Milk Chicken

Cooking time: 1 – 1/2 hours
Preparation time: 15 mins
Main cooking utensil: large saucepan

For 6-8 people you need:
2 small roasting chickens, approximately 2 1/2 lb. (when trussed)
2 stalks celery
2 1/2 cups water
seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk

Garnish:
1-2 hard-cooked eggs
1-2 bananas
cooked mixed vegetables

1. Put the whole chickens (or joint them if pan is not sufficiently large) into pan, add diced celery, water, and seasoning.

2. Bring to boil; remove any scum from the top of the liquid, cover pan, lower heat, simmer gently – allow 45 minutes for jointed chicken, 1 hour for whole birds – until tender but unbroken; lift onto hot dish.

3. Blend flour with half the milk, stir into stock, cook until thickened.

4. Add the butter and the egg blended with the remainder of the milk, and COOK GENTLY without boiling for several minutes.

5. Strain some of the sauce over the birds, then garnish with the sliced hard-cooked egg, bananas, and vegetables.

TO SERVE: With the rest of the sauce and mashed potatoes

TO VARY: Serve with cooked macaroni instead of potatoes; add a little cream and sherry to the sauce at stage 4.

PRINTED INCANADA @copy;Copyright Paul Hamlyn Ltd 1967