NailBat
Well-Known Member
Chicken Landa
When I was first learning to cook, I wondered what would happen if you added vinegar to a béchamel. The answer is - a delicious sauce that's both creamy and tangy, and goes very well with chicken, mushrooms, and noodles. I've never been able to find a "real" recipe with the same flavor profile, if anyone knows of one I'd love to hear it!
Ingredients/Mise en Place:
When I was first learning to cook, I wondered what would happen if you added vinegar to a béchamel. The answer is - a delicious sauce that's both creamy and tangy, and goes very well with chicken, mushrooms, and noodles. I've never been able to find a "real" recipe with the same flavor profile, if anyone knows of one I'd love to hear it!
Ingredients/Mise en Place:
- About 1# (450g) or more of chicken breast or thighs, as you prefer, pat dry. Basically as much as will comfortably fit in your pan without overcrowding.
- 8-16 oz (250-450g) white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- Olive Oil (just a drizzle)
- 3T (50g) Butter
- 3T (50g) AP Flour
- One Package (1# / 450g) Egg Noodles
- 1 gma* of Dill, Thyme, and Black Pepper (a gma is the scientifically precise amount of seasoning your grandma would use if she were cooking this. In other words, I wasn't really measuring)
- Salt to taste
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt. In a large sauté pan, heat just a little oil and brown the chicken well on both sides over medium-high heat (about 4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the second). The chicken won't be cooked through, the goal is just to get browning on the chicken and to get brown bits in the pan.
- Set the chicken aside and remove the pan from the heat. Pour in the vinegars and scrape vigorously to deglaze all the brown bits. Reserve this liquid.
- Put the pan back on medium-high heat and throw in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, until the mushrooms have cooked down somewhat, about five minutes. Don't worry if the mushrooms release water, it'll all work out in the end. Set the mushrooms aside.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and melt the butter. Once melted, sweat the shallots and the garlic, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes. Throw in the flour to make a roux and let that cook another minute or so.
- Slowly add the milk to make your béchamel. Once it is all incorporated, add the dill, thyme, pepper, a pinch of salt, and the mushrooms along with any of their liquid.
- Now would be a good time to get a pot of water going for the noodles. Cook those according to package directions.
- Let the sauce reach a gentle simmer, and while that's happening, cut up that chicken into bite size chunks. (I find it easier to brown the chicken whole and then cut it afterwards but if you'd rather cube it all from the get-go, nobody would arrest you). Cutting up the chicken will help it cook through faster.
- By the time you've finished cutting up the chicken, the sauce should have thickened somewhat. Add in the vinegar mixture and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the chicken and let it all simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through, which should take less than ten minutes. If you're lucky, this will be pretty close to when those noodles are ready.
- Taste the sauce for salt and pepper, it should be creamy and savory but with a sharp kick from the vinegar.
- Serve atop those noodles. If you're a better cook than I am, garnish the plate with some fresh parsley or something, I don't know.
