenne, and garlic.
8.) Let the mixture simmer, stirring every 3-5 minutes so that the sauce doesn't scorch to the bottom of the pan.
***NOTE: From this point through step 13 of Part A, if at any point you feel the sauce is too thick you may add water to thin it. If you do so, whisk the water in 1/4 Cup at a time, not adding more until the last has been fully incorporated for at least 1 minute; this is a very starch-filled sauce, so liquids can take longer than you might think to fully mix in. Your elevation can make a notable difference in how much water the recipe might need, too.
9.) Into a separate pot, pour both kinds of beans and the liquid from their cans, as well as 1 Tablespoon butter. Heat on low until the butter is melted and the beans are heated through.
10.) When the beans are fully heated, add to the sauce from
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11.) Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, continuing to stir regularly.
12.) Remove Bay Leaves.
13.) Pour into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
***NOTE: This may take multiple batches, if your machine isn't large enough; that is fine, and you don't need to worry about getting "enough of everything" into a batch; it will have plenty of time to blend in the slow cooker later.
14.) After blending, pass through a mesh sieve or cheese cloth into a bowl, saving what passes through and discarding the solids. (The solids are mostly bean skins, onion membranes, and overcooked sauce bits.)
15.) Pour this liquid- which should be roughly a gravy consistency- into the slow cooker. Stir in 1 cup of water and cover.
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[][][]_____Part B:____The Chicken_____[][][]
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6 chicken thighs, skin on but de-boned
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1.) In a wide frying pan or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until shimmering (around 300 F / 150 C.)
2.) Pat the chicken thighs dry with and season them lightly with salt and black pepper.
3.) Place the chicken thighs in pan, skin side down. (You may want to use tongs, as the oil is likely to pop and spatter.)
4.) Cook until the skin reaches a golden-brown, is generally quite firm, and is crispy along the edges.
5.) Reduce heat to medium low, flip the chicken thighs over, and cover with a lid or loose foil; be sure there is room for some steam to escape.
6.) Cook for 7-9 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken thighs reaches 165 F / 75 C internal temperature.
7.) Remove from the pan and let rest on a cooling rack or paper towels to drain off excess fat/oil.
8.) When cool enough to work with, cut into bite-sized pieces.
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[][][]______Part C:______The Stew______[][][]
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1 can (32 ounces) Peas, or 2 cups frozen Peas
2 cups Carrot, coarse-diced to 1/8" (pieces about the size of a pencil eraser)
2 large Potatoes, coarse-diced to 1/4" (pieces about the size of a dime)
1 Tablespoon Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
***NOTE: From here on, when you're checking on the stew you may feel the need to add some water to maintain consistency. Be aware than the vegetables will add some water when you put them in- perhaps quite a lot of water, if you're using frozen vegetables. Keep this in mind. That said, adding a certain amount of water to keep a good consistency is perfectly fine! Like in Section A, add it 1/4 Cup at a time, mix it in thoroughly, and wait a minute or two after you think it's all mixed in to see how it looks before considering adding more.
1.) Four hours before serving, add the chicken from Part B to the slow cooker.
2.) Three hours before serving, add the Potatoes and carrots.
3.) Two hours before serving, check taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.
4.) One hour before serving, add the peas and butter.
Serve in a bowl with bread and butter on the side; or pour over a plate of sliced hot biscuits with butter, jalapeno cornbread drizzled with honey, or simple oat cakes.
:::Edited for formatting issues... repeatedly, lol
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