Foods, their selection and preparation

The meat may be removed from the bones and used for either creamed or a-la-king dishes, shortcake, poultry pie, scalloped dishes, salad, sandwiches, croquettes, tim¬ bales, loaves, souffle, chop suey, and pressed chicken or turkey. When stewed chicken is used for chicken salad, the broth may be used as soup, aspic (molded), or in various sauces for casserole dishes. Creamed chicken may be prepared by combining equal measures of diced cooked chicken and medium cream sauce made from the chicken broth, to which some whole milk or cream is added. Use 2 tablespoons flour and blend with 2 tablespoons chicken fat, [238] butter, or margarine to each cup liquid. Use chicken broth for at least J to § of the liquid. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, tabasco sauce, and grated onion. Cook the onion in the fat before blending the fat with the flour. Chopped celery, green pepper, and pimiento also may be added, the celery and green pep¬ per being cooked in the fat with the onion. Do not brown the vegetables. Creamed chicken is served hot in pastry shells or timbale cases, on waffles or crisp toast, or in toasted bread cups. It may be served also in a rice or noodle ring. Other ways to serve creamed chicken are chicken shortcake, chicken pie with a pastry, biscuit or mashed-potato top, or scalloped chicken and spaghetti. There are many other variations of creamed chicken and turkey. The a-la-king dishes are well-known and are favorites with many people. Chicken a la king is a rich creamed chicken to which egg, mushrooms, green pepper, and pimiento are added. Usually only the yolk of the egg is used and the slightly beaten yolks are added to the cream sauce, care being taken not to over¬ cook the sauce after the yolks are added. The mushrooms and green pepper are cooked with the onion in part of the fat. When creamed chicken and chicken a la king are seasoned with curry, they become curried chicken. Chicken salad is prepared by chilling and marinating (see page 168) cooked, diced chicken in a well-seasoned dressing. Then the chilled chicken is combined with an equal measure of chilled crisp materials such as diced celery, cucumbers, chopped onion, green pepper, and perhaps some fruit, such as diced pineapple, or seeded white or red grapes. Proportions for a delicious chicken salad are two parts chicken to one part celery and one part pineapple or white grapes or cucumber, with a little grated onion and a well-seasoned dressing. Cookbooks may be consulted for further variations of the dishes made from stewed chicken, turkey, and other poultry. Cooking Smoked Turkey. Smoked poul¬ try was mentioned earlier in this chapter. Smoked turkey is excellent roasted, sim¬ mered in water (stewed), or sliced and fried. To prepare a home-smoked young turkey for roasting wash it thoroughly inside and out and soak it several hours or overnight in enough cold water to cover. Then prepare it for the roasting pan in exactly the same way as a fresh turkey, except that in making the stuffing the salt should be omitted. Roast in the same way as a fresh turkey at 250° to 300° F. for about four hours. An old bird should be simmered in water to cover, either whole or in pieces, until tender and then cooled in the broth. Serve roast or simmered smoked turkey in very thin slices, either hot or cold.