My Mom's Amazing Chicken in White Sauce
Happy November!! Can you believe we're here already?!! In the blogging world we're heading full throttle into Thanksgiving and the holiday season and I promise to soon share with you the yummiest Thanksgiving and holiday treats so that if you're like me, you can start planning and agonizing over what to make far in advance, but today we're taking a trip back in time to my long ago (and getting longer every day) childhood with one of my favorite family dinners, My Mom's Amazing Chicken in White Sauce.
My mom was and is a terrific cook and even though for much of the time we were little kids she worked full time, she still got an amazing meal on the table pretty much every night, which all of you moms or cooks in the house, know is no small accomplishment. This chicken dish is one of her originals and one of our all-time favorites. It always made a return to the repertoire as soon as the weather turned colder--like right about now.
It's easy to make too. And you can make it ahead. In fact, it only gets better with a couple of days of refrigerator time. It's the perfect dish to make on the weekend and reheat for those hectic weeknights. To me, it's the ultimate comfort meal: tender white meat chicken coated in a light creamy sauce with sweet carrots, served over a bed of rice. Mmm!! Perfection! And so the tradition continues...thanks Mom!!!
My Mom's Amazing Chicken in White Sauce
Serves 6-8
This recipe doubles or triples very well--great to make for big family get-togethers.
Prep Time: 15 minutes: Cook Time: 1 and 1/2-2 hours, until chicken and carrots are very tender
Ingredients
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
Water
Bay leaf
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (you can add more if you like)
Rice, pasta, noodles, mashed potatoes to sop up all the sauce (optional)
The Recipe
1. Into a large pot, place the chicken and fill the pot with just enough water to barely cover it. Add in the onion, carrots and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, set up a large colander over a bowl. When the liquid has boiled, carefully pour the contents of the pot into the colander. Return the chicken to the pot. Do not throw away the liquid in the bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir constantly to make a thick paste. Add some of the cooking liquid into the paste until the mixture turns creamy. Then pour the entire thing back into the pot with the chicken. Toss in the salt and pepper. Then add a little more of the cooking liquid back into the pot, give everything a good stir and bring the liquid to a simmer. Allow the chicken to cook for at least another hour until it's fully cooked and tender and carrots are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
3. My mom always served this with rice but it would be good with pasta or mashed potatoes or anything that sops up the delicious sauce. And you can make it at least 2 days ahead and reheat it on top of the stove or in a 350ºF oven in individual casseroles with the rice beneath. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from my mom!
